The Wisdom of Bill

It is probably going to appear that I'm obsessed with Bill Clinton, but I'm really using him as an illustrative example of liberal thinking. And he's such a good example because he's a "moderate" and his ideas are constantly promoted by the press as the accumulated wisdom of an ex-president. I also use him because George Bush keeps referring to him as such a good friend of the family (ugh!). OK - I'm obsessed.

Well - did you catch Bill's comments from Davos, where he is king? He was asked for his top three concerns for the world. Are you ready? Make your guesses now before you read on. C'mon, it'll be fun.

1) Islamic fascism/terrorism
2) nuclear proliferation
3) promoting freedom/representative government

Oops - sorry - that's my list. Here's Bill's:

1) climate change
2) inequality
3) cultural divide

About climate change, Bill says essentially that human progress as we have known it will stop as a result of global warming. That's a downer, isn't it? Now, one must always keep in mind the audience whenever Bill is talking - and this one was in Davos, Switzerland with all the world's big name elite leftists in attendance - so his climate concern is very reflective of European leftist sensibilities. But, American leftists are really European leftist wannabes and Bill is showing them the way.

Here's the procedure:
1) start with an issue about which you know very little and pretend you know a lot, even though the evidence is sketchy;
2) develop terms and phrases that describe the worst possible outcome and use them constantly to scare the hell out of everybody who knows as little (or even less) as you do;
3) use that fear to promote your political agenda and propel yourself to power with it.

On "climate change" ("change" is scary, but, guess what? climate change is nothing new), let's stipulate that the earth is getting warmer(about one degree in the last century at the surface, on average). Then, let's admit that perhaps human activities causing the emission of greenhouse gasses (like CO2 and methane) contribute to the increased warming. Unfortunately, these emissions have a habit of hanging around and, so, the "damage" that has been done has been accumulating for decades and what we're emitting today will be around for many decades to come. What to do? What to do?

If you are a True Believer, you should really become one of the Noble Savages you admire so much. Really - riding a bicycle isn't sufficient because bicycle manufacturing, and for that matter, anything manufactured, causes tons of emissions. Maybe this is what Bill is advocating when he says human progress as we have known it will cease!

I think it would be better if we all took a deep breath (did you know air quality has been improving for years now?) and thought about some things first. Like, one piece of evidence we have that is pretty compelling is that solar activity coincides nicely with global surface temperature fluctuations. We've got data on this folks. And we've experienced an increase in solar activity in the last decade or so that might have something to do with climate changes seen recently.

And, let's go nuclear. This is a very European thing to do after all (France gets 70% of its electricity from nuclear power). No CO2 emissions. But, what about the spent nuclear fuel, you ask? I know it is dangerous, but we have this place called Yucca Mountain out where nobody cares to live with air bases nearby to protect it. We've developed technology to keep it safely contained for a thousand years (I'm not sure of the exact number - but, a long time). I know environmentalists want it to be a million years, but they're letting their European leftist thinking get in the way. See, if it is safe for a thousand years, then we have that long to improve the technology - unless you believe, like Bill, that human progress will cease because of a degree or two up-tick in surface temperature over a hundred years.

What about alternative fuels? With the Middle East wackos soon to extort outrageous prices for oil, I'd say the market incentive for developing alternative fuels is just around the corner. Bear in mind though, that in the real world of energy production, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Industry and manufacturing have to happen and will entail capital and environmental expenses.

So, what would Bill do about climate change? I don't believe he would shut down the global economy based on the current data - after all, even he wouldn't sign Kyoto. See, the problem with liberals is, they're constantly making up crises for which they offer no real solution. But, their awareness of the crisis is supposed to convince us that they're the leaders we need. And then they accuse conservatives of fear mongering on issues such as national security. So, what are you going to get worked up over? A one degree increase in a century or 9/11? Increased solar activity or a nuclear Iran? Which problem seems more immediate to you - CO2 emissions or fatwas promising to avenge the caricatured Mohammed with blood in the streets of Europe? I know what I think - but I'm no ex-president!

I've gone long on climate, so I'll address Bill's other concerns later. Please visit again.

(Also see part 2 and part 3)