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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Aaron Cooperband who wrote (24710)	8/30/1998 10:50:00 AM
From: Grainne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Aaron, I'm in a hurry at the moment, so this is not a complete response to your post. I do know that what America plans to do to comply with international calls for a reduction in ozone depletion is based mostly on buying pollution credits from countries that do not use all of theirs. This has been criticized by environmentalists, obviously. The most efficient products, for example cars powered by gasoline, are not an inherent right of man. We are not born riding in these cars. I believe that hybrid technologies will ultimately produce very efficient people movers, but I believe legislation is necessary to assure reasonable emissions standards. Obviously, an eight horsepower cruisemobile like the ones we all drove twenty years ago is more powerful and more fun, but at what cost? It seems like very selfish pleasure. It definitely pays to be the only country with a low gas tax. That is the basic problem which causes America to spew forth 25% of all pollution, with only 8% of the world's population. I do not think this is justifiable, however, nor is it anything to be proud of. I do disagree that countries with high gasoline taxes always operate at a disadvantage, however. The western European economies have been showing a lot o growth in several countries, and they have very high gasoline taxes, and small, fuel-efficient cars. When they get their common currency going, it will be a larger economy than America's, and may pose a significant threat to our dominance.

To: Aaron Cooperband who wrote (24710)	8/30/1998 9:22:00 PM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Aaron, Agree entirely on the pollution credits issue. Aside from the inherent economic inequities, the system creates huge potential for abuse. Suppose one factory accumulates a large number of pollution credits. Does that give them the right to compromise the health and safety of nearby residents? Environmental regulation is a basic, essential, and necessary function of government. There are certain rules that need to be enforced, and one of them is that one person's economic enterprise, no matter how important, cannot be allowed to destroy other people's lives. I'm not sufficiently informed on global warming to comment on that, though I do think that the testimony of known ideologues from either pole should be discounted in any such debate. <<It would be nice if entrepreneurs went out and created these products, but if they don't SELL then the idea is doomed to failure.>> Hate to pump my pet stocks here, but have you looked at NVIC? Steve