As regular readers know, I am too ignorant to have opinions on most big issues. That’s why I don’t vote. This makes me feel inadequate because everyone around me has complete clarity and has taken sides. I want to be like that. I’m tired of being confused and uninformed.
For example, on my “serious” Sunday blog post I mentioned that California’s Proposition 87 would tax the oil companies and use the funds to promote alternative energy. Many of you ripped into me and pointed out that the oil companies would simply pass on the costs to consumers, so it’s really a tax on you and me.
Well, more like a tax on you. I don’t drive much. I walk to work. But still, it’s a fair point. Companies have to pass along their costs, right?
Now I have to sit around wondering why Chevron would spend millions of dollars trying to defeat a proposition that won’t cost them any money. Apparently no one told them they can pass those costs to you and me. (Mostly you.)
Or maybe Proposition 87 would make you and I (mostly you) pay a bit more at the pumps while Chevron subsidizes the rest. But that’s okay because the money goes toward a good cause, right? Doesn’t everyone like the idea of seeking out alternative sources of energy?
Not according to the majority of the comments on this blog. You reminded me that all government initiatives are doomed. Sure, the government has a few lucky successes, such as building highways and schools and dams and reducing pollution and eradicating polio and encouraging the Internet and winning World Wars I and II. But a broken clock is right twice a day too.
You also taught me that it is impossible to invent new and economical sources of alternative energy because no one has done it yet. I had never looked at it that way.
And then there’s the contention that a Hummer uses less energy than a Prius if you factor in the useful life of the vehicle and the cost of production. That’s the sort of claim that I’m not qualified to judge. Neither are you. But while this sort of thing leaves me dazed and confused, you’re driving your Hummer to the polling place to vote against windmills. I envy you.
Several of you asked why, if Steve Bing thinks alternative energy is such a great idea, doesn’t he fund it directly instead of trying to steal our tax dollars? It might have something to do with the fact that Proposition 87 will generate five times his net worth every year. That’s one guess. But who knows what’s inside Steve Bing’s head? He probably never even gave it much thought before he invested tens of millions of dollars.
I hope all of you Americans voted. Someday, when I become as smart as you, I might try it myself.