Sunday, June 12, 2011

A Modest Proposal

The best way that we as a planet can address the growing scarcity of fossil fuels (and progressively more environmentally destructive methods used to extract them) is conservation.  A modest proposal: take the approximately $4 billion a year that the government gives to oil companies in subsidies and tax breaks (NYT Jan. 31, 2011) and use those funds to create a weatherization program.  Make the funds available as grants (not loans, not subsidies) to people making under, let’s say, $50,000 per year, for weatherization of their primary homes or apartments; first come, first served.  This will create jobs, encourage people to invest in their homes and neighborhoods, and lower our national energy consumption.  Or, we can continue to pad the profits of oil companies.  

1 comment:

  1. Exxon Mobil's first quarter profits this year surged 69%, to $10.7 billion. It has $13.2 billion in cash even after paying stockholders $7 billion in buybacks and dividends. Let them spend some of their own cash on exploration and development instead of taking money from the taxpayers.

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