Squeals of “socialism!” aside, we know how to do this and have done it before, repeatedly. This time it’s not just about saving our banks or fighting a war: this time, it’s about saving the world…
For a purpose-driven perspective on Thom's most elegant of solutions, let’s assume that fossil fuel energy suppliers get their businesses nationalized, so what would be the best way to use their businesses to promote our general welfare? Let’s also assume that the ostensible purpose of the carbon oligarchs is to provide energy to their customers ( while trying to sate their avarice), so the purpose of our government should be to leverage a unique opportunity and transition their carbon-based energy systems into a role model energy system for the world, and then privatize it when the systems are past the beta stages (and try to regulate their greed again). All the knowledge that we need to do this is already a known known. (And while they’re at it, figure out how to control the carbonization of Earth’s environment and make a profit doing it.)
OK, this is another fantastic history lesson that proves the point. It's a bold idea.
What is going to happen to this industry is going to happen much faster than previously thought. In part, it will have to do with what Putin has provoked. There is an excellent article just published by the RMI titled: "The Global Sprint Away From Fossil Fuels". It was just published hours ago; Google it with Clean Technica and you'll see it .
We have subsidized these lying, thieving bastards so long! It is likely they will need the government just like the airlines, car manufacturers, and banks. They have used and abused us, it's time to turn the tables and stop killing the planet.
Yeah, I didn't even read the column, but have felt - since Big Oil's fake news propaganda effort started (in about '80) - that that industry HAD to be nationalized....if Americans ever were to know the facts about global warming/climate change. But even if the Democrats can win and hold a majority in both halls of Congress, the chances of fossil fuel nationalization gaining any traction are not much above zero. Socialism has been falsely portrayed in this country as too much of a bogeyman.
Privatization - NO! Nationalization - YES! Then What?
Privatization takes what is public and guided by what's in the public interest, and makes it private. This brings in the profit motive and puts profit above all else, especially over public interest. After this migration is completed, the public interest takes a big loss as a few oligarchs maximize their wealth while looting our common wealth.
Nationalization is the inverse: stopping the looting, putting public interest before profit. It not only needs to be done with Dirty Energy but with Big Pharma and other abusive monopolies that are letting citizens die prematurely for profit.
But nationalization is just the first step in keeping the oligarchs from ignoring our public interest as they maximize economic inequality. We must not return the monopoly to the oligarchs to figure new ways to abuse our public interest. The monopolies not only need to be divested but ownership must be given to the workers so they can continue to put public interest before profit.
As Professor Richard Wolff just commented on today's show, we also need to consider nationalizing our private banking monopolies. The Federal Reserve has only functioned to protect the monopoly and our legislature hasn't effectively used fiscal policy to regulate them. So, nationalize them.
There is the old adage that when you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is to stop digging. The problem is not the cost of a gallon of gasoline but the government subsidized transportation system that has resulted in American households needing to buy and maintain and insure and store two or three automobiles to be able to get to work or school or to buy groceries. Eisenhower having seen the autobahns in Germany after WW II mistakenly thought they improved transportation and did not realize that more than 90% of the war materials were moved by train. He spearheaded the interstate highway system with federal funding instead of funding trains and light rail.
Electric cars will solve nothing as they still will continue the present situation where more than half the land area of U.S. cities are taken up for cars and trucks and to so at great public cost. Even with privately owned parking lots there is the loss of revenue when it is not used for productive purposes.
It is disengenous to car about gas prices that only impact the bottom 10% of families in this country. No one cars that they are going hungry and without healthcare and often many are living in tents and subject to endless police aggression. Clearly no one else is impacted or motorists would alter their driving behavior on the highways to use less fuel but this is not being done by anyone so gas prices may be aggrevating but not enough of a problem for people to drive slower or reduce their trips during the week.
We do need price controls with corporations having increased prices for food and fuel and rent and drugs by more than 50% during the pandemic. Not a perfect solution but neither is letting corporate monopolies pillage the economy.
