Rebane's Ruminations
October 2011
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George Rebane

•    New Army rifle, a truly fearsome weapon
•    Obama uses FDR’s re-election model
•    Local left concerned about govt regs on food

XM25Army’s new “rifle” is game changer – The Army has released the specs on its new XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System (love that name) that is really a shoulder-fired 25mm cannon that fires a laser-ranged projectile.   The shell explodes at a preset distance from its discharge, and this preset distance can be quickly and accurately set by the trooper using the built-in laser sight.  So if you’re a bad guy and take cover behind a berm or corner of a building (the defilade), you’re dead meat.  The trooper just puts the laser dot on the near edge of the defilade, adds a yard or two with his trigger finger, points it above the berm or by the building’s corner and fires.  The shell goes just beyond the defilade and explodes like a grenade.  Next case please.  (H/T to reader)

Readers know that I always look at these new military and law enforcement sensor and weapon systems with the additional perspective of the 2nd Amendment within the concept of par force.  Governments using the XM25 will have little trouble putting down armed uprisings of people using conventional arms.  That is why future technology augmented autocracies will be very stable.

Obama uses FDR’s re-election model.  In 1936, at the depth of Depression1, FDR blamed the country’s sad state of affairs on capitalism and corporate interests instead of the grim array of socialist fodder that he had served up since being elected in 1932.  By 1937 his attacks on business were regular fare.  Today Obama has taken that page from our first socialist president and improved upon it with the Occupy Wall Street movement that he and his launched earlier this year.  (more here)  As I have noted before, these demonstrations are now becoming the Obama riots of 2011/12.  Russ Steele on Nevada County 2012 is keeping close track of the progress of this strategic diversion movement of the so-called 99%.

FDA overreach.  Last week I had another lunch with Nevada City Councilwoman (and former mayor) Reinette Senum.  We met to again discuss her project to launch the Sierra Land Collaborative wherein high-tech and vertical farming methods can be used locally to yield produce for local consumption.  The farms would be staffed by returning veterans and selected homeless people as part of their rehabilitation.   Part of the conversation involved a lament on how the feds are now imposing draconian rules and regs on what kinds of foodstuffs (e.g. raw milk) can be sold by one person to another.  We agreed that bloated governments can turn around to bite even those who promote their growth.  In the meantime Reinette is off to study and support the OWS movement in NYC – we look forward to her report.

[27oct2011 update]  A reader sent this 1948 cartoon that was released into the season when Americans finally began to see socialism and communism for what they are, and the US changed course markedly from its pre-war track and the road then taken by many European countries led by Great Britain.  History students will remember 1948 as the year Winston Churchill announced that “an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent” of Europe heralded by the Berlin blockade and airlift.

[29oct2011 update]  Only people rabidly intent on making California a template for a police state would consider the topics discussed in this CARB related hearing of the California Senate.  However, these idiots are dead serious in the deliberations about their plans for California drivers.  And it all comes to you courtesy of the Left.

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96 responses to “Ruminations – 26oct2011 (29oct2011 update)”

  1. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    PaulE, I answered your questions already. Also, PaulE, you claim a label for yourself, does that make you feel special and happy? Amazing!

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  2. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE – actually the Tea Party movement started with one strain – its core principles – and as it multiplied into its several factions, all of them retain the same core principles. That is why it is easy still to identify them all under the ‘Tea Party’ label, no matter if some endorse political candidates or expand to other issues. Everyone understands that label, the tea partiers are not offended by it, and therefore it is an example of the utility of labels.
    However, the Left’s problem appears to be that if someone is identified as a ‘socialist’ because he predictably affects socialist values, then the Lefty usually gets his undies in a bundle because he wants to be a sub-rosa socialist, or communist, or liberal, or progressive, or whatever. They only accept and display their correct labels when they gather in groups (e.g. the current Occupiers), but when caught alone, they will deny the labels of their particular brand of collective ideology. Again, I believe Sinclair Lewis was the first to observe that trait of the American Left. Lenin and cohorts, of course, knew and practiced it in Europe long before.

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  3. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Georgd
    There is a difference between core values and core functions. The TP Expresses sole function for example is subvert the movement into being soldiers for the Republican Party. For that purpose they cut and paste the message of the Tea Party into their Republican agenda which we can both agree does not in any way intend to adhere to Tea Party principals because they are part of the main stream political gangs that got us into this mess.
    Todd
    I feel very happy about that thank you. So from now on don’t call me a liberal or a Democrat, socialist or communist. I’m just a good old fashioned Green Libertarian. I’ll accept that label because you need it.

