Let's say that for political reasons, there is going to be some sort of carbon pricing regime.  Maybe we'll do it to combat global warming which is stupid because:

• The planet isn't warming.
• The planet is warming, but it has nothing to do with man-made emissions.
• The planet is warming, but Canada's 2% contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is negligible, and a 10% cut, or a 20% cut, or a 50% cut, or even a 100% cut in a negligible contribution is a negligible improvement.

But hey, it wouldn't be the first time things are done for stupid reasons.  Heck, stupid reasons notwithstanding, carbon pricing might still be a good thing to do, for some good reasons:

• Pollution is bad, and assuming a correlation between greenhouse gas emissions (probably harmless) and other sorts of emissions (certainly nasty) is a strong one, then cutting back on carbon emissions means cutting back on other forms of real pollution.
• Energy efficiency is good, and carbon usage as a function of GNP might be considered a measure of efficiency, one that can be shifted in the more efficient direction.
• Maybe there's a way to make money from this.

And then there is the most important reason of all:

• Despite the best efforts of better informed members of society, the majority has drunk deeply of the global warming Kool-Aid, and demand something be done, even if it makes no good sense at all.

One particular carbon pricing scheme has always made more sense to me.  If we need to do this thing, let's at least do it right.  Or at least as right as is possible to do something that is intrinsically ridiculous.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 07:02 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I received an email from Michael Ignatieff's fundraising operation.  It was remarkable for its stark simplicity as well as the timing.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 08:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Green Party of Canada is accepting hundreds of dollars in donations from anonymous donors.  We don't know if these are people who have already reached their donation limits, or if these are donations from corporations or unions, or if these donations are actually from Canadians instead of from environmental activists from beyond our borders.

It matters because in any of these cases, the donations would be illegal.  Which is why anonymous donations are illegal in the first place.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 10:02 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Green Party leader Elizabeth May seems to lack the most basic ability all successful politicians have to pause in order to consider her words carefully, and then answer a question without offending people or making light of a serious subject.

In an interview with the Guelph Mercury editorial board, Elizabeth May says she was close to slitting her wrists after listening to the leader's debate during the last election, finding the politicians remarks too well packaged.

The editorial board was taken aback by Elizabeth May's flippant reference to suicide, and as a result, Elizabeth May spoiled an opportunity to deliver the Green Party message.

It makes me wonder just why the Green Party puts up with her.  It isn't the first time this has happened.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 11:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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There has been a fight playing out in slow motion for over two years between the big pharmaceutical companies, the government, and the bureaucrats at Health Canada.  Losses in the Supreme Court by big pharmaceuticals are being redressed by regulatory changes, and as a result, the contentious practice of "evergreening" is poised to make a comeback two years after it was deemed to be counter to the Canada Health Act.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 04:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier has tendered his resignation, and it has been accepted.  Not much could be done in this situation -- Maxime Bernier had lost track of sensitive documents, and that's a firing offense.

The government will work swiftly to make sure that any breach does not compromise Canadian security or the security of our allies.  On the other hand, you can be certain that the Liberals will look to maximize any damage in exchange for political points.

Oh, and my vote is for Jason Kenney as the next minister of foreign affairs.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 07:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I want to maintain a constant flow of water into a basin that has a drain in the bottom.  I have two taps.  One tap is on and the water flow in balances the water flow out.  I turn on the other tap.  The sink is starting to fill up, so I turn down the first tap by the same amount as the second tap was turned up.

I've achieved a neutral flow.

But now the flow from the second tap is starting to shrink.  It's not my doing.  It's just getting smaller and I can't control it other than opening the second tap even more.  The water in the basin is starting to shrink away.  To get back to a neutral flow, I need to increase the the flow from the first tap, or increase the flow from the second tap. 

But what I can't do is let the flow from both taps shrink away.  I need water in the basin.  More water is going to have to come in from one of the two taps.

Follow me?

Posted by: Steve Janke at 01:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Stephane Dion is going to roll out a carbon tax plan.  Canadians are praising it or denouncing it, without any idea of what the plan is actually going to be.

Let's try and figure it out.  Just the base carbon tax rate and nothing more.  It's not really all that hard to do.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 09:38 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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This was pure accident to have tripped over this.  I was Googling for local points of interest, and in my linking I came across The Credit River Company.  It promotes itself as an ecotourism company that restores heritage buildings.

It also sounded familiar.

As it is, the founder and CEO was Liberal MP Garth Turner.  Yeah.  Him again.  Honest, I wasn't looking for this.

