There is a saying: "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."
This applies to the NDP/Green climate change plan. Such initiatives have been attempted in various other places with disastrous results - skyrocketing electricity prices by two, three and even four times, declining employment (two to four regular jobs lost for every green job created), small business unable to survive the high priced, unreliable energy, big business moving to friendlier, affordable jurisdictions, energy poverty resulting in the poor having to choose between heat and food, massive increases in government debt accompanied by declining revenues.
These have been the results of every jurisdiction that has embarked on climate change plans. California, South Australia, Spain, Germany, Ontario and more, all have experienced similar results, which brings to mind another saying - "experience is the best teacher."
And if the experience is bad, better to learn from someone else's experience than to repeat their mistake.
But our NDP/Green coalition seems to be blind to those experiences or perhaps they're just in denial.
They, along with environmental groups, seemingly push to shut down well-paying jobs in resources.
They push for the highest level of taxation and regulation in history while subverting the economic system that brought us one of the best living standards in the world (a living standard that depends on a plentiful and reliable supply of inexpensive energy) and they're setting the same course that has failed so many times. And when their plan results in the inevitable consequences, they'll complain about poverty, as if there's no connection.
There's yet another saying: "there's nothing in the world that cannot be made worse by a meddling government."
I wonder how bad it will have to get before they acknowledge that things aren't working out the way they anticipated?
And it's all for naught. While a few foolish governments attempt such climate change plans, most of the rest of the world is doing the opposite - they're ramping up fossil fuel use. For example, there are 1,600 new coal fired electrical generating facilities under construction around the world. B.C.'s climate change plan will be an expensive act of futility.
Art Betke
Prince George
