FederalistBlogs
March 24th, 2009, 10:42 am
I saw two very interesting stories on the environment yesterday made me stop and think. One was about the UK, and a projected need for their population to shrink by half to be sustainable in a green manner. This recommendation was made by one of the Prime Ministers leading Green Advisors. The other story was about Oregon and how they have lost jobs due to green regulations shutting down the lumber industry. In attempts to recover some jobs, they had also attempted to put wind mills in those areas which were also shot down by the green movement because the power lines would be an eye sore and the windmills can kill birds and bats.
At first I reacted to these stories with a narrow minded indignation on the government and action groups getting involved in issues where they should not be. How can you have liberty where a government advocates population control? How can green groups oppose replacing a non-green industry with green power? Then I had an epiphany. My thought process was not Conservative at all. I was locked into a narrow mindset based on past, false assumptions. My eyes opened to a way that we can reduce government impact to boost the economy and save the environment. By letting natural forces run their course we can achieve a truly Conservative approach to solving these issues. This is my modest proposal on how this can be accomplished.
First, we need to immediately cease all farm subsidies and regulations on agriculture. The money from subsidies can be saved, or used elsewhere as will be explained later in this proposal. Some farms may go immediately out of business. Once cultivation stops, this land will begin to revert to its natural state, thus providing long term environmental benefits. With no price supports, food prices will drop in the short term boosting the economy. In the long term this will drive some farms out of business, but again this will simply return the land to a more natural state which is better for the planet. As the food supply adjusts to these sustainable levels, that will begin to achieve population controls. Those who can not get food will simply be phased out of the environment.
Along similar lines we should disband the USDA. This is money wasted. Quality issues we worry about today will be irrelevant to a reduced food supply. Destroying food due to concerns over regulatory violations is also a waste. Some of the cleaning standards also require the use of harsh cleaning chemicals that a detrimental to the environment. Elimination of these toxins will have an immediate impact and also may help close down some of the companies that manufacture these so called “cleaning” chemicals. As some natural bacteria reenter the food supply this will also assist in achieving population control as those negatively impacted by this bacteria will be phased out of the environment.
Money saved from these first two initiatives can be channeled to the Department of Interior. This department can then buy up land that is freed up by failing farms to protect it from future cultivation and maintain it in a natural and sustainable state long term. As the population trends down to a sustainable level from these and other initiatives, it will also cause homes and possibly entire areas to become unpopulated. This land can be bought back as well, cleared, and returned to its natural state.
Next, we can save a great amount of money by cutting back virtually all government health initiatives. It is hypocritical to spend money on medical research to cure illness and prolong lives when in reality it is those very lives that are damaging the environment. The same goes for paying for health care and medical treatment. If some people choose to be selfish and pay for their own care to prolong their lives and increase the negative impact they have on the planet, there is not much to be done to stop that. The government should not pay for and encourage this reckless behavior. The FDA can also be eliminated. If people want to take medicines to prolong the damage they inflict on the planet, the government should not be protecting them. Feared side effects will in many cases help to maintain the natural population reduction goals despite people’s attempts to pervert nature for their own comfort and convenience.
Law enforcement spending can be greatly cut. As the population shrinks there will not be as many people to protect and serve. Also, many laws that seek to protect individuals may be counter productive as they encourage people to maintain the current population level rather than take steps to remove others from the population. Safety laws also prevent people from removing themselves from the environment due to their own carelessness. In some cases, poor safety decisions can have the added benefit of removing others as well as happens in traffic accidents. As some of these changes take effect, their may be some elements of society who attempt to cause trouble. Again, law enforcement prevents such behavior that may in reality help to reduce the over all population and the negative impact they have on our delicate planet. Large displays of civil unrest can actually achieve a rapid impact in reducing the population.
Finally an important tax reduction can be made eliminating so called “Sin Taxes” on items such as alcohol and tobacco. As we go through some natural pains of this contraction and change, these products will help some people to ease their own negative feelings. For that matter, I would also so we should allow other controlled substances that are currently not legal for the same reason. Another upside of these products is the fact that they can actually reduce the life spans of their users, especially when used in excess. This provides for a humane reduction to the population as the people will be made to feel better, while at the same time expediting their removal from the environment.
