Carbon taxes, revolutions and all points in between – Have your say in Saturday’s socialist speak out
Posted by John, February 25th, 2011 - under Saturday's socialist speak out.
So the Green-Labor carbon tax has moved closer and the neoliberal greens are ecstatic that workers will have their living standards cut. What for? Little reduction and a continuation of the system that produces greenhouse gases. Meanwhile across North Africa and the Middle East the Arab masses have challenged their dictatorships. Gaddafi may well fall in the next day or two. Cuba and Venezuela have been quiet about Libya, not coming out in open support of the Libyan people and their attempts to overthrow the tyrant shooting at and killing some of them. Certainly there has been no condemnation from them of Gaddafi. To have your say on these issues or anything else, hit the comments button.
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Comments
Comment from Sara Moss
Time February 26, 2011 at 12:05 am
John,
I always enjoy reading your posts here. I’m still of the view that doing something about climate change is preferable to doing nothing at all. We don’t have the imminent prospect of a socialist alternative to this market-based mechanism in front of us right now; so, while I agree with you that the system sucks and should be changed and it should be the polluters, not the people who pay, I would vote for the carbon tax rather than the alternative of “nothing”.
Comment from Ross
Time February 26, 2011 at 6:10 am
It is a case John of my enemy ‘s enemy is my friend.Hugo Chevez is beseiged by oil hungry corporate despots from the West We are seeing in the media and on OLO lots of articles saying the West needs to save the people of Libya.The people of Zimbabwe needed saving long ago but ah,they forgot to find oil.
There is not much choice.ie the despot you know or a corporate one of the military industrial complex based in USA Europe.
Make no mistake,the carbon taxes and the emitions trading scam is all about more profits.The Coalition secretly want it.Joe Hockey was asked yesterday if he would rescind the tax by Labor.He did not answer the question.Apparently it would be too complex for Joe to unravel once in operation.Which is code for,”we really want it too.”
Aren’t people tired of being conned or are they just too apathetic ,confused and stupid to make the effort.
Comment from John
Time February 26, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Thanks Sara. I don’t think it is a case of doing nothing. The Australian Financial Review has a report which shows the cost of the tax for those on the average wage will be almost $1000 a year. I am for workers striking for massive real wage increases, for price controls run by workers, for a tax on the polluters, for state spending on renewable energy paid for by the bosses… All as part of the struggle for a new world based on cooperation, not competition, on democracy not workplace dictatorship, on putting people first, not profit. There is much that can be done, I just don’t think the logic of the capitalist system allows that. What it does allow of course is shifting the cost of climate change onto workers. That to me is what the carbon tax, to be followed by a new ETS, will do. It is a neoliberal solution.
Comment from John
Time February 25, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Gaddafi’s friends in Venezuela and Cuba. http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110222/cm_atlantic/qaddafisfriendsinvenezuelaandcuba7070