[tomder55]

The "free" market would not waste their money developing clean energy unless they were either forced to or given incentive

That is just not true . The free market IS developing that without any government incentives ;just like they have in the past without the big nanny's help. Now if the government is going to take taxpayer's money from them and give it to their cronies ,then the cronies will be more than happy to take it . But the truth is that green energy would be developed nonetheless ,unless of course there is no future for it .
I think you mistake R&D with government handouts to companies. Government has a proper role in R&D . It has NO business in shaping the marketplace ;except to perhaps encourage demand.

[paraclete]

except to perhaps encourage demand.

and how do they do that Tom, spending over bloated budgets on expensive toys? No, government has no place in encouraging demand, it's place is in providing a level playing field through appropriate legislation

[talaniman]

Development takes years and sadly we have enough work that we don't have to paint rocks but the problem is that the legislature has failed to bring about any jobs plan to do the work. Sadly small business doesn't have the leverage or credit to secure financing through the bloated banks and consumers are basically broke and underpaid.

People buying stuff is what creates the demand that everyone wants, and people want to work and buy stuff. No money no circulation, no economy. It's a very simple concept.

[paraclete]

so tal you are providing the platform for a lift in the minimum wages to reduce the ranks of the underpaid thereby increasing demand but perhaps lowering employment. The alternative is to force banks to lend as was done before the GFC. the problem is there has been too much demand that has beeen filled by cheap shoddy imports and we cannot blame China for that we must blaime our own capitalists who would rather invest their money offshore

[tomder55]

and how do they do that Tom, spending over bloated budgets on expensive toys?

no ;obviously Keynesian tinkering doesn't work . But government can stimulate the markets with a sensible tax policy that allows taxpayers to keep more of their money .

People buying stuff is what creates the demand that everyone wants

yup

[paraclete]

Tom taxation policy creates nothing, giving back to the people that which is their's does little and focuses on the wrong side of the equation. Ask yourself when were you richer, when you had higher taxation or lower? Lower taxation hasn't created demand, that is a failed policy, just shoddy politics. If you are going to have the policies your legislators put in place in response to people voting for their policies, the mandate, then taxation must reflect this. It is the other side of the coin. Some higher taxing countries have very strong economies. If you all actually paid an additional 5% many of your problems would ebe solved

[tomder55]

we'll just have to disagree on that .

[talaniman]

They couldn't get a .1% tax increase for a low interest leverage for a 10 year infrastructure project 3 years ago. Good luck with 5%.

[tomder55]

If you are going to have the policies your legislators put in place in response to people voting for their policies, the mandate, then taxation must reflect this.

Yes . What we have is record spending while the emperor claims we are on austerity ,and idiotic nonsense from the party that controls half the legislative branch and the executive about how encouraging people to be non-productive is a good thing .

[paraclete]

As I said in another context SHODDY POLITICS You have to pay for the programs, this generation has to pay, not some future generation, or you could just force feed inflation as you have been doing recently and watch the loss in purchasing power swallow the deficit along with your economy

[talaniman]

Politics is about money, and the driving force behind the science. It's not shoddy when the purpose of science is to make ones self rich, and richer.

Rich guys have plenty of purchasing power Clete, more than they ever had in history, and they want more. And they will make the science turn a profit. That's supply side economics 101.

[tomder55]

Unfortunately Clete is right in that we have to pay for the prolific spending of the "progressive" state . What history has proven over and over again is that supply side cuts generate revenue because of the economic growth that follows. You could confiscate all the money from the wealthy and still not pay for all your government spending programs ;the debt ,and future entitlement obligations. Clete ,we are already paying for this with sluggish Euro-socialist style growth rates ...... and yes ,a big chunk of this is passed on to future generations .What do the big government pols. care ? Even the ones that park their a$$es in Congress for as long as John Dingleberry did know that they will be out of office ,living on their generous government retirement benefits ,the grease they accumulated ,and their final pay off speaking gigs ,long before the bill comes due .

[speechlesstx]

FYI, if the planet keeps getting hotter Chipotle might have to axe the guacomole.

It’s your choice, America. Fix the climate, or the guac gets it.

I say the guac stays.

[talaniman]

Fix the climate?

[speechlesstx]

Fix the climate?

Show me what's wrong with the climate and we can talk. Not interested in bullsh*t fear mongering, I'm a "factivist."

[talaniman]

FYI, if the planet keeps getting hotter Chipotle might have to axe the guacomole.



I say the guac stays.

Thought you were a guacamole lover? Chipolte is lying? I like the guac too, what should we do?

[tomder55]

They ought to be complaining about the artificial man-made drought that is affecting the avocado crop.

[speechlesstx]

Thought you were a guacamole lover? Chipolte is lying? I like the guac too, what should we do?

I've only posted about the man made drought tom mentioned a dozen times or so, was I lying?

[excon]

Hello Steve:

Man made drought??? Sounds suspiciously LIBERAL.

excon

[paraclete]

Fix the climate?

I'm with you Tal, would someone please tell me how this might be accomplished? Lowering CO2 emissions won't "FIX" the climate.

There is no man made drought, there is a climate cycle and dought is part of it, over long cycles, and there are long cycles, there are times of drought and there are times of floods, fortunately most of the weather in between is less extreme. If there is anything that can be ascertained from observation is that desertification is something that has been happening for long time and may be the result of agricultural practices. You want to stop drought and change the climate, change agricultural practices and plant some trees. In other words, kick big business out of agriculture