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Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sneaky taxes fund B.C. global-warming crusade
Canada's left coast is sliding further and further to the left these days, as the B.C. Liberal government of Gordon Campbell tries to elbow its way to the front of the climate-change stampede.
Finance Minister Carole Taylor is even talking about introducing carbon taxes in the upcoming provincial budget, a measure she at first declared would be revenue neutral. However, she later contradicted herself by revealing that she wasn't actually planning any tax reductions to offset the increases.
Mary Woo Sims and I debate this issue in today's Face to Face feature in the Tri-City News. Of course, given my scepticism about the whole climate-change juggernaut, I'm opposed to any carbon tax. But I also advance the position that government should not be forcing citizens to pay any such tax in the first place. Let those of us who think global-warming is a serious problem adopt voluntary measures to fight it; the rest of us can continue leading our lives in a way we consider to be reasonable and responsible.
Also on the subject of sneaky, green tax increases, the Vancouver Sun's Vaughn Palmer on Saturday exposed the surreptitious way in which the Campbell crowd snuck in a new energy tax last year, also part of his global-warming-fighting agenda.
Perhaps it's time to start taking the B.C. Conservative Party a little more seriously.
Posted by Terry O'Neill on January 27, 2008 in Canadian Provincial Politics | Permalink
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Comments
Terry: "Let those of us who think global-warming is a serious problem adopt voluntary measures to fight it; the rest of us can continue leading our lives in a way we consider to be reasonable and responsible."
C'mon, Terry. You don't believe this. Because if you do the you also have to believe:
- Let those of us who think global-terrorism is a serious problem adopt voluntary measures to fight it; the rest of us can continue leading our lives in a way we consider to be reasonable and responsible.
and
- Let those of us who think abortion is a serious problem adopt voluntary measures to fight it; the rest of us can continue leading our lives in a way we consider to be reasonable and responsible.
The simple fact is that one can ONLY adopt such a sentiment if one already believes that the named thing is NOT a serious problem. If global warming has the real potential to be catestrophic in its effect for everyone on the planet, then letting people decide whether they want to continue to make the problem worse or not is a non-starter, just as it is if terrorism or abortion are really serious issues.
Posted by: Fact Check | 2008-01-27 2:42:16 PM
In spite of the incredible amount of hysteria on this topic, I have yet to see anything make me believe that we're headed for serious, long-term, anthropogenic climate change. Sure, the north pole is warming up, but the south pole is cooling off. There are both short-term and long-term weather cycles that are completely absent from "mainstream" discussions of global warming, which seem to consist almost entirely of pictures of polar bears adrift on ice floes, maps showing half the world's population drowned in fifty years, and misanthropic railing at the greed and viciousness of humanity. It's smoke and mirrors, hate and fear tactics, death and doom. If these people get any worse they're going to found a huge commune in Nunavut and then commit mass suicide as a gesture of political protest. And good riddance.
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2008-01-27 2:56:32 PM
we have set up a forum to debate these issues. YThe only rule is no insults. Feel free to join:
http://www.creditablecarbon.com/forum/
Posted by: debator | 2008-01-27 7:09:26 PM
I don't see why, even if Global Warming is real, I - in suburban British Columbia (or really anywhere in North America) ought to care. It's snowing outside here right now, after all. What's a few degrees over a century going to mean to me? If anything, it'll make this place a nicer one to live in.
The problem is that there isn't a credible alternative to the Liberals here in BC. I say this as someone who has gone from being, in 2001, an enthusiastic right-liberal to one who, in 2008, is now very reluctant and would probably hestitate to do more than vote for them in the next election (where I have campaigned and donated to them in the past).
The leftward drift of the Liberals is very pronounced and very frustrating. These aren't the people I supported originally.
But, that being said, the last time we split the vote on the right in this Province, we ended up with the NDP in power.
Posted by: Adam Yoshida | 2008-01-27 7:27:38 PM
Indeed, reading the BC Conservatives' web site, I can't say that they'd be much of an improvement over the Liberals. Indeed, on a number of issues, they sound to the left of where the Liberals are even now.
Oh, for the 'slash and burn' government I thought that I voted for.
Posted by: Adam Yoshida | 2008-01-27 7:32:26 PM
Adam,
Good point re B.C. Conservatives. B.C. Unity Party website, http://www.bcunity.ca/, is moribund, which indicates the party is as well. B.C. Reform Party's site, http://www.reformbc.net/, is even more stale. So, what else is there?
Posted by: Terry O'Neill | 2008-01-27 8:29:00 PM
El Gordo is an astute politician. I think he knows what side his bread is buttered on and is simply throwing the eco-freaks a bone that he will probably renege on giving its utter impracticality.
People only complain about the environment when there's nothing more pressing. No government was ever brought down for not protecting the environment enough. Some have been brought down by protecting it too much and thus killing jobs, however.
I support and believe in environmental stewardship and believe that we should find ways to make all our resources sustainable and minimize our footprint, as they call it. But not at the expense of our prosperity and well-being. The environment in Canada is nowhere near sick enough to justify such drastic measures.
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2008-01-27 10:01:59 PM
Really - not much.
Though, there probably is room for a new party of the right in BC. Or a revived older one.
The Conservatives would probably need some high-profile defections in order to get on the radar. Maybe an MLA or something like that might do it - if it was the right MLA.
Though, the problem is that the Liberals have a potent weapon to keep conservatives on their side - the memory of the NDP. My parents recently sold their home, and I was over there and going through some of their papers. It was of note that their home remained pretty much the same price through the whole of the NDP's time in office. BC basically missed out on the 1990's global boom because of the NDP's awful policies. I don't want them back - so I'm willing to put up with this global warming and Indian reconcillation nonsense in order to keep them out.
For now, at least. I don't know. The Liberals are steadily drifting further and further leftwards.
Posted by: Adam Yoshida | 2008-01-27 10:02:14 PM
Someone tell me how many Canadians have died from Global Warming.
And these clowns want to spend billions on this. Talk about misplaced priorities to the point of criminal negligence.
Epsi
Posted by: epsilon | 2008-01-27 10:04:49 PM
How many Canadians? How many humans have died from "global warming"? Answer: NONE.
I heard somewhere that Canada's share of global warming would cost $17b a year.
WHAT PART OF ABSOLUTELY NOT DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND? That is an atrocity! Not even going to debate that kind of nonsense.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2008-01-27 10:39:55 PM
The root cause of the environmental declines we are facing throughout the world is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Once one-fourth part of the earth is destroyed (Re.6:7-8) we will move forward to the next Seal events, followed by Trumpet events, followed by Plague events. The earth is on a downhill slid; it will not recover. The first four Trumpet events will destroy an additional one-third part (Re.8:7-12).
Patricia (ndbpsa ©) Bible Prophecy on the Web
Posted by: Patricia Burns | 2008-01-28 6:13:19 PM
Hey c'mon, the trumpets might be nice!
Posted by: epsilon | 2008-01-28 6:39:54 PM
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