A free-market Republican approach to solving the climate and energy crisis.
Conor Rogers, Editor
Ideology: Republican | Writing From: New Jersey
If like me, you’re a Republican; you take anything Al Gore says with a grain of salt and a hefty dose of ‘ I invented the internet.’ Like me, you support drilling off shore before you support tax credits for a foreign-made Prius. Like me, you probably find the “green” movement to be a bit of an overboard, fear-mongering group a little reminiscent of yourself (or your parents or your children for that matter) in the 1970s.
Even so, you should, as I do, support the vast majority of what these environmentalists and “green” advocates are doing. Forget the science and rising tides, forget the charts and hurricane predictions. Let’s talk like the fiscal conservatives and capitalists we are. (It would be nice to hear some of that talk these days, wouldn’t it?) Forget cap and trade, and veiled taxes. Let’s talk national security and a pro-American energy policy.
As Republicans, we support tax breaks and incentives, so what’s the problem with encouraging people to turn down their heat and use less water? The money they save on their bills – just like a tax cut – goes straight into their wallet, and as we Republicans know, back into the hands of local business.
Let’s strengthen American businesses by teaching them to be energy efficient, by using less electricity, less water, and to conserve energy, saving thousands of dollars a year – talk about an economic stimulus package.
As Republicans, we are right to push for more offshore drilling. Let’s ‘drill baby drill’, and although windmill baby windmill doesn’t sound as good during a convention speech, it makes equal sense when it comes to energy policy. Every windmill we put up and mile we don’t drive is another dollar out of the hands of those who, as our favorite Alaskan Governor puts it “don’t like America too much” and straight back into the US economy where it belongs.
Realizing all of this, why not use offshore drilling as our filibuster bargaining chip. Just as we cut over 400 billion dollars from the stimulus package by holding out until contentious parts of the package were removed, encourage our senators to hold out on a new energy policy until drilling is place. If democrats realize they can’t have windmills, hybrid cars and new MPG regulations without drilling, they may come around quick.
As Republicans, conservative and moderate alike, we realize the threats posed to the United States by Islamic terrorism, and how our money, however indirectly, tends to travel from the gas pump to Al Qeada, Hamas, or Hezbollah. (That Prius is starting to sound pretty pro-American now isn’t it?)
Let’s save American taxpayers thousands of dollars, not by fighting in congress against programs, or even re-writing the tax policy, but by turning down the thermostat, turning the lights off and unplugging that TV when upon leaving the room.
We can safeguard our sovereignty abroad and our ability to work in our own best interest, rather than worrying about petroleum supply and OPEC price increases by driving less, using less and yes, even by investing in that inner-city transit and Amtrak funding that we almost struck from the stimulus package.
As Republicans, we can get the Democrats to enact pro-American energy policies that help the taxpayer and protect the country in a way that would make Reagan proud. Republicans can support green policies in a way that makes sense from a trickle-down capitalist standpoint (after all, ‘green’ is what the market wants right now) while the Democrats, using totally opposite environmentalist logic, can support the same policies…now that’s bi-partisanship.
These green policies are what sell- they’re what PR companies and businesses are already catching on to. They will for the most part, save our taxpayers thousands of dollars in energy costs, and if implemented correctly will secure our nation from dependence upon foreign dictators who use oil and gasoline as weapons. I’ve never met a Republican who doesn’t support that idea.
And well, if we actually are facing the worst ecological meltdown since the dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the earth, good thing we did something and Al Gore gets bragging rights. If not, we’ve all got more money, cleaner air and a better security policy.
Shocked that you actually agreed with some environmentalists? Me too.
Still a fiscal conservative? Me too.
I agree with much of what you’re saying and think you’re approach would be a wise one for Congressional Republicans to follow but I’m much more pessimistic about wind. California has been developing large wind farms since the 80s yet wind generates just above 2% of the state’s electricity. Granted, states in the wind corridor like Texas, my beloved Oklahoma, Kansas, etc. generate much more wind than California. Still, however, I have a hard time attaching a sense of reality to the big talk of men and women like Boone Pickens who think wind has the potential to become one of our primary generators of electricity. I’m willing to give wind a chance but I definitely question wheather it will turn out to be a worthy investment.
I’m pretty sure that Boone Pickens is only in favor of wind farms because he has huge tracts of (useless) land.
Noah – T. Boone Pickens is turning his “useless” land into useful green energy. Open prairies and other such arid areas could be used to provide relatively impact-free energy compared to drilling. Wind farms like Boone Pickens suggests are eco-friendly and utilize American labor and land.
Michele, as noted earlier: wind farms are notoriously inefficient.