UINTENDED BUREAUCRATIC CONSEQUENCES

 

Here's an interesting quote from down under.

 Australia's seismic carbon shift angers Greens
Australia has repealed pro-environment carbon laws that put a price on greenhouse gas emissions, the first time a developed nation has made such a U-turn. 

Given what we wrote in yesterday's piece, Not So Fast, Australia's movement might be the beginning of the camel's nose under the tent. Given that political pundits of all stripes, affiliations and favorite lobbying groups (I like mine better than yours.) have been caterwauling more recently about the absence of something that never existed except in the minds of idealists, bipartisanship, this could if it spreads get intriguing.

One might perhaps categorized it with a simple question next winter in the EU when the thermometer starts to dictate. Do you want heat or no pollution? And with the threat of more of what once was called global warming and soaring temperatures, though currently in the Midwest there are complaints about this summer so far being cooler than normal, do you want air conditioning or no pollution?

That most likely would be an interesting question this time of year for the inhabitants of Houston

Pundits rant on about countries going to war over oil and more recently water is the next suspected culprit. But the schism between believers and non-believers in the climate change world could get very big and very ugly very fast given the the necessary turn of circumstances. And no one offhand knows for sure what they might be.  

In Australia, the unintended consequences of bureaucratic meddling once again apparently reared it unwelcome head.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who made a pre-election "pledge in blood" to voters and business to prioritize growth above climate shift, delivered on his promise after independent senators with deciding votes in the upper house sided with his conservatives, following a power shift this month that ended years of domination by the pro-environment Greens party.

"Today the tax that you voted to get rid of is finally gone, a useless destructive tax which damaged jobs, which hurt families' cost of living and which didn't actually help the environment is finally gone," a jubilant Mr. Abbott told voters in a news conference after the Senate's decision.

t. man hatter 
 http://online.wsj.com/articles/australia-repeals-carbon-tax