Comments Wilderness Terry has made

  • Careful with the terminology

    Equating Republicans with conservatives is a mistake.  There are many conservatives who are not obstructionists.  Obstructionism seems to be requisite for today's Republicans.  Isolate them by calling them what they are--fringies.On On climate, how should progressives respond to the conservative strategy of 'obstruct and delay' posted 9 months ago 5 Responses

  • It's just a theory

    I believe you are right, Sharon, that economic theories are elevated to religious belief.  Such elevation is likely over-compensation.  As a former economic development district director, I find too many economists are trying to add their mark to economics, and they lose sight of the fundamentals.On Some thoughts on economists and climate and so forth posted 9 months ago 22 Responses

  • Missing Adam Smith's point

    In the neo-liberal religious zeal over private-market capitalism, they are ignoring one of the basic tenets of Adam Smith's theory:  decentralization.  A green economic stimulus will only work if it turns the energy system away from the centralized system it has become, thus reducing the need for transmission lines.On Against the so-called 'need' for new long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines posted 9 months, 3 weeks ago 11 Responses

  • C'mon

    Really, so many cyclists run red lights and stop signs already that it's difficult for drivers to know how to treat them safely.On In Oregon, bicyclists want to roll through traffic-free stop signs posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 11 Responses

  • Why the surprise

    Those of us who took the trouble to look at candidates early in the process (like two years ago) knew Obama to be center-right.  What he did in overthrowing the neo-fascist administration we still have for 6 more days is activate a lot of people, and instilling in many of us the desire for change, and the realization that it is the people who will have to move this country to a more sustainable future.  Change cannot be left to one individual, no matter how influential.  It happens when the efforts of each person, working in their small way, become woven together.On What happened to the big win for progressives, the environment, and organic food? posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 5 Responses

  • Free market needs a better name

    Republican v. Democrat and liberal v. conservative is not the issue.  I often wonder if free market capitalism and neo-liberalism are one and the same.  Free market capitalism seems to have become the prevailing Western religion--and it certainly has become much more than just a social study of a human construct, guiding many, if not most, of our decisions today, whether on a macroeconomic or microeconomic level.

    Big Picture:
    There are two myths associated with "free" market capitalism.  The first is that it promotes the public benefit.  Free market capitalism promotes private benefit.  It would be more accurate to call it private capitalism.  

    Secondly, free market capitalism (indeed all capitalism) purports to allocate scarce resources.  As our economy shifts to one that is based on knowledge and communication, does the idea of resource scarcity become an albatross keeping us from progressing?  For example, working in an advocacy organization, I find microeconomics has little use in planning.  Perhaps it's time to think of a new economic theory.

    Finally, as I've said repeatedly, today's economic theory fails us and our environment as long as it ignores externalities.  There is a clear need to add a "public balance sheet" to the private balance sheet.On Wherein I ramble on about markets and regulations posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago 14 Responses

  • Here Here!

    Local control must be pushed, from the federal level all the way to the individual level.  If individual homeowners are educated on the (long-term) economic benefits of harnessing their own energy and start doing it, local control will happen.On Memo to President-elect Barack Obama on democratizing the energy system posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago 16 Responses

  • There's more to it than this

    The cost of urban living is pushing lower-income people further into the 'burbs (suburbs, exurbs) where, as mentioned, transit is not a viable option.  Also, many low-wage jobs require travel in early morning or night when in some urban areas there is no public transit at all.  Then there are rural people (whose incomes are significantly lower than urban workers) who must occasionally come into the urban area for business.  Once again, lower income people are completely omitted from the discussion, and PSRC is notorious for ignoring the problems of the working poor, for whom tolls are unfair.  Especially when the well-to-do can afford tolls for luxury drives.  Tolls simply exacerbate class disparities.On Tolls reduce congestion, but they price people off the roadway posted 1 year ago 4 Responses

  • Externalities

    We will continue to go through these inexcusable, and harmful, boom and bust cycles until we--government, consumers, and business--acknowledge externalities.  You are absolutely on point that we have focused too much on money, and not recognized the true costs of producing or servicing widgets.  Too often costs are passed on to the public, or worse, the future, and too little we examine the opportunity costs.  This is a failure of the business schools, that became too short-sighted, but it is also a failure of government for not creating a public dialogue about this issue.  As a result, economists haven't the foggiest idea what they are doing.  Your seven points hit the nail on the head for the next step, and it will be up to the People to open and maintain this dialogue.On Seven post-financial-crisis opportunities for healthier economies posted 1 year ago 3 Responses

  • Green Bubble

    I like it!On Tom Friedman on The Daily Show posted 1 year ago 7 Responses