Let's Make A Deal

             Let’s Make A Deal

I continue to be appalled at the divisive rhetoric infecting our culture.  We are seemingly split into two groups, both intractable and unwilling to compromise.  Or so it would seem.  But in reality there are more than two groups, the largest of which is the group of people who refuse to take part in the discussion because of how caustic it has become.

To address the obvious, I will offer a quick mea culpa.  From time to time, I am part of the problem.  And to make up for that, I would like to propose a deal.  I would like to attempt to bring the left and right together and see if we cannot find a small amount of common ground.

Let me make clear at the outset that I would never ask anyone to compromise their principles.  I know that some issues like abortion are not going to lend themselves to much compromise.  Nor do I propose anyone capitulate an issue to the other side just to “make nice”.  But as I will explain I do think there are a number of areas where we can make progress without anyone letting go of any sacred honor.

First, I would like to have a word with my brothers on the right about “so-called” climate change.  Let me say that I am not convinced that the earth is warming, much less that the warming is due to man.  On the other hand, I am not convinced that it is not.  I simply don’t know.  I understand the resistance here.  The hype and misrepresentation and dishonesty on the part of the pro-global warming crowd has at times been off the charts.  The left has no idea how much harm Al Gore did to the movement he supposedly championed.

But let’s be clear, this is not a philosophical issue.  This is physics and chemistry and science.  Reality does not give a damn about our arguments on either side.  If the planet is warming or changing due to greenhouse gases produced by man then it is.  If it is not, then it is not.  So let’s put aside the notion that we would somehow be compromising or losing something by engaging honestly in this discussion.  This is a matter of science, not ideology.

There are of course several kinds of people on the left who are promoting the idea of climate change.  Some, like Al Gore, are opportunists trying to capitalize on the crisis of the day.  Some are the usual cast of agitators who oppose the right because they are on the other side.  But there are a number of honest people who are actually concerned about the changes they see and who are worried that we are doing harm to the planet.

Whether this third group of people is correct or not, we need to recognize that they are sincere and therefore I think we have an obligation to look seriously at the concerns.  If the planet is warming due to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, then that could potentially be a serious problem for all of us.  Conservatives care about the planet.  We care about the future that we are leaving our children.  We care about the environment and we want to leave a healthy world for future generations.

One of my chemical engineering professors described learning to our class one day in a way I will never forget.  Paraphrasing, he said that we were there to take the knowledge and understanding that he had and make it our own  He said that the ideas and theorems and equations  that he was teaching us were not his; they were the accumulated wisdom of countless individuals and that we were paying to have him impart them to us.  But once you know something (the number of protons in a phosphorus atom, or the general equation of thermodynamics, or how to find the derivative of x squared), then that was yours, and could never be taken from you.  If you understand something, and you can explain it, then you own it.  He made us derive the equation and therefore we could show how it was that we knew a thing to be true.

I have not studied global warming or climate change enough to understand it.  I cannot explain why I am certain one way or another, and so I do not have that knowledge; I do not own it.  That is why my position on climate change remains the same as it has been – I don’t know.  I don’t know if the planet is warming or if it is due to man and I cannot predict what will happen going forward.

Don’t get me wrong, I have read a number of articles, looked at lots of charts, watched some videos and lectures.  They were interesting and some contradicted others.  There is evidence of glaciers melting and more recently evidence that the ice cover is expanding.  There is evidence that CO2 levels have risen, and I find that compelling.  There is evidence that globally we are going through a warm phase and also evidence that the global temperature has reached a plateau, or is even beginning to drop.

I do not see how people who are not actual atmospheric scientists can be certain beyond a doubt.  I do not see how this is settled science, and I will not tell you I am certain until I meet the criteria laid out by my old professor.  I have not “made this my own”.  If you are asking me to validate an idea that I don’t even fully understand you are asking me to lie.

However, none of that prevents me from looking at the issue and taking a look at what might be reasonable steps to take to help ensure a healthy planet for future generations.  And I think this is the sticking point I would ask those of us on the right to get over.  If the concern is over high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, it is reasonable to ask what steps we can take to reduce the level of CO2 that are consistent with our principles.

First, we should note that CO2 emissions in the United States have been dropping in real terms.  Sadly, that effect has been completely negated by massive increases in CO2 emissions in China.  I am not just picking on China.  If you look at the data, Chinese CO2 emissions are the largest single factor that we must correct if we want to fix the problem of high CO2 levels.  Anyone who claims to be serious about solving the climate change problem who skips over the Chinese is being disingenuous.  We must call for our government to put pressure on China (and India) to reduce their part.

