Slashdot Mirror
Green Geeks?
sigmatt asks: "I've often wondered where Slashdot readers stand on environmental
issues. This might be considered a little off topic for this site, but so many programmers that I know, including myself, are outdoorsy
people in their other life, and I'm interested in the opinion of the wider geek community. The local issue in my part of the world at the moment is logging of old growth forests, primarily used for wood chips. The wood chips are not very valuable (as low as AU$7 a ton - that's US$3.50!), but it
is the easy option - and I suspect it leads to the highest profits and quickest company growth. Unfortunately, our wonderful forests - with
so many potential future uses (fine furniture, tourism, and, of course, my own hiking trips) are being wasted away at an alarming rate. Recently
the tactics of those opposing the practice of woodchipping our old growth forests have turned to attacking the tourism industry in order to try to make a government who won't listen change its mind. For example this site
ripping off
another site, and the posting of a controversial bill board in Sydney
airport. What do you think about these approaches?"
Check out what the greens really believe in:
http://www.davehitt.com/dec00/green1.html
Don't vote for a party if you think just by the name they are pro-environment.
And remember, the BIGGEST polluter in the world is the US government, and the worst one in this country is the all the federal and state governments. Private and coroporate pollution is almost nil by comparison.
And the greens want MORE government, not less.
A company wrongs you, you can sue them. When the government does it, you have no recourse.
Best solution for the environment is privatization of land and a rational court system to sue for damages. You pollute my drinking water, I sue you. EVen if you are the government.
And, while we're at it, how many jobs would exist if all the large and small companies in the country were destroyed? Where would the tax money come from?
If you don't understand economics, and want to help the environment, you vote green, and your vote is an endorsement for wholesale environmental destruction.
If you DO understand economics, and you want to protect the environment, you vote libertarian.
Most geeks are actually libertarians, though the geeks on slashdot seem to be mostly socialists-- I suspect this is because most geeks don't hang out on slashdot, and mostly the slashdot is the LAN admin, Server Admin crowd (rather than computer, electrical and software engineers.)
I know, a bunch of socialists are going to scream their empty heads off about this post- but please, don't waste my time. Show how market economics supports your position. (And if you think market economics are irrelevant, then you fit the definition of "not knowing anything about economics."
This country is heading towards tyranny and socialism, and will go the way of the USSR (with a similar 58 million klilled) if we don't reign in the out of control federal government.)
Economics are a science. A Geek, should take science into account- rather than following a religion. You wouldn't look to the church to decide your OS, would you? So why look to the church (or the agnostic mysticism of socialism) to determine your economic policy?
Don't be part of the problem. Be part of the solution. Be a Geek and make a scientifically based decision.
Yeah, and you guys panned the ipod too: http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/23