Posted by
Rich on Thursday, June 19, 2008 10:15:35 AM
Iain Murray from the
Competitive Enterprise Institute has written a most revealing book titled, "
The
Really Inconvenient Truths, Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals
Don't Want you to Know About - Because They Helped Cause Them".
The
book is easy to read and drives home the point in the subtitle that the
Environmental Movement has killed tens of millions of humans, done
serious environmental damage, is a greater threat to endangered
species, and threatens the health and well being of hundreds of
millions of humans, primarily the poor, all in the name of helping
"mother earth".
But how can this be you ask? Well it is actually
so simple as to be obvious. According to Iain, "American values like
property [rights], enterprise, and freedom work well to protect the
environment; and that the environment suffers when these values are
replaced by contrary values like nationalization, central planning, and
control."
Iain's premise is straight forward. Historically, we humans take care of our land and its resources better than government.
Environmentalists,
their supporters in Congress, at the State level and even those in our
counties and cities believe that more nationalization, central planning
and control is needed to protect us from ourselves. Environmentalists
in the end place a higher value on "the environment" than on the humans
who have domain over it. You probably have programs in your county to
buy "environmentally sensitive" land. Ever asked is this really the
best way to protect that land? Ever questioned whether it is better to
have that land in the hands of a private owner who has a vested
interest in keeping it valuable? When the government owns land, it and
all that is on it is worth zero.
Iain uses a great example of
protecting tigers in Africa and Asia. On government land a tiger is
worth nothing so poachers take the animals for nothing, they just must
avoid getting caught. A tiger skin is worth tens of thousands of
dollars on the black market. The poacher has no sunk costs because the
tiger was free. He just had to capture or kill it.
Now if
someone owned those tigers, breeds them and sells them for a profit
there is a vested interest in protecting and growing the population of
tigers because they now have real market value. The free market system
actually increases the population of an endangered species because the
value of the species, in this case a tiger, is at the market rate. Good
for the tiger, good for those wanting tiger products, good for the
government who gets taxes from the sale of tiger products, and good
for the entrepreneur who profits by raising tigers. Its a win, win, win
for tigers. Its a lose, lose, lose for poachers.
But you see liberals and environmentalists despise
businesses that use public land to make a profit. Substitute the word
"tree" in the above example for "tiger" and you get the point.
Iain
presents seven clear cut examples of ecological disasters that are
directly linked to liberal movements and environmentalism. Some you may
know about, some you may not. Many know about how the ban on DDT
worldwide led to a dramatic increase in mosquito born malaria which
killed tens of millions of innocent men, women and children, primarily
in Africa.
However, did you know that the Feminist Movement and
their Planned Parenthood allies push for birth control and the "morning
after" pills containing estrogen is causing male fish across America to
develop female sex organs? Funny how "pro-choice" and
"environmentalist" liberals never talk about that.
I highly recommend Iain's book. It is an awakening to the real damage caused by those professing to protect the environment.