People in the USA are incredibly wasteful of energy-partially because it is so cheap. I regularly see people let their engines run, leave lights on, etc.
Suppose the government FORCE conservation-say by restricting driving, lowering power levels at night, etc.
Would this make more sense that spending billions of taxpayer $$ on making things more efficient?
And how much energy would be expended enforcing such a rule?
The Man can’t tell me how much energy to use
Cite?
How do you imagine that people would accept restrictions on driving, night-time power levels, etc? How do you imagine that such things would be enforced? What do you estimate that such things would cost, rather than the current approach?
How are you going to “lower power levels” without breaking the entire power grid?
The gov’t would have to spend “billions of taxpayer $$” to enforce these new rules, so why not just make things more efficient and allow the rest of the globe to partake of the new efficiencies?
It worked in the past during war issuing ration stamps to buy gas. Rationing is the only way to restrict usage beyond making it more expensive. Do you think that would result in anything other than riots? I would expect riots myself and abuse by the privileged…
And what’s wrong with making it more expensive?
Taxing gasoline, electricity, etc. would likely be the most efficient way. It should drive down consumption without causing outright shortages. It should also help reduce government deficit(s), too. Okay, it would hit the working poor the hardest, but there are ways to mitigate that.
I’m just spit-balling here, but I’d suggest taxing energy at the producer’s side, and then giving tax breaks to producers that meet (stringent) efficiency standards. If possible, start with a low tax and ramp it up over time.
I agree that increasing gas taxes to encourage energy efficiency makes sense, but any proposed increases in gas taxes is fought vociferously. Given that, I can’t see how the OP’s plan to force a reduction in usage would work and he hasn’t returned to explain how he intends for it to happen.
Just because YOU sleep at night and work during the day doesn’t mean everyone does. There probably are a few people in your local friendly ER who might object to their life support machines not being powered properly for 8 hours per day.
There’s no need to single out gasoline for taxing. Just tax the producers & importers of crude oil, and let them figure out whom to pass on the cost to.
Do you imagine that a tax on crude oil wouldn’t similarly be bitterly and vociferously opposed?
I think there will be less opposition. It’s a tax on oil companies, and oil companies are unpopular.
They’d also be pissed if they had to put up with asinine nocturnal energy restrictions at home on their nights off. I’ve worked 3rd shift; your body’s still stuck on the same screwed up Circadian rhythm on your nights off.
Don’t you think that the oil industry will launch a campaign to let us all know how this tax affects the price of gas at the pump? And that their lobbyists will be working overtime to fight it?
Clearly we should establish a giant cabinet department directed to enforce the arbitrary and poorly defined restrictions on energy usage. The department can employ hundreds of thousands of people to be provided with a few dozen hours of training, a brightly colored shirt, and broad authority to run around unplugging devices and turning off running engines as they see fit, albeit with no objective criteria to assess their effectiveness. Call it the Department of Homeland Sustentation, and dismiss criticisms about “energy conservation theater”.
Or, you know, we could build cars and buildings with inherently better energy efficiency, as the rest of the developed world is already doing.
Stranger
It would not be just the oil companies’ fight, the price of energy goes up and the price of everything rises.
The price of fruit has gone up? scr4’s fault. The price of a burger’s gone up? scr4’s fault. The price of an air ticket has gone up? scr4’s fault. The price of medical cover has gone up? scr4’s fault. Syria? scr4’s fault. Global warming? It doesn’t exist.
Then why the **** are we letting scr4 decide on energy issues, or any other issue for that matter. Let’s all walk like Egyptians. Revolution!
Yes, but they’d do that for any attempt at reducing energy consumption.