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  4. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    I thought you needed it PaulE. I am just exposing your do as I say mot as I do mantra.

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  5. Dixon Cruickshank Avatar
    Dixon Cruickshank

    PaulE 10-23
    Yes George, disfigured capitalism. When billions of dollars are made without the slightest pretense of creating any useful goods or services one can only speculate where the money come from and what would the benefit to the economy be if it rewarded useful innovative efforts. Instead we have a tiny minority capturing a huge percentage of the capital without contributing anything useful to earn it.
    Sounds like a perfect definition of the Green Energy movement to me – just say’in
    Also just a note on the big banks – the governement has pretty much made them state banks TBTF. There are very few small banks left as the Gov Regulations have strangled them – just like the Frank-Dodd Act did away with Mortgage Brokers – gotta go to the BIG banks now, and who did that ??? Lots of small banks around under Reagan, not so much after Clinton. The biggest winner mutual fund for a couple years was the John Handcock Bank Aquision fund, that wasn’t the exact name but I bet it doesn’t even exist anymore.
    Exit question – why does it every lefty 1/2 a page to answer a 2 paragraph statement or question by Mikey or Todd—- or 3 succesive posts to try and make a point ???? that nobody ends up understanding in any case or gets bored reading.

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  6. Mike Thornton Avatar

    [mudball deleted]

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  7. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE 1044am – I think you just changed the subject. In my 931am I was talking about the Tea Party core principles (not principals) permitting the use of a single label to overarch its various factions. In any ethical organization its principles subsume the functions needed to correctly express/institute those principles. However, if you now want to talk about a specific faction of the Tea Party movement, you have to use its specific label and also understand that it may have added principles which require/permit added functions. And all of this is made efficient through the correct use of labels whose definitions are understood by the communicating parties.
    Now what additional/new subject did you want to discuss?

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  8. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    Dixon-
    Good exit question. Those posts are like an anesthetic.

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  9. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Dixon
    “Instead we have a tiny minority capturing a huge percentage of the capital without contributing anything useful to earn it.”
    Sounds like we’re talking about the now famous 1%. Glad you agree with the OWS crowd.
    “In the first Congressional hearing into the financial crisis, the former CEO of the bankrupt Lehman Brothers, Richard Fuld, became the poster boy for Wall Street greed today as he defended the $484 million he received in salary, bonuses and stock options since 2000.”
    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5965360&page=1

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  10. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE – Is this an accusation of Richard Fuld having done something wrong, immoral, underhanded, criminal, or just class envy?

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  11. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    George
    We’re talking about disfigured capitalism where someone earns huge amounts of money while contributing nothing to the value of goods or services. His bloated salary distributed to the income of reputable qualified employees perhaps could have prevented the bankruptcy of the company preventing the loss of millions or billions to investors. Pretty simple. This is capitalism at it’s lowest level when people of power loot a company just because they can. Class envy? No. Disgusting greed yes

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  12. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Envy.

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  13. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    More and the link
    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5965360&page=1
    “Despite warnings that “liquidity can disappear quite fast,” Fuld “depleted Lehman’s capital reserves by over $10 billion through year-end bonuses, stock buybacks, and dividend payments,” Waxman said. “

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  14. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE – you have not, according to the weakest application of the principles of proof you preach, provided one bit of evidence that Fuld’s ten year record of compensation was in any way deleterious to Lehman’s fortunes. Of all people, Henry Waxman’s accusations here would count as the baseless and biased lashings of a longstanding socialist and anti-capitalist.

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  15. stevenfrisch Avatar
    stevenfrisch

    Yeah Paul, can’t you just answer questions about hugely complex systems and social interactions in a snappy one liner!

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  16. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    He was captain of a ship that ran aground and sank wqhile under his watch. Before jumping ship he took all the bullion that he could stuff into a lifeboat and sailed away leaving a sinking ship. Is that simple enough to understand
    George, you’re going after the messenger here (Waxman) Didn’t you scold me about that when I discredited your post that exalted famous neocon Donald Feith. You can’t have it both ways or perhaps you can because it’s your party.

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  17. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Waxman is a shameless partisan. He is anti capitalist and a socialist.

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  18. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Todd
    That’s a no no according to George (going after the messenger)

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  19. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE – your making the bald statement of accusation with no facts beyond Waxman making the same accusation with equivalent backing is not attacking the messenger. If Fuld actually did anything wrong for which Waxman et al had proof, Waxman would have hung his ass high. He didn’t, and all he could muster was the same baseless accusation that you make. I’m only talking about the accusations here.
    SteveF – Not sure where you got sidetracked on the requirement here to “answer questions about hugely complex systems and social interactions in a snappy one liner!” I don’t recall your making one; I most certainly didn’t.

