The poor Washington Post can’t seem to make up its mind about market economics. Conservative think tanks have said for years that Americans would seek fuel-efficient cars when the cost of trucks and SUVs became too excessive for their taste, not when government told them to. The moment seems to have come, however, where market forces encourage consumers to buy smaller cars with better mileage. But the realization that this moment has finally come is a difficult pill to swallow for the poor Post editorial board it seems:
The dismal April car sales data out of Detroit illustrated an important lesson about what it will take to reduce U.S. consumption of foreign oil and to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
An important lesson that only some of us needed to learn. People tend to vote with their wallets, and no amount of fuel-efficiency standards or public service ads has had the same effect as higher gas prices. The Post desperately attempts t retain some moral high ground however, insisting that more government intervention could have brought this “moment of truth” sooner.
Had Congress the courage to impose a price on carbon, these positive changes could have been achieved years ago — and without the side effect of pouring fresh money into the government coffers of Iran, Venezuela and Russia. Instead, the financial squeeze at the pump finally brought about the change in behavior in the driving public that could not be achieved by appealing to citizens’ better natures.
Citizen’s better natures seem to be most easily reached through their pocket books. A sign of moral decline, perhaps, or rather the sad and traditional state of mankind. Money has always spoken in fresh ways to the human spirit. And although I wish more people would act out of the kindness and concern of their hearts, history suggests a different pattern of behaviour.
The next attitude adjustment should come in Detroit, where the free fall of bottom lines ought to prompt a shift away from the production of SUVs and other gas guzzlers.
Happily for the Post, automobile manufactures operate on the same cost paradigm as consumers, and will adapt as necessary to continue their sales. But once again the Post insists on looking a gift horse in the mouth, and tries to continue the work of the free market through government policy:
With a carbon tax, the price of gas might be even higher than it is now. But as we have seen, high prices encourage less driving and a demand for more efficient vehicles and energy alternatives, which result in reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.
Apparently anything but the free market will suffice to help reach the ends of lower carbon dioxide emissions.
