Washington State Devotes $1.32 million to Develop Electric Highway

Washington State has recently proposed construction of electric charge stations along the I-5. They are able to do this with a $1.32 million grant from the federal government. The thinking here is that if they build the infrastructure, then people will purchase more electric or hybrid vehicles. That seems to me to be a very broad assumption -- a broad assumption made at the expense of taxpayers.

The fact is that electric cars are still very much a fantasy and are at this point neither practical nor desirable for the average American motorist. However, that is not the main issue here. The issue is that taxpayer money is being wasted on this fantasy.

Green Libertarianism

Amidst all the craziness that has been the recent healthcare bill, I've found some "fun" in taking a closer look at what is called "green libertarianism" or "free market environmentalism."  It's a really cool idea that basically argues that libertarian principles would work as great fixes for many of our environmental problems.

The concept deals with several aspects of the environmental problems that we see today.  I'll focus on overexploitation, pollution, clean-up, and overconsumption.

Overexploitation of environmental resources is a direct result of government interfering in the realm of property and ownership.  When massive amounts of property are made communal or state-owned (i.e. national/state parks, highways, urban areas, transportation hubs, etc.) there is no ownership incentive to keep an area clean or use its resources efficiently.  Instead, everyone who uses the area operates under the "someone else will take care of it mindset."  Often times no one takes care of it, and when someone actually does tend to the state-owned property it is, of course, the state -- and we know how well the state manages its affairs.  For more on overexploitation, see: "Environmentalism, Free Market," Richard L. Stroup, The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics: Library of Economics and Liberty.

Idea for Campus Event

Here's an idea that may be helpful to YAL groups around the country:

Our group (YAL at Middle Tennessee State University) is collaborating with other environmentally-minded students and student organizations to produce an entire month of events and activities in the public areas of campus that promote non-pollution and awareness of society's pollution levels.  This group of collaborators consists of various political persuasions, ranging from the 2-party majority, libertarians, anarchists,  marxists, and democratic socialists.  So how is our YAL chapter fitting in?

Our plan is to create visuals and table events that report the amount of pollution that the Department of Defense dumps on the earth.  Ultimately, we are advocating against war as a whole, but focusing on the damage that it inflicts on the earth and living beings.  We plan on discussing nothing else during our event but the environmental impact.  Our intent is to host absolutely no political argument with any student, faculty, or staff, but we will hand out organizational information and provide a member sign-up sheet.

Being Al Gore

“Al Gore on Tuesday compared the battle against climate change with the struggle against the Nazis.” Wait, which side is he on?

“He also accused politicians around the world of exploiting ignorance about the dangers of global warming…”  Moments later he imploded under the weight of his own hypocrisy.

"We have everything we need except political will, but political will is a renewable resource."  So are trees, but luckily we will run out of Al Gore within the next 30 years.

New drinking game: Every time Al Gore fakes earnestness, drink!