France will begin taxing carbon dioxide emissions by both households and companies starting next year in the hope that consumers and producers gradually shift to more environmentally-friendly goods. From Jan. 1, a special tax of €17 ($24.81) will be levied on each ton of CO2 emitted by fossil fuels such as heating oil, gasoline, coal and natural gas, French President Nicolas Sarkozy (pictured left