For a purpose-driven perspective on Thom's most elegant of solutions, let’s assume that fossil fuel energy suppliers get their businesses nationalized, so what would be the best way to use their businesses to promote our general welfare? Let’s also assume that the ostensible purpose of the carbon oligarchs is to provide energy to their customers ( while trying to sate their avarice), so the purpose of our government should be to leverage a unique opportunity and transition their carbon-based energy systems into a role model energy system for the world, and then privatize it when the systems are past the beta stages (and try to regulate their greed again). All the knowledge that we need to do this is already a known known. (And while they’re at it, figure out how to control the carbonization of Earth’s environment and make a profit doing it.)
OK, this is another fantastic history lesson that proves the point. It's a bold idea.
What is going to happen to this industry is going to happen much faster than previously thought. In part, it will have to do with what Putin has provoked. There is an excellent article just published by the RMI titled: "The Global Sprint Away From Fossil Fuels". It was just published hours ago; Google it with Clean Technica and you'll see it .
We have subsidized these lying, thieving bastards so long! It is likely they will need the government just like the airlines, car manufacturers, and banks. They have used and abused us, it's time to turn the tables and stop killing the planet.
Yeah, I didn't even read the column, but have felt - since Big Oil's fake news propaganda effort started (in about '80) - that that industry HAD to be nationalized....if Americans ever were to know the facts about global warming/climate change. But even if the Democrats can win and hold a majority in both halls of Congress, the chances of fossil fuel nationalization gaining any traction are not much above zero. Socialism has been falsely portrayed in this country as too much of a bogeyman.
Privatization - NO! Nationalization - YES! Then What?
Privatization takes what is public and guided by what's in the public interest, and makes it private. This brings in the profit motive and puts profit above all else, especially over public interest. After this migration is completed, the public interest takes a big loss as a few oligarchs maximize their wealth while looting our common wealth.
Nationalization is the inverse: stopping the looting, putting public interest before profit. It not only needs to be done with Dirty Energy but with Big Pharma and other abusive monopolies that are letting citizens die prematurely for profit.
But nationalization is just the first step in keeping the oligarchs from ignoring our public interest as they maximize economic inequality. We must not return the monopoly to the oligarchs to figure new ways to abuse our public interest. The monopolies not only need to be divested but ownership must be given to the workers so they can continue to put public interest before profit.
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/04/11/the-global-sprint-away-from-fossil-fuels/
As Professor Richard Wolff just commented on today's show, we also need to consider nationalizing our private banking monopolies. The Federal Reserve has only functioned to protect the monopoly and our legislature hasn't effectively used fiscal policy to regulate them. So, nationalize them.
There is the old adage that when you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is to stop digging. The problem is not the cost of a gallon of gasoline but the government subsidized transportation system that has resulted in American households needing to buy and maintain and insure and store two or three automobiles to be able to get to work or school or to buy groceries. Eisenhower having seen the autobahns in Germany after WW II mistakenly thought they improved transportation and did not realize that more than 90% of the war materials were moved by train. He spearheaded the interstate highway system with federal funding instead of funding trains and light rail.
Electric cars will solve nothing as they still will continue the present situation where more than half the land area of U.S. cities are taken up for cars and trucks and to so at great public cost. Even with privately owned parking lots there is the loss of revenue when it is not used for productive purposes.
It is disengenous to car about gas prices that only impact the bottom 10% of families in this country. No one cars that they are going hungry and without healthcare and often many are living in tents and subject to endless police aggression. Clearly no one else is impacted or motorists would alter their driving behavior on the highways to use less fuel but this is not being done by anyone so gas prices may be aggrevating but not enough of a problem for people to drive slower or reduce their trips during the week.
We do need price controls with corporations having increased prices for food and fuel and rent and drugs by more than 50% during the pandemic. Not a perfect solution but neither is letting corporate monopolies pillage the economy.