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  20. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    Here Paul, in the hearing.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6o8NoVml0
    You throw raw meat to any pack and it will get ripped to shreds.

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  21. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    So George
    I’m really surprised that you’re so cavalier about supporting Fuld. The reason I got into this is to come up with an example as to why the OWS crowd is so angry. You seem to have an attitude that anything is fair game as long as you get away with it. The facts are undeniable it doesn’t matter who says them. He made a half billion dollars while steering his company to ruin losing the savings and investments of countless people and families.
    The messenger is insignificant. The truth is real.

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  22. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE – all I’m saying is that Fuld played the game legally according to the rules set up by the government. Neither his last year compensation or that he gave to his team would have saved Lehman. All the others played the game the same way. That Lehman failed was government policy, the follow on guys should have been allowed to fail also. But again, it was government policy of picking winners and losers that the rest got bailed out. And so it goes.
    The Waxmans, Franks, Dodds, … are on record promoting and cheer leading the entire sorry mess. But being from the Innocent Party, they get a pass.

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  23. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    So George, it’s always the Democrats,

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  24. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    Green Libertarian… in this case, apparently, meaning authoritarian rule when it comes to anything relating to the environmental scare du jour, and limited government when it comes to everything else. Meaning complete control over commerce, with social freedoms.
    I’m not sure how different that is from the current left-liberal persuasion.

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  25. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE 957pm – Not at all; you may want to reread my ‘Right/Left’ piece. But I will admit that it is almost always the Left – whatever form of collectivism they espouse or party label they operate under, including Republican – and government buttressed corporations that will sing any song that gives them an edge over competition and assures ROI.
    These pages have argued for years that large organizations fail because of intrinsic technical reasons (structure, communications, decision latencies) whether they be in the private or public sector. For example, ultimately all very large corporations need to be held up by the guns of the government, else they would collapse in a heap and be eaten up by more nimble and smaller companies. All of this is made possible by voters wanting OPM, and dirtbag politicians who promise it and who need money to keep sucking on the public tit. Being a conservetarian is complex stuff – hard to fit everything into a sound bite.

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  26. RL Crabb Avatar

    “Green libertarian” would probably have as many definitions as the current two parties. As to the environment, I applaud the efforts of Dems and Repubs to clean up the mess that corporations left us with over the last hundred and fifty-odd years. The country is better for it. The current trend of the left to force us away from fossil fuels by manipulating the market may backfire in the long run. If energy becomes so expensive that it holds back any hope of recovery, even the Dem stranglehold on California may crumble. Just ask Gray Davis.
    On the libertarian side, people should be able to live their lives without mama gov telling us what to eat, who we can marry, and whether a woman can be forced to have children against her will, at least in the early stages of pregnancy.
    As I have maintained for years, it’s a balancing act, and there is not one simple ideological solution.

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  27. George Rebane Avatar

    Agreed BobRL about the “balancing act” that will not be handled by a “simple ideological solution”. However, I do maintain that 1) it will be handled by an ideology, and 2) conservative/libertarian ideologies are complex (as witnessed how hard they are to understand on these pages). But you can bet the ranch that any ideology based on state imposed altruism will (again) be a catastrophe Man and his environment.

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  28. Ben Emery Avatar

    Just to spice things up and change the direction a bit check out the Libertarian Green state of Vermont balances it political views.
    It is called direct democracy.
    http://www.sec.state.vt.us/townmeeting/citizens_guide.html
    “On Town Meeting Day, the first Tuesday in March, citizens across Vermont come together in their communities to discuss the business of their towns. For over 200 years Town Meeting Day has been an important political event as Vermonters elect local officers and vote on budgets. It has also been a time for neighbors to discuss the civic issues of their community, state, and nation.”

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  29. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    George
    Let’s take an example of how “Green Libertarian” process might work. Let’s use hydrolic mining as an example.
    In the quest for gold it was found that washing away hillsides of earth was an efficient way to extract gold and led to enormous profits to the mine owners.
    Despite undeniable evidence that this was causing enormous harm downstream in the valleys and coastal regions as well as destroying the salmon population the mine owners refused voluntarily to cease operations instead going for the easy profit with no regard to the destruction of the environment and the economic impacts oh those downstream.
    A Green Libertarian mine owner would recognize his responsibility and voluntarily change his practices therefore not requiring intervention. However most did not do that which forced the hand of government to intervene and pass laws and regulations restricting their practices on their private lands and yes, restricting liberty for the public good.
    It all boils down to personal responsibility first, government intervention second.
    Pretty simple I think. Can we at least agree that in this case restrictions and regulations were necessary because of the lack of responsibility shown by the property owners?

