Part 1
Our guest is Scott Braddock, Editor of the Quorum Report. We discuss politics in Texas, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic there, in addition to ordinary politics.
Biden seems to have solidified his nomination. He had demonstrated steadiness, empathy, and compassion. All of these have been lacking in the president’s statements and actions. In Texas has not yet declared a state of emergency, and most actions to deal with the virus have been taken by local authorities. One of the effects of this pandemic will certainly be on the energy industry, and local economies will be affected. In Houston alone, 400,000 people work in the energy industry, and the lower demand for energy products will likely lead to layoffs among them. The actions of Saudi Arabia and Russia, with their oil price war, will certainly cause Texas energy producers to suffer. Although Texas has diversified to some extent in energy production (wind, solar), that economy is still heavily dependent on oil.
Texas also has the highest number of uninsured people in the country, and many sick individuals will strain whatever systems there are. Texas legislators have historically been fighting battles over local control.
Part 1
Our guest is James K. Boyce, Emeritus Professor at University of Massachusetts at Amherst. We discuss the Carbon Dividend, which he has proposed as a way of transitioning to a lower carbon economy. In his books, he discusses how this can be implemented. If the atmosphere is a universal resource, owned by everyone, and a clean atmosphere is a scarce resource, then everyone should be able to benefit from its use: everyone should be paid for that use. Carbon polluters should pay for polluting, everyone can then benefit from that. Putting a price on pollution will act as an incentive to reduce atmospheric pollution. This would also be as a result of government limiting the amount of carbon emissions allowed overall. High income individuals who produce more carbon emissions would pay more, and lower income individuals would receive a payment for the use of the atmosphere–the dividend. This would also help workers who may be transitioning away from carbon-intensive industries. Everyone would get the dividend It should be noted that about 20-25% of carbon emissions are as a result of the government’s use of fossil fuels. The government could use the dividend to compensate communities that have been harmed by historical carbon pollution.
