| Submit your comments on this article |
| Government |
| Washington state voters could be the first to approve a carbon tax |
| 2018-10-21 |
| [Washington Examiner] Washington state could be the first in the nation to enact a voter-approved carbon tax if a ballot initiative succeeds there in November, an outcome that supporters say would prove the political tenability of a major policy to combat climate change. "Even being in a competitive position is a significant achievement," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat and rumored 2020 presidential candidate, told the Washington Examiner in an interview. "If it doesn’t happen this year, we are not done." However, if voters in this progressive western state reject a carbon tax for the second time, after voting down a similar plan two years ago, it may slow what modest momentum there is for pricing pollution at the national level. "I do think about the consequences of it failing," said Noah Kaufman, a Columbia University economist who studies energy and climate change policy. "If a blue state fails again to pass a carbon tax, it certainly doesn't look good for efforts in states elsewhere, and at the federal level." The logic behind a carbon tax is simple, economists say: Raise the price of carbon intensive products ‐ based on the damage they cause society ‐ so consumers use less of them, and encourage producers to find other solutions to limit emissions. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #11 They have been letting Microsoft get away with gluten, GMO packed bytes for years. Let's not go there. As soon as the topic comes up, they're going to start howling about the Big-Indian/Little-Indian thing and before you know it, we're arguing over positive and negative zero, and two's compliment arithmetic. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-10-21 17:10 |
| #10 Frank, just one more reminder of my favorite Temptations song Ball of Confusion aka Revolution. "Politicians say mo taxes will solve everything, hey hey". |
| Posted by: AlanC 2018-10-21 15:48 |
| #9 Does this mean no more outside blunts? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-10-21 14:18 |
| #8 Mo spending is their knee-jerk reaction |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-10-21 12:43 |
| #7 Ever notice that no matter what the 'problem' is, the left-wing 'solution' is always the same: more regulation and more taxes. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2018-10-21 12:08 |
| #6 Great. But when will the hypocritical libs in Washington vote on recycling bytes?! They have been letting Microsoft get away with gluten, GMO packed bytes for years. |
| Posted by: Woodrow 2018-10-21 12:03 |
| #5 Leaving aside the negative economic impact, points 1-4 from the previous commenters, and the fact that Global Warming will eventually be recognized as the biggest scientific hoax since the Piltdown Man, I like the carbon tax. It makes me nostalgic for the good old days when the Church sold indulgences and you could simply buy your way out of sin. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-10-21 11:19 |
| #4 You forgot... 4. Won't actually solve the problem. Providing a future crisis to exploit. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2018-10-21 10:55 |
| #3 Get woke, go broke. |
| Posted by: Thaiger Omeque4448 2018-10-21 10:33 |
| #2 outside of seattlestan, i have only found 1pro 1631 yard sign, and mailers have been 100% against. even some of the tree huggers dont like it. costs will be a job killer |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2018-10-21 09:05 |
| #1 this is a typical lefty initiative 1. lots of favored industries get exemptions (paper mills, cement, aluminum) 2. the revenues are going to be used for subsidizing other favored industries ('renewable energy') 3. the taxes won't directly hit consumers, they will hit businesses who will have to raise prices and get blamed for gouging |
| Posted by: lord garth 2018-10-21 08:21 |