Thursday, June 11, 2015

An Open Letter to Libertarian Candidates ... (Part 7)

Part 7. Advice to the candidate.
So here (in short) is my unsolicited advice to the candidate.
Don’t:
1.       Be a denier (don’t duck the issue; climate change is at least a risk)
2.       Waffle (this is worse; people won’t trust you or believe you)
3.       Sell out to big money, big business interests (libertarians should always be for the individual in clashes between big and small)
Do:
1.       Remain consistent (it is OK to say the science isn’t certain, it never is)
2.       Play the insurance angle (in the face of uncertainty, we buy insurance)
3.       Play the Reagan angle (the George Shultz position)
4.       Embrace market-based approaches (such as CCL’s Carbon Fee and Dividend) as an alternative to big government solutions, regulation by the EPA
5.       Emphasize the way the Dividend works (100% rebated to the public) and how this offsets any price increase (most households come out ahead)
6.       Play up the ability of the free market to innovate, to respond flexibly and efficiently, and to respond quickly (important on an issue where time is [according to scientists] of the essence]
7.       Take notice of all the windmills you see on your visits to Iowa (wind farms atop real farms, home-grown energy)
8.       Argue for free speech, and fair speech, and for small vs. big

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