[clue-talk] Any feelings on Barr and Libertarian Party?

[Jed S. Baer]

On Thu, 29 May 2008 17:29:47 -0600
David L. Willson wrote:

> > Also, I would consider renewable energy to be a "special interest".
> > From your statement then, I conclude that Ritter is beholden to that
> > one.
> 
> Jeepers Jed!  How do you get renewable energy to be special interest?
> Seriously... This seems like it would be a pretty good idea for
> everyone, not just a few.  I'd go so far as to say that non-renewable
> energy is more special interest than renewable energy. Very special.
> Like, not quite Satan special, but somewhere thereabout...  Maybe.  Ok,
> before I get too silly, explain what you mean here.

Anything is a "special interest" in this context if it's getting money
from the government, in terms of tax incentives, subsidies, or whatever
else the govt. decides to toss out, for example acquisition of land via
emminent domain.

For example, ethanol fuel is hyped as a renewable energy product. But
it'd be going almost nowhere without federal money, because it isn't yet
economically feasible. If that statement makes no sense to you, then
please get a copy of "Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell. :)

Companies such as Archer Daniels Midland are no different from Shell or
Exxon-Mobil, except perhaps in which political persausions regard them to
be "special interests" and which don't.

Also, "special interest" is a handy label to just throw out when you want
to denigrate something. In reality, any corporation, or even small
business, if it's operating with any smarts, will seek to exploit whatever
federal regulations, tax laws, incentives, or other largesse from the
taxpayers money that they can manage to qualify for. The solar energy
industry did it years ago (Carter administration?), for example.

If Congress were really serious about ethanol, they get rid of the sugar
tarrif. But there's probably a serious lobbying effort on the part of
farming companies against doing so. How special, especially when at least
some of them are likey also in favor of subsidies for corn-based ethanol.
Oh, there's ADM again. But wait, they're a BIG EVIL CORPORATION! How
special.