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uBeR · 05-08-2010, 08:52 PM

That, of course, is the most absurd thing anyone could possibly imagine, much less mutter. The federal government was involved in the spill since the day it occurred. Obama and his administration took immediate action. It was the U.S. Coast Guard, remember, that conducted the search and rescue for the 11 people BP got killed. You can't even compare BP's incompetence to Hurricane Katrina. There's virtually nothing to compare. Katrina was so much worse, and the Bush administration's response so much more botched. Of course, on the one hand you have a natural disaster, and on the other you have a failure by a private firm. No one on the right talks about how the private firm has responded, namely because they failed to. Instead, they want big government there, to clean up for the market's failures. Again, typical rightist response.

Naturally, it's hard to expect anything but such idiocy from the right who continue to be propagandized by conservative pundits.

http://mediamatters.org/research/201004300034

As for solar and wind being a viable alternative, it is, which is precisely the reason why it's being implemented across the country. The private sector is quickly finding out that it costs less to use less. That is, efficiency and self-sufficiency make perfect economic sense. The idea, however, that the market is perfect and allocates resources efficiently is nothing but pure fantasy. Anyone who's studied economics formally for more than just a few weeks knows this very well, particularly after they've learnt about externalities. In fact, the problem of global warming is considered the worst market failure in human history. That's from the Stern Review, by the way. The reason is because the emissions of GHGs is an externality, not accounted for in the price of GHG-emitting products, like oil. If you you've studied economics, the answer is quite simple: a Pigouvian tax or a Pigouvian subsidy to offset these externalities. In other words, the government is needed to play an active role to correct for the failures of the free market, namely because markets do not allocate resources efficiently.

05-08-2010, 08:52 PM	#10
uBeR Not ****** Yet D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	That, of course, is the most absurd thing anyone could possibly imagine, much less mutter. The federal government was involved in the spill since the day it occurred. Obama and his administration took immediate action. It was the U.S. Coast Guard, remember, that conducted the search and rescue for the 11 people BP got killed. You can't even compare BP's incompetence to Hurricane Katrina. There's virtually nothing to compare. Katrina was so much worse, and the Bush administration's response so much more botched. Of course, on the one hand you have a natural disaster, and on the other you have a failure by a private firm. No one on the right talks about how the private firm has responded, namely because they failed to. Instead, they want big government there, to clean up for the market's failures. Again, typical rightist response. Naturally, it's hard to expect anything but such idiocy from the right who continue to be propagandized by conservative pundits. http://mediamatters.org/research/201004300034 As for solar and wind being a viable alternative, it is, which is precisely the reason why it's being implemented across the country. The private sector is quickly finding out that it costs less to use less. That is, efficiency and self-sufficiency make perfect economic sense. The idea, however, that the market is perfect and allocates resources efficiently is nothing but pure fantasy. Anyone who's studied economics formally for more than just a few weeks knows this very well, particularly after they've learnt about externalities. In fact, the problem of global warming is considered the worst market failure in human history. That's from the Stern Review, by the way. The reason is because the emissions of GHGs is an externality, not accounted for in the price of GHG-emitting products, like oil. If you you've studied economics, the answer is quite simple: a Pigouvian tax or a Pigouvian subsidy to offset these externalities. In other words, the government is needed to play an active role to correct for the failures of the free market, namely because markets do not allocate resources efficiently. __________________ OCCUPATION 101. *One would think a simple task would be, well, simple. Maybe not for simpletons.* Last edited by uBeR; 05-08-2010 at 08:54 PM.