B.C. First Nations Sue Fish Farms, Province, Feds

Comments on “B.C. First Nations Sue Fish Farms, Province, Feds”

1. John G. January 21, 2009 at 12:00 am

   I’m not in favor of Government subsidies. If there were subsidies in effect when you insulated your attic, you might have paid $600 instead of $450. If people have subsidies in hand, it tends to drive prices up.

   People who want subsidies want to use someone else’s money (ie taxes) to spend on themselves. If it’s worth insulating your home and you see the payback, then insulate your home – just don’t expect someone else to pay for it.

   The government is going to get the money they need to fufill their budgets – they have the right to set the tax rate and collect taxes (try not paying your taxes for a few years!).
   However if you give a subsidy to one person, your asking someone else to pay higher taxes to pick up on the tax shortfall.

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2. B. King January 22, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Thanks for the comment, John. And I understand your point of view. But, assuming we need to increase efficiency to reduce energy consumption and emissions, how would you encourage such actions? A public awareness campaign can only do so much. And I’m of the strong belief that the do-nothing approach is a bad idea for the health of the planet and the nation.

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3. John G. January 22, 2009 at 12:00 am

   I wouldn’t say “nothing” is being done. Insulation companies are out there marketing every day, selling the benefits of insulating homes. For instance, yoru probably got a two year payback on insulating your attic – hopefully your insulation company pointed out those benefits when you contacted them. Right now we’re on an energy “honeymoon” – oil and gas prices are low. But when home heating oil prices start moving up into the $4-6 per gallon range (and natural gas will go up too), there will be a huge incentive for homeowners to purchase insulation products and update their homes to a higher level of energy efficiency. So I’m not advocating a “do nothing” approach, I’m advocating an “open market” approach. Certainly the Federal and State governments should lead by example and make sure their own facilities are efficient and purchasing renewable energy. Awareness campaigns are good too. It costs very little for President Obama to point out to people that they can save money by upgrading their homes. If you do take out a home equity line to improve your home – I believe the interest is tax deductible so your already getting help from the Federal Government. The question is – “is there enough being done?” and that’s a question home owners have to answer.

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