The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => History => Topic started by: Drygioni on September 10, 2006, 06:51:21 pm
-
http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=60149 (http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=60149)
This is certainly interesting. Arnold Schwarzeneger, governer of one of the most petrol ingesting places on the planet, has made the decision to flip the V at the more unsavoury Republicans and corporations; he's aiming to cut California's emissions by 25 per cent by 2020. That isn't to be sniffed at.
At face value, this looks like bollocks. The man drives (drove?) Hummers, for christ sake. Certainly, this is a good time to make your Green Stance if you're a politician. Increasingly, climate change is getting worrying even to the most hardline industrialists, and at this moment a prominent Republican who speaks out pro-enviromentally avoids the accusations of jumping on a bandwagon (if anything Arnie is being portrayed as revolutionary) but also is more likely to sway other right wing politicals as they face the continually apparent truth.
Though there are other scenarios, which is why I made the poll (feel free to ask me to put in any more options if you desire). It's certainly unfair to doubt the man based on past action. Maybe he is genuinely concerned for the world? Maybe. Is he being manipulated by others with an interest in planet saving? Who knows. Or is it simply an attempt to show the world he is NOT being manipulated by higher powers (Bush)? You decide.
-
I don't know if political gain is that valid an option just because politicians never ever ever do anything that would damage them politically if they can help it (e.g. by shooting one of their children, cutting off a leg etc.). The real question is why did he do this for political gain rather than something else?
Without knowing a whole lot about him politically this seems reasonably in line with the summary of his political history in the article, he seems one of the smaller government republicans but at the same time he doesn't seem like the sort to disagree with something just because his party says so and if you accept global warming as fact then not doing something about it is just plain moronic.
Actually I guess that isn't entirely consistant. Greenpeace conspiracy for me!
-
Man do I hate Greenpeace...
But that's beside the point. The new Liberal party leader over here has one good policy. Having replaced the drunkard (I say, while drunk), he has put forward a strong party stance on climate friendly taxes and the like. While I support that, I can't help but feel hypocritical when I see my car tax rise to nearly £200 before this comes in. £200 a year, on top of our ridiculous fuel taxes just to be able to get anywhere, what with living 10 miles from a town, with no conceivable bus service.
I can't help but wonder if it's worth setting up different taxes based not only on what type of car you drive, but on how rural your habitat, much as I feel it worth setting up different council taxes for if you live in the country and don't even get recycling bins. Why should I pay for the people who love in the rich, commuter part of our town to get recycling when we just get a normal garbage service? And that's not even getting into the argument of how green recycling is depending on the product...
As for Arnie, he appears to have been jumping on whatever bandwagon he can all through his political career to get support. Filling in a pothole, calling Latinos hot... He'll try anywthing risque!