Anyway, I went to the website, and was very surprised at what I found.  It looks like Garth Turner has gone out of the ecotourism business.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 02:43 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Liberal Party has just sent out an email, and in the lead piece, the party quotes experts who are heaping praise on Stephane Dion's idea for a carbon tax.

One of those experts is Rex Murphy.

I remember the piece being quoted.  Rex Murphy gave Stephane Dion credit for being logically consistent, but I didn't see any praise for the tax itself.

It's hard to tell from the two sentences extracted from the essay.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 03:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Chris Selley, aka Megapundit, who blogs for Maclean's, has the best line I've seen today.  Not only is it funny, it's prescient.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 03:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Liberal communications advisor Garth Turner warns the disloyal MPs are hurting Stephane Dion.

Hurting who?

What sort of MPs?

Communications advisor?!

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With the news that former chief of staff to former Ontario premier Mike Harris, Guy Giorno, is taking over from Ian Brodie as chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

People are trying to get a take on who Giorno is, and reporters who have known him for some time are helping.  Richard Brennan is one such reporter, and he calls Giorno very bright, a neocon, and socially challenged.

Socially challenged?  Where did that come from?  Does Richard Brennan think Guy Giorno is applying to be a cruise director on the Pacific Princess?

Actually, there is a bit of history behind this.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 10:24 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Liberal nomination for the riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River is wide open.  David Orchard and Joan Beatty are both fighting to the chance to represent the Liberal Party.

It'll be interesting to see how that nomination race proceeds.

But I find it also interesting to see how studiously the Liberal Party is avoiding making too much of the fact that Stephane Dion's meddling played a key role in how the by-election played out on March 17.  Now, instead of Stephane Dion making a gutsy leadership decision (as was explained before the by-election loss), we hear that Stephane Dion was compelled to appoint the nominee because of a "tight timeline".

I guess anything that absolves Stephane Dion of responsibility.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 12:49 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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I'm just sharing some thoughts about the implications of breaking Liberal Party caucus confidentiality with regards to Garth Turner.  Was it just gossip, or part of a plan?

Posted by: Steve Janke at 12:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It occurs to me that the carbon tax is a very dangerous policy to propose.  Not just because it'll wreck the economy and accomplish nothing whatsoever.  But because trying to sell it is going to be so hard.  Already we see hints of how defending the carbon tax is likely going to cause someone to trip up and say something really, really, stupid.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 11:39 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Last Friday, a report by Jane Taber on Mike Duffy Live spawned some off-the-wall rumours about Liberal MP Garth Turner being run out of caucus.

As far as we know, Garth Turner continues to sit with the Liberal Party, but the actual report is a case study in knowing where to draw the line.

Real life is not a blog.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 11:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The NDP does not like the Liberal plan for a carbon tax.  For the NDP, the problem is with charging both industry and individuals -- the NDP thinks industrial polluters should pay.

Piffle, says David Suzuki.  The Swedes have a robust carbon tax in comparison to what the Liberals are proposing. 

Interesting example.  The NDP would prefer a carbon tax that targets industry.  David Suzuki, on the other hand, is impressed with the Swedish system that exempts industry from paying the full tax, and only requires that the full tax be paid by individuals.

What?  You didn't know that?  I guess David Suzuki forgot to mention it.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 03:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The NDP does not like the Liberal plan for a carbon tax.  For the NDP, the problem is with charging both industry and individuals -- the NDP thinks industrial polluters should pay.

Piffle, says David Suzuki.  The Swedes have a robust carbon tax in comparison to what the Liberals are proposing. 

Interesting example.  The NDP would prefer a carbon tax that targets industry.  David Suzuki, on the other hand, is impressed with the Swedish system that exempts industry from paying the full tax, and only requires that the full tax be paid by individuals.

What?  You didn't know that?  I guess David Suzuki forgot to mention it.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 03:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The NDP does not like the Liberal plan for a carbon tax.  For the NDP, the problem is with charging both industry and individuals -- the NDP thinks industrial polluters should pay.

Piffle, says David Suzuki.  The Swedes have a robust carbon tax in comparison to what the Liberals are proposing. 

Interesting example.  The NDP would prefer a carbon tax that targets industry.  David Suzuki, on the other hand, is impressed with the Swedish system that exempts industry from paying the full tax, and only requires that the full tax be paid by individuals.

What?  You didn't know that?  I guess David Suzuki forgot to mention it.

Posted by: Steve Janke at 03:01 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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