Smaller government. Reduced taxes. Less government spending. Increased personal responsibility. These are all core values for all of us who consider ourselves Conservatives. We need to embrace these new options and promote them. The world can see how simple Conservative values are the only real way to save our planet. Sadly those on the left will hypocritically fight this, despite their claimed interest in protecting the planet. As with Jonathan Swift and his own A Modest Proposal, history shows that ideas of simplicity and genius are often overlooked.
At first I reacted to these stories with a narrow minded indignation on the government and action groups getting involved in issues where they should not be. How can you have liberty where a government advocates population control? How can green groups oppose replacing a non-green industry with green power? Then I had an epiphany. My thought process was not Conservative at all. I was locked into a narrow mindset based on past, false assumptions. My eyes opened to a way that we can reduce government impact to boost the economy and save the environment. By letting natural forces run their course we can achieve a truly Conservative approach to solving these issues. This is my modest proposal on how this can be accomplished.
First, we need to immediately cease all farm subsidies and regulations on agriculture. The money from subsidies can be saved, or used elsewhere as will be explained later in this proposal. Some farms may go immediately out of business. Once cultivation stops, this land will begin to revert to its natural state, thus providing long term environmental benefits. With no price supports, food prices will drop in the short term boosting the economy. In the long term this will drive some farms out of business, but again this will simply return the land to a more natural state which is better for the planet. As the food supply adjusts to these sustainable levels, that will begin to achieve population controls. Those who can not get food will simply be phased out of the environment.
Along similar lines we should disband the USDA. This is money wasted. Quality issues we worry about today will be irrelevant to a reduced food supply. Destroying food due to concerns over regulatory violations is also a waste. Some of the cleaning standards also require the use of harsh cleaning chemicals that a detrimental to the environment. Elimination of these toxins will have an immediate impact and also may help close down some of the companies that manufacture these so called “cleaning” chemicals. As some natural bacteria reenter the food supply this will also assist in achieving population control as those negatively impacted by this bacteria will be phased out of the environment.
Money saved from these first two initiatives can be channeled to the Department of Interior. This department can then buy up land that is freed up by failing farms to protect it from future cultivation and maintain it in a natural and sustainable state long term. As the population trends down to a sustainable level from these and other initiatives, it will also cause homes and possibly entire areas to become unpopulated. This land can be bought back as well, cleared, and returned to its natural state.
Next, we can save a great amount of money by cutting back virtually all government health initiatives. It is hypocritical to spend money on medical research to cure illness and prolong lives when in reality it is those very lives that are damaging the environment. The same goes for paying for health care and medical treatment. If some people choose to be selfish and pay for their own care to prolong their lives and increase the negative impact they have on the planet, there is not much to be done to stop that. The government should not pay for and encourage this reckless behavior. The FDA can also be eliminated. If people want to take medicines to prolong the damage they inflict on the planet, the government should not be protecting them. Feared side effects will in many cases help to maintain the natural population reduction goals despite people’s attempts to pervert nature for their own comfort and convenience.
Law enforcement spending can be greatly cut. As the population shrinks there will not be as many people to protect and serve. Also, many laws that seek to protect individuals may be counter productive as they encourage people to maintain the current population level rather than take steps to remove others from the population. Safety laws also prevent people from removing themselves from the environment due to their own carelessness. In some cases, poor safety decisions can have the added benefit of removing others as well as happens in traffic accidents. As some of these changes take effect, their may be some elements of society who attempt to cause trouble. Again, law enforcement prevents such behavior that may in reality help to reduce the over all population and the negative impact they have on our delicate planet. Large displays of civil unrest can actually achieve a rapid impact in reducing the population.
Finally an important tax reduction can be made eliminating so called “Sin Taxes” on items such as alcohol and tobacco. As we go through some natural pains of this contraction and change, these products will help some people to ease their own negative feelings. For that matter, I would also so we should allow other controlled substances that are currently not legal for the same reason. Another upside of these products is the fact that they can actually reduce the life spans of their users, especially when used in excess. This provides for a humane reduction to the population as the people will be made to feel better, while at the same time expediting their removal from the environment.
Smaller government. Reduced taxes. Less government spending. Increased personal responsibility. These are all core values for all of us who consider ourselves Conservatives. We need to embrace these new options and promote them. The world can see how simple Conservative values are the only real way to save our planet. Sadly those on the left will hypocritically fight this, despite their claimed interest in protecting the planet. As with Jonathan Swift and his own A Modest Proposal, history shows that ideas of simplicity and genius are often overlooked.