I recieve an email update regarding climate change news and alternative energy solutions. This web article was one of the features this week. http://grist.org/news/maindish/2007/07/06/candidates/
This was posted 7/06 and then updated 8/07 with no change.
"Ron Paul is ... kind of a hoot, isn't he? But he's had nothing to say on climate and energy, other than that he opposes central government control over energy and wants to end all subsidies to energy companies. -- DR
Grist and Outside have requested an interview with Paul.
Fact sheet on Paul coming soon"
I posted a comment about how I see Dr. Paul's policy of economic freedom would impact this issue. I also explained why his Hemp Farming Bill is key to freedom from fossil fuels. My comment follows:
One of the best things we can do to fight global warming is to stop the federal subsidies to big corporations, especially oil. This would end under Dr. Paul. Entreprenuers, small business people all over the country are producing clean energy from numerous sources and (without gov't interference and over-regulation) they could compete in the free market. He introduced the 2005 and the current 2007 Hemp Farming Bill. We could grow enough Industrial Hemp (Low THC, non-drug variety of Cannabis) on currently vacant land that is not suitable for other crops to completely end our need for coal or for foreign oil. Over 25,000 "green" products can be made from hemp. Hemp is extremely well suited for new technologies in biomass/biofuel. It's yield per acre is as much as 100 times that of corn, doesn't need chemicals to grow, and actually re-nourishes the soil, so it can be used as a rotational crop. Every part of the plant can be used for everything from paper to clothes to building products and car parts. Other countries are already using hemp, but we have to import it from Canada (which is why it's so expensive now), while our farmers get paid to let fields sit idle. Hemp can be grown in every state and small (compared to refineries and power plants) processing plants would sprout up to process the locally grown hemp into fuel and other products. The fuel would only have to be trucked locally, instead of across the country and across the world. The cost would be much cheaper, the infrastruture is already there, and the economy would explode with all of the new jobs.
When government gets out of the people's way, people have the choice to choose and to invent and to succeed. That is why Ron Paul is so popular with people who have an understanding of how economics affects everything else.
This is my #1 prob with the Dems. It's all about raising taxes "on the rich". I'm poor so it doesn't affect me personally, but I understand the unintended consequences of that. They end up collecting less money because they move more out of the country! Think of what happens when we cut spending in Washington and fire the IRS? Think of all the money people would have left in their pockets to start/expand their businesses -- we could compete with China again in manufacturing without our repressive tax structure.
This was posted 7/06 and then updated 8/07 with no change.
"Ron Paul is ... kind of a hoot, isn't he? But he's had nothing to say on climate and energy, other than that he opposes central government control over energy and wants to end all subsidies to energy companies. -- DR
Grist and Outside have requested an interview with Paul.
Fact sheet on Paul coming soon"
I posted a comment about how I see Dr. Paul's policy of economic freedom would impact this issue. I also explained why his Hemp Farming Bill is key to freedom from fossil fuels. My comment follows:
One of the best things we can do to fight global warming is to stop the federal subsidies to big corporations, especially oil. This would end under Dr. Paul. Entreprenuers, small business people all over the country are producing clean energy from numerous sources and (without gov't interference and over-regulation) they could compete in the free market. He introduced the 2005 and the current 2007 Hemp Farming Bill. We could grow enough Industrial Hemp (Low THC, non-drug variety of Cannabis) on currently vacant land that is not suitable for other crops to completely end our need for coal or for foreign oil. Over 25,000 "green" products can be made from hemp. Hemp is extremely well suited for new technologies in biomass/biofuel. It's yield per acre is as much as 100 times that of corn, doesn't need chemicals to grow, and actually re-nourishes the soil, so it can be used as a rotational crop. Every part of the plant can be used for everything from paper to clothes to building products and car parts. Other countries are already using hemp, but we have to import it from Canada (which is why it's so expensive now), while our farmers get paid to let fields sit idle. Hemp can be grown in every state and small (compared to refineries and power plants) processing plants would sprout up to process the locally grown hemp into fuel and other products. The fuel would only have to be trucked locally, instead of across the country and across the world. The cost would be much cheaper, the infrastruture is already there, and the economy would explode with all of the new jobs.
When government gets out of the people's way, people have the choice to choose and to invent and to succeed. That is why Ron Paul is so popular with people who have an understanding of how economics affects everything else.
This is my #1 prob with the Dems. It's all about raising taxes "on the rich". I'm poor so it doesn't affect me personally, but I understand the unintended consequences of that. They end up collecting less money because they move more out of the country! Think of what happens when we cut spending in Washington and fire the IRS? Think of all the money people would have left in their pockets to start/expand their businesses -- we could compete with China again in manufacturing without our repressive tax structure.