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  30. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    Yes Paul and that morphs into not being able to remove a diseased tree on your own property without permission. You know, one with no bark, branches or leaves.

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  31. George Rebane Avatar

    PaulE, of course govt regs were necessary to stop hydraulic mining. I have tried to pass on Garrett Hardin’s (‘Tragedy of the Commons’) teachings on social behavior, apparently with very little understanding from the Left – yes, it’s an ideological thing.
    The problem with hydraulic mining, and similar corporate overreaches, is simple social ethics, and it applies to areas beyond ‘green’. During hydraulic mining, the state’s rivers were a common, anyone could throw anything in there and let the water wash it downstream. Since you had to take the river as it came to you, those downstream would equally have to take the river as it came to them. There was no feedback to create responsibility (cf. Hardin again).
    And what makes the whole thing egregious is the ‘Rape and Run’ mentality of those who screw up the environment of a place they don’t have to live in, but others do. Ethics come in naturally when R&R is not possible (i.e. there’s corrective feedback), else we need an enlightened government (the collective) to impose rules that take into account the broader utility (here of the farmer who stays, and the miner who may not) of society. The problem comes when govt grows so unwieldy and corrupt that there is no responsibility inducing feedback to the bureaucrats who make the rule – they have their own utility.
    Rightist ideologies are willing to risk a more limited set of wisely fashioned rules; historically Leftist ideologies have readily risked adding quick band-aid rules willy nilly with little consideration for what collateral damage they cause. The more rules, the more enforcement required, the bigger the budgets, the larger the agency, the more power, the bigger the pensions, … – ‘F@%k the taxpayers!’

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  32. George Rebane Avatar

    BenE 950am – direct democracy is stable only within small cohorts with a common feedback to the decisions they take. It is unstable within larger cohorts, especially those with the inevitable slop in the feedback from the decisions voted on.

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  33. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    Direct democracy
    Mob rule…let’s do that!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edM7e9UXqs

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  34. Russ Steele Avatar

    Paul E,
    How would a “Green Libertarian” handle our current climate crisis in CA. You point out regulation are good to protect the environment, but what about regulations that have no scientific standing and are not doing what they claim to do and there are some serious side effects.
    CARB is trying to shut down, or drive all out of state, all industries that emit CO2 to save the planet from global warming, yet the planet has not warmed for for over 15 year and the temperatures have been declining since 2002. CARB is using the regulatory power of the government to destroy the economy, based on some sloppy scientist with a political agenda. CARB’s destruction will hurt every citizen in the state. They will raise fuel prices which will hurt the poor the most and will eventually drive business from the state.
    How would a “Green Libertarian” handle bad environmental regulations that are destroying the California economy?

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  35. Ben Emery Avatar

    George and everyone at RR,
    Isn’t that what the end game really is for those who support decentralization? Small cohorts governing themselves through self determination. Reduce the size and scope of the federal government, state governments, and make local governments stronger. Allow us to hold those directly accountable in our local and regional governments. Shrink the size of all institutions especially the big two called the democratic and republican party’s. Millions of small businesses and the elimination monopolies and trusts that expand their tentacles into multiple industries thus subsidizing specific goods/ services through outside income to eliminate competition.
    Perfect example walmart loses money on some items such as soccer equipment but since they make a killing on other items they can undercut the local soccer store by subsidizing the soccer equipment long enough to put the soccer shop out of business.
    Hundred and fifty local shops go out of business on average when a Walmart moves into town. Once store vs 150 equals less employment and virtually no competition.

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  36. Ben Emery Avatar

    Russ,
    Explain how regulations when equally applied hurts an economy? Also explain how, why, and who would advocate or get special treatment avoiding equal responsibility.

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  37. Ben Emery Avatar

    D King,
    Why do you hammer away at the state you live in when it has consistently led the way for the rest of the nation, the nation you claim is the best that ever was?

