Week 2

Ron Paul argues that the federal government has failed to protect the environment, and that the solution isn’t to try harder, but to respect property rights. Market liberals believe poor government policies are also part of the problem. He argues that the free market contains mechanisms like law suits that allow NEIGHBORS, and not states, to resolve disputes. I would argue that this makes him a market liberal. Contrary to the common belief of the “free market” being without rules, he argues that there are.
Many of Barrack Obama’s proposals coincide with the market liberal’s, even if he does put much of the focus on government spending. One thing I did notice was the focus on ethanol. While the numbers vary, every debate on the virtues of ethanol for fuel raises the issue that just one tank full of ethanol could contain as many calories needed to feed a person for almost a year. Private industry hasn’t found the best solutions to the problems in the environment, but that doesn’t mean the government knows best.
Obama certainly shows much more of an effort into describing his environmental stance, but I don’t know if any of the candidates make sense. And keeping in mind that the President certainly has power in the U.S. Environmental policies, so does Congress. The environmental issues that are facing this country will transform over the next 8 years; new issues will come up, and some might fade away. So which candidate do I trust to react to these issues with appropriate solutions? No idea...