Comments tjacorn has made

  • New Environmentalism

    Can it win over the libertarian west? It won over me and I'm a libertarian.On The libertarian West and environmentalism posted 3 years, 4 months ago 2 Responses

  • Great post

    Excellent Post.

    Slowly increasing the gas tax is by far the best solution to our oil problem I've seen. I think the increased revenue should either be used to increase spending on transit or should be redistributed to all citizens as a "citizen's dividend." That way, those who drive the least are rewarded the most for it.

    The money could also be used to further subsidize bus and transit in such a way as to make it free (or nearly so) for all. On The built environment posted 3 years, 6 months ago 9 Responses

  • Raise Gasoline Taxes

    Keep preaching it. It's the best thing for our country in the long run even if public hates the thought of it presently.

    Thomas Friedman, author of "The World is Flat," advocated for a higher gas tax in Friday's NYTimes. Here's the link:

    http://select.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/opinion/28friedman.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op %2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fThomas%20L%20FriedmanOn Driving less is great, but producing more oil is a less-desirable reaction posted 3 years, 7 months ago 8 Responses

  • Oil Addiction

    What does he think the best method for weaning America off of their addiction to oil? Gas Tax? Emissions tax? Public Transit? Maybe a combination of these? Are there market solutions as well as government solutions?

    Trevor Acorn
    St. Peters, MOOn Me and Al Gore posted 3 years, 7 months ago 25 Responses

  • Re: Raising taxes?

    Just to clarify, I'm not saying we should raise taxes. I'm saying we should shift them in such way as to encourage green development patterns. The total tax revenue would stay the same.  

    This may actually cause taxes to decrease on the whole due, in the long run, to less tax money needed to pay for the entire infrastructure that are present building habits demand. Green really is cheaper in terms of a total cost analysis. On Gas price rant posted 3 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses

  • RE: Interesting Idea

    Well, with a Land Value Tax (LVT) that's exactly what would happen. All things being equal, developed land accrues the highest bare site rent (or "land value" - also called ground rent by Ricardo, Smith, and Paine) and therefore the highest tax. Forest and ag land would feel the smallest tax (maybe even zero in some cases).

    The tax would act as a stick driving developers and owners to minimize their ground use (more ground use equals more tax) and thus decreasing the push to sprawl. At the same time, land speculators will lose the economic benefit holding land out of use for future profit and will open up their land for sale on the market. This will act to increase supply and lower land prices - Further helping urban renewal to occur without the political mess of eminent domain.

    And more dense developments mean shorter commutes and lower gasoline demand. It makes all the green sense in the world.

    Here's a good read on the topic by Jim Kunstler.
    http://www.earthrights.net/docs/kunstler.html
    On Gas price rant posted 3 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses

  • Add Land Tax to the list

    All too often we miss what would help the most.

    Add a land tax to your list.

    Basically shift taxes off of buildings and onto land. That way, we lower the incentive to invest in land and thereby lower the selling price of land in all areas. This will go a long way in promoting high-density development and natural affordable housing (without subsidies).

    Think about it, it makes all the sense in the world. It was also what Thomas Jefferson, Adam Smith, Albert Einstein, Thomas Paine, Winston Churchill, and, more recently, Jim Kunstler advocated. Grist should get behind the Land Value Tax. It's the best way to get the market to work naturally toward green solutions.
    On Gas price rant posted 3 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses

  • Knock Knock

    Ok, this is about a cow. Therefore it's got to be environmentalist friendly.

    --

    Knock Knock

    Who's there?

    Interrupting Cow.

    Interrupting Co --  MOO  -- w Who?

    (This is the most fun live)
    On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses