Shifting military spending to fund green infrastructure 7

Comments View as Flat

1. 

   GreyFlcn Posted 5:17 am
   14 Mar 2008

   You mean graphs like this?http://greyfalcon.net/iraqvsenergy.png

   Permalink

2. 

   Reformed Republican Posted 6:05 am
   14 Mar 2008

   of course it is a good ideaSwitching military funding to almost anything other than military is a good idea. An even better idea would be to cut the military funding and cut taxes to balance it out. Then money can actually be used productively.

   Permalink

3. 

   Gar Lipow Posted 7:12 am
   14 Mar 2008

   Cut taxes?"...An even better idea would be to cut the military funding and cut taxes to balance it out..."
   In Orwell's Animal Farm, the sheep bleated "Four Legs Good. Two Legs Bad" .
   I'd say the 21st equivalent is to bleat "Private Good. Public Bad."
   Or do you want to explain how tax cuts will build railroads, utility lines, smart grids and other stuff that really can't be done via pure individual investment. Also why public fire departments are inefficient and should be privatize to optimize themselves in a competitive market.
   
   

   Permalink

4. 

   Gar Lipow Posted 7:14 am
   14 Mar 2008

   GreyFlcn - Great Graph.If your browser does what mine does and shrinks it to a dot, zoom on the thing. Full size, it is a high impact graph.

   Permalink

5. 

   GreyFlcn Posted 7:24 am
   14 Mar 2008

   Hate to say itCurrently the way they fund military spending is through:
   
   
   
   Deficit Spending
   
   Interest payed via Income Taxes
   
   
   Considering this would be:
   
   
   
   A Progressive Tax
   
   Foot the bill to future generations who would benefit from the climate mitigation.
   
   
   It's actually crazy enough to work, even without the substitution of matching military funds.
   _
   As argued by "WonderingMind42" one really wonders if worrying about "Spending too much" is rational.
   We're either going to spend too much, or spend too little.
   Given those two options, (yes a dichotomy), it would seem prudent to take the safer choice.  Even if it might lead to wasted dollars.
   _
   Especially when you consider, investments in Infrastructure usually pay strong dividends, atleast in the long run.

   Permalink

6. 

   GreyFlcn Posted 7:29 am
   14 Mar 2008

   One could even sayOne could even say that global warming is a "Growing Unpredictable Global Threat to National Security"

   Permalink

7. 

   Colin Wright Posted 5:42 am
   16 Mar 2008

   Gar, thanks for posting these...great presentations. Always interested in how they went down and any other observations about this year's Environmental Law Conference.
   BTW, you probably already know that the Green Festivals are expanding to Seattle this year. Here are the dates:
   Seattle: April 12-13
   
   Chicago: May 17-18
   
   DC: Nov 8-9
   
   SF: Nov 16-18
   I'm particularly looking forward to Thom Hartman, John Perkins, Richard Heinberg, Maude Barlow, Frances Moore-Lappe...
   
   

   Permalink