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  38. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Russ
    You jump right to the present in our discussion. First of all there are different opinions about Global Warming and I will not jump into that argument for the purposes of not diverting the ethical questions at hand.
    First of all I assume you agree that government intervention in stopping hydraulic mining was necessary and proper. Going on that assumption we can agree that what made it necessary was the overwhelming evidence that it was doing irreparable harm and that there was no inclination the mine owners would stop without the force of law.
    If we can at least agree on this then we can move forward to the question of global warming and the appropriate response if indeed it is a problem.
    To me there are several questions and I’m not going top argue any of them just lay out the groundwork for discussion.
    1 Is global warming even happening at all
    2 If it is happening does human activity play a significant role .
    3. If it does is there a correction in human activity that will significantly aid in slowing it down
    4. If there is a path of correction in human activity that will assist in this end will that come voluntarily or will it require the force of law such as what was required with hydro mining ?
    5 Even if we acknowledge human activity plays a major roll we may also find that there’s nothing significant that can be done and that we’d best button down the hatches and prepare for a future world that is much different than what we have today.
    The old Science Fiction parable of an asteroid heading for earth and the world uniting to stop it comes to mind. More times than not all; human effort failed and the course of nature came to the rescue with a special alien not friendly virus or something like that.
    Lots of ifs here. but I believe I have outlined a reasonable course of action. Of course if you believe that there is no significant global warming the question path stops after question one. The question is significant and people of good will have opinions of both sides. A consensus is not likely so a resolution will be messy.

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  39. Russ Steele Avatar

    Ben,
    The issue is that the rules are not being applied equally. California is applying the rules and the other western states are not. Therefore, the cost of business is going up for CA business and not in surrounding states, and in Texas. Our former RINO governor tired to get the Western Climate Initiative started to make the rules apply, and many Western states signed up, but when the cost became clear, they abandoned the WCI and now only CA and two Canadian Providence are in the alliance. CARB is going to charge $35 a ton for carbon emissions. When the Chicago Climate Exchange collapsed you could buy a ton of carbon for 5 cents. CA continues down a road that other states have abandoned, and they realize that they will be spending billions of tax dollars they do not have to solve a problem that does not exist. But, we Californians are too stupid to recognize reality and abandon the road to economic ruin.

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  40. Russ Steele Avatar

    Paul E.
    I think the Sawyer Decision was the best for the majority, as it held up to all challenges. Now what if the Sawyer decision was applied to the ozone issue, where cities are sending dirty air into the foothills. Could the Sawyer Decision be used to stop San Francisco and Sacramento from the generation of ozones and letting it blow in to the Sierra foothills. Seems to me we should be applying the rules equally. But, then there is the economic issue if San Francisco and Sacramento would have to stop using cars, like miner had to stop hydro mining, and this would have a huge economic impact on the majority. What is your “Green Libertarian” views on the ozone issue, should we apply the Sawyer Decision to ozone?

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  41. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    Sorry, I can’t do this anymore!

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  42. Ben Emery Avatar

    Russ,
    Can you explain how, why, and who would advocate or get special treatment avoiding equal responsibility.

    Like

  43. George Rebane Avatar

    BenE 1125am – Walmart is making a high quality of life possible for millions of poorer Americans. It is applying and passing on the savings available from large scale retailing. And its net effect on jobs is neutral to beneficial, please see
    http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2008/07/big-box-buy-loc.html
    The company is clearly running away with profits since it’s stock has appreciated less than 4% per annum over the last 5 years – whoopeee!
    Your other thoughts on scaling human enterprises are acceptable and laudible (see related articles herein). We don’t yet know how to start rolling back the government buttressed large corporations without tanking the economy faster than is our current rampant socialism. But that should definitely be the aim – ‘If it’s too big to fail, it’s just too big.’ But first the tort laws and tax system have to go through a ‘fundamental transformation’.

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  44. Paul Emery Avatar
    Paul Emery

    Russ
    You raise valid points both about California taking on the brunt of global warming mitigation and the parallels between hydro mining and ozone impacts. This is a very useful discussion and I appreciate it. I need to table my comments for this afternoon because of work commitments but I’ll get back to this
    Thanks Russ I appreciate your thoughtful insights.

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  45. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    There is nothing to mitigate for cAGW. The CARB search for CO2 bogeymen is a race to the bottom for the economy of California, with no upsides. There will be no new Green Economy with the Golden State in the vanguard, just Californians paying more for less energy with fewer jobs.
    Governor Brown, if he wants to be reelected, will be rolling this back within the next three years. His only problem is his core constituency won’t believe there is no Global Warming catastrophe in the making until they again have a Global Cooling scare to rally around.

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  46. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    “CA continues down a road that other states have abandoned, and they realize that they will be spending billions of tax dollars they do not have to solve a problem that does not exist.”
    Cap and Tax is also dead at the Federal level.
    There is literally nothing Green about CO2 regulation.

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