Why a Carbon Tax is Unnecessary and Harmful

There will be climate change in the next 6 months. The northern hemisphere will get warmer, and the southern hemisphere will get cooler. This is mostly because of the obliquity of the ecliptic (see axial tilt). Other reasons are the water cycle (clouds), the Earth's magnetic field (shielding from high-energy particles), man's (and woman's) abuse of resources, etc.

Our government sees this “crisis” as an opportunity for a carbon tax. This will not change any of the above, but it will increase the power of the government and the costs of doing business.

The North American continent is rich in resources. The President and his Energy Secretary have done their best to prevent domestic production of these resources. Trillions of dollars of American capital have gone to OPEC and others who hate us. We could have been energy independent. Our unemployment rate could have been 4% or less instead of 8% or more.

In the 19th century, lamps burned whale oil. This was replaced by much cheaper kerosene. This was because that greedy capitalist and entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller was an extraordinarily efficient and effective manager. Later a waste product from the refining – gasoline – powered new internal combustion engines. Cars powered by gasoline beat the competition powered by electricity. Now 95% of vehicles are gas-powered.

Is CO2 a pollutant? It is necessary for plants to live. Plants are necessary for humans and animals to live. Have I endangered the planet if I exhale or open a carbonated beverage or roast marshmallows on an open fire? Only the junk scientists with a vested interest in “global climate change” would answer “Yes.”

The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act have made our air and water the safest on the planet. They have also made the costs of doing business in the United States much higher and have encouraged business folks to locate production facilities overseas. Millions of American jobs were never created.

The solution is to make reasonable tradeoffs with our planet. If lumber is needed for homes, then harvest older trees and plant many more trees to replace those taken. If carbon-based energy is used, then make it as clean-burning as necessary.