All Entries Tagged With: "Economics"
C’est en Septembre
by Einar Du Rietz Al Gore for less than a Euro. Fine with me. It’s been a while since someone mentioned that movie. Incidentally, yesterday, I friend told me that when her daughter had to watch it in class, she gave her a list with the ten worst fallacies in the movie. To her surprise, [...]
They Don’t Want To Hurt You – They Just Want Your Money
by Einar Du Rietz The heroic boy scouts collected money, went to a village in deepest Africa and helped develop a well. A few month later, excessive use had dried it up and the final result was an extension of the desert. Examples of unintended consequences (and sometimes plain stupidity) in development aid are numerous, some [...]
Just Politics as Usual
by Einar Du Rietz All the players are gearing up for the Durban festivities in a month. Though only accounting for about 11 percent of the worlds carbon emissions, the European Union, not surprisingly wants to play a major role. Euractiv gives an update: “Environment ministers of the European Union – responsible for only 11% [...]
£1.2 million to not produce wind power
The Daily Telegraph Reports that a Norwegian wind company was paid £1.2 million to not produce electricity during a period of high winds. This was a hair shy of 10 times the artificially above market rate wind farms receive to make power. British ratepayers will fit the bill. We’re not making this up. This is [...]
If it Aint Broken – Don’t Fix it
by Einar Du Rietz A screwdriver often comes in handy. But not as a soup ingredient. Black pepper is essential in any cooking. But don’t try repairing your bike with it. Calculation of GDP is, not only among laymen like myself, but also among skilled economists, regarded as a tricky tool indeed. Still, it’ very [...]
Green taxes v. green research v. productivity
UK green energy researchers seek exemption from green energy taxes The Guardian reports that “world-class research into future sources of green energy is under threat in Britain from an environmental tax designed to boost energy efficiency and drive down carbon emissions.” Researchers at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy complained to The Guardian that, “considering [...]
Memo to America: Don’t do carbon trading!
The United States must learn from Europe’s mistakes – not repeat them ROGER HELMER, MEP Senator Harry Reid has repeatedly denounced opposition to carbon trading as “dangerous.” Senator Reid is wrong. It is the House and Senate climate and renewable energy bills that are dangerous. Fortunately, the recent elections and the ongoing dissension at the [...]
Global Warming Out Debated
Oxford Union Chooses Economic Growth Over Climate Change Debate Win for CFACT Advisor Lord Christopher Monckton Last week the Oxford Union, one of the world’s premier debate societies, chose economic growth over climate change by a vote of 133-110. The vote by students at an elite U.K. university illustrates the continued shift of public support [...]
Create Prosperity – Not Hypocrisy
by Einar Du Rietz Investing your money and savings for your pension in funds that advertise themselves as more “ethical” than others? Maybe it’s time to think again. Environmental watchdogs are increasingly pointing out funds as dubious, because of investments in different energy companies. In a recent – undercover – study (Swedish) non of the [...]
Happy Easter, Mr President
by Einar Du Rietz The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez is a most innovative man. With his peculiar combination of home made socialism, populist nationalism and impulsive despotism, you never can tell what the next brilliant idea will be. He decided to change his country’s time zone with half an hour, presumably just for fun. [...]
Let’s Relax For A Minute
by Einar Du Rietz The Copenhagen process, or what has become the official name, is strolling along. Most countries (read: politicians) have signed the no-one-knows-really-what-to-call- it document, though some after deadline. Reviving Kyoto is still on the table, recently half heartedly suggested by the European Union (read: a bunch of politicians from countries with different [...]
Reversing the burden of spoof
by Jacob Arfwedson One of the less endearing features of government supporters is their general disdain for democracy when eventually popular vote goes against their designs. The legitimacy of consent suddenly becomes irrelevant and a downright nuisance. In Europe, we experienced this in the constitutional negotiations: first with the Maastricht Treaty, and more recently with [...]
It’s Real Money – Your Money
By Einar Du Rietz Maybe because most other topics seem to be covered and debated intensely in the media, finally some focus now start to fall upon the costs. The estimated and real costs for what the politicians will discuss in Copenhagen. And if media does this, chances are the general public will start to realize [...]
Gone With the Wind: Carbon Millionaires Arrested for Fraud
Italian Wind Fraud Investigation Extends to the Netherlands, UK, Ireland, and Spain. Subsidies Questioned. For some carbon millionaires, lining their pockets legally through taxpayer subsidies and hand outs is not enough. They choose to cheat even though they’re playing a game that’s already rigged.
Al Gore Carbon Billionaire?
The Daily Telegraph reports that Al Gore is poised to become the world’s first carbon billionaire. Have consumers lined up to buy the former Vice-President’s products and services? It appears, rather, that most of Mr. Gore’s new wealth will flow to him from government grants and subsidies. Do we really want to tax working people [...]