Back here in the US, we should look at voluntary ways of reducing our so-called carbon footprint.  Why?  Because many of these things turn out to be good conservative ideas anyway.  Turn off the lights when you leave the room.  Drive a more fuel efficient car.  Turn down the thermostat in the winter.  All of these are just good common sense ways of saving money in your family budget.  These are things our grandfathers would say.  We should and do embrace wind and solar energy because it reduces our dependence on foreign countries that are not, generally speaking, our friends.

What can be done to reverse the level of CO2 already in the air?  There is one great way to convert CO2 to O2.  They are called plants.  Wherever possible we should grow trees and plants and encourage nature’s little CO2 scrubbers.  This is also a conservative idea and one that your grandparents would approve of.  And trees make the world nicer for future generations.

I am suggesting that we voluntarily do smart, rational, money saving things that do not violate our core principles.  Whatever the reality regarding climate change, we can voluntarily do things to make the world a better place.  In addition, we should read and learn about the science with an open mind.  We should avoid knee-jerk reactions and automatic dismissal of these concerns.

On the other hand, while we need to be honest and work with the third group of sincerely concerned people we must not be hooked in by the first two groups.  Even the most ardent supporters of global warming/climate change will admit there are people who have taken advantage of the issue for personal gain.  There are always going to be people who want to capitalize on an issue and there is no reason to give in to this group at all.

One thing that is disturbing is that everything I have just suggested would seemingly be rejected by many on the left.  Ann Curry did a special on climate change where she (among other things) showed a graphic of a Florida town and how it will look after sea levels rise 25 feet.  Twenty five feet??  She then discussed possible solutions and although I am paraphrasing here the solutions were higher taxes, higher taxes, and higher taxes.  China and voluntary measures were not viable alternatives.

Those on the left should know that those kinds of messages are why conservatives automatically reject even the good arguments.  You see, reality (the carbon dioxide in the air) does not care a bit about whether taxes are raised.  Clearly, a tax will not change the climate.

Now that I have made my pitch to those on the right about the need to be reasonable with regard to climate change, I now have a request for the other side.  I see no need to repeat the complete setup of the issue I just went through for conservatives.  Suffice it to say there are some of us over here that care deeply about our children’s future and no other sinister motivations.  And we are worried about our staggering national debt. 

Again, this is a math problem.  And we do not feel it is morally right to leave our children with a massive debt burden.  Whether it is a country or a company or any individual we feel it is morally wrong to continually consume more than you produce.  We have a massive trade deficit with the rest of the world.  We owe more money than any other country now or ever, and we are borrowing more than any country ever has.

We sincerely feel that we should only spend what we take in.  And we would ask that you help us in our goal of reducing spending.  Many will argue that this is not a real problem.  They will say that a nation’s debt is not the same as a family or a business.  They will talk about fiat currency and the need for deficit spending.  We will probably never reach those people.

I would like to suggest that we might be able to change, at least slightly, the perception that the rest of the world has about us if we do not engage in conspicuous consumption on borrowed dollars while many in the rest of the world face dire poverty.

Many of you will claim that the entire solution is to raise taxes, for example on the top 1% of earners that is so demonized.  Some (like Ms. Pelosi) will claim that there is simply no more budget cutting to be done.  I might suggest that those are things that have been said in Detroit and in Greece.

I think one area of common ground might lie in the tax code.  There are a number of good ideas, such as the Fair tax and Flat tax.  But I think we all agree we need to simplify the monstrous tax code that has grown into a monster after years of tinkering and political favoritism.  I say simplify it completely by removing ALL deductions, exemptions, incentives, credits, grants, exclusions, bailouts, subsidies, and loopholes.  Take everything away from everyone, with no exceptions.

Tax all income the same and have only 3 levels of taxation at most (I would prefer a single rate).  This would end most of the corporatism and cronyism and special interest influence.  And it would increase revenues.

In the meantime, we must cut spending across the board.  Entitlements must be cut and there is room to cut defense a little more.  We are going to have to get to a balanced budget and living within our means; and then we have the problem of paying off this $17 trillion in debt.

If living within our means violates your ideology then I am never going to connect with you anyway.  But if you can see that sincere people are just trying to do the right thing, then maybe we can make a deal.