I sat and read through a piece of the London Times this AM (I will admit it's a bit overwhelming on intellectual 'drama').
Topic? Some PhD guys/gals have gathered and in the UK....they are suggesting the chief way to combat climate change....is by rationing things.
What things? Well....airline flights, food of certain types (meat is a definite on the list), gas/diesel, and general clothing (sounds like they are excluding underwear, bras, and socks.
How would this work? You'd have something that works like a Visa card....referred to as a 'carbon card', and limits would be on it.
I sat and pondered upon this....about halfway through the article, I had to put it down.
Would toilet paper go on the list, and you'd face limits of 12 sheets per day?
Would beer go on the carbon limits....with no more than three beers a day?
Would meat end up being fairly limited....just giving three portions a week?
Would you only get one visit quarterly to McDonalds?
Would coffee be a controlled item?
Light bulbs? Would it reach a point where I could only get two bulbs a year, and sit in darkness for weeks until my 'day' arrived?
Mustard and pickles? Unlimited?
Would condoms go on the limits list.....with guys only getting a dozen per month?
Might cannabis get on the list, and limit guys to just one joint a week?
Would seats or positions in universities decrease, with only the ultra-smart folks getting an approval to sit in classes?
The more I thought about this gimmick.....the less likely I felt that society would accept this. They'd either go and fire the government starting this....or they'd pack up and leave the country.
This all becoming a chat about CONTROL? Well....the more you stretch your imagination on this.....it can only be a control thing. The Soviets ran this for several decades....finding it mostly led to certain people getting no limit, and the majority of people forever having a limit.
2 comments:
It's funny how capitalist all of a sudden start shrieking when a market based solution gets proposed that forces them to pay for damages they used to be able to socialise.
Generally such schemes are successful - look at sulphur dioxide market based mechanisms. The sad thing is now, is that it's cheaper for the electricity generator in Sydney to pay the fines than it is for the state to support he increased illness in the area (asthma for instance). Until that balance shifts, theirs no incentive to develop these mythical technological solutions that I keep hearing will solve all our woes.
It's like asking the post war generation to think of others for a change and take responsibility for shaping the world. They're just not interested, as they've benefited exclusively as a cohort by having such a powerful voting block. These problems just won't be fixed for another 20 years until that group and the entitled attitude all dies out.
This sort of scheme would rely on a trade off, where when you don't use some things, you get more of others. Kind of like, you know, life. If you want more things, then you can pay for them. Finally a vindication of a market based solution!
And like it or not, we accept the control of so many things without a second thought. Even by people we've never elected.
For about a dozen years of my military life, I endeared through 'rations'. Being in Germany meant that you got the discount US price on items....but that meant four things were rationed....hard alcohol, cigarettes'/cigars, coffee/tea, and gas (if you owned a car). Beer and wine were never rationed.
In the first month, you came to realize that people traded their rations....for other items or for cash. Germans would offer x-amount for US smokes, or a bottle of Jacky Ds.
A number of barracks 'rats' owned junker cars which meant you got 200 liters of fuel ration possibilities. If you didn't drive your junker much...you probably sold 150 liters of fuel coupons.
Anyone who thinks rations serves as some 'answer'....will be in for shock. Even today...across most of Germany, if you want untaxed cigarettes, most Turks will lead you to a black market guy.
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