tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279146381231845671.post3153795317196105193..comments2023-08-16T04:32:23.376-07:00Comments on Bad Outcomes: Product of His EnvironmentRobert H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09454933755396275755noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279146381231845671.post-48354249373153785182013-03-24T15:31:36.655-07:002013-03-24T15:31:36.655-07:00My reading was that a Conservative environmental p...My reading was that a Conservative environmental policy might look similar on climate change, but different on a host of other policies. Granted I don't know anything about grazing on federal lands or catch shares, but a "cap and trade for fish" sounds pretty great to me. I would certainly support more politicians favoring more market based approaches to a host of regulatory issues. Whether its new or not or sufficiently not progressive depends on your perspective. It is striking on a host of issues how often the Left calls for more regulation rather than better or more efficient regulation. Having another reasonable party with a different set of blind spots may well lead to better policies.<br /><br />Charlie Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079017903923824877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279146381231845671.post-2781268976160521932013-03-23T18:07:25.021-07:002013-03-23T18:07:25.021-07:00That's fair, but keep in mind that the questio...That's fair, but keep in mind that the question being posed here is, "can conservatives come up with a different, ideologically coherent, comprehensive alternative to current environmental policies?" Adler thinks they can, and his essay is all about the principles that will animate a conservative take on environmental policy, in contrast to what he sees as a status quo dominated by dumb liberal principles. <br /><br />So the significance with him wanting a carbon tax is less "look, he's folding to the liberal ideas!" and more "look, he has basically the same ideas as the current set of liberals!" Whether the origin of those ideas are conservative or liberal, whether they've been historically endorsed by conservatives or liberals, whether conservatives or liberals would actually be better at implementing them, and whether they disagree on second best solutions in the absence of those ideas getting implemented (IE, CAFE standards and EPA regulation of carbon), once he's endorsing the same basic ideas as the current set of liberals it really cuts against his "a vibrant, new, conservative take on environmental policy is possible and likely" message. You can't say you are defining a bold new course in opposition to the other guys and then agree with the other guys on the major policy question. So yeah, regardless of whether both sides embracing cap and trade would be a conservative or liberal victory, it would be a loss for anyone who wants the conservatives to have a strikingly different and ideologically consistent environmental vision vs liberals. <br /><br />But yeah, I actually think "Liberals and conservatives will basically agree that the government needs to regulate pollution, will basically agree on the ways to do that, and will then fight about implementation, with A. conservatives having an "intervene less" bias and liberals having an "intervene more" bias, and B. the different sides having different dumb little policies they fight for as they get captured by different special interests," is the likely way conservatives will lift their head out of the sand on pollution. And I also agree that that was basically the status quo relatively recently. And I agree that liberals sometimes push dumb environmental policies, which means that even with the current conservatives-fight-all-environmental-regulation status quo, Republicans are right and democrats wrong on specific issues quite often. My only point is that 1. In living memory, the differences between liberals and conservatives who thought the state could deal with pollution were much starker than now, 2. It would be fun if they could get starker again, 3. Adler doesn't get there.Robert H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09454933755396275755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279146381231845671.post-12262070056852054162013-03-22T22:14:17.263-07:002013-03-22T22:14:17.263-07:00The only functioning Cap and Trade system was prop...The only functioning Cap and Trade system was proposed by Pres. Bush I with largely bipartisan support. McCain campaigned under a better Cap and Trade platform than Obama. Certainly, the current Republican/Conservative movement is far from that position, but I wouldn't characterize a conservative advocating Cap and Trade as surrendering to liberal ideas.<br /><br />Libs and Dems have moved a long way towards market based reform, but with a lot of pushing from smart conservatives along the way. Still today, carbon emissions, to the extent they are being contained at all, are being contained through CAFE standards and more heavy handed regulation. So while I agree that currently the Dems are much better on this issue, I hardly see them as owning it.Charlie Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079017903923824877noreply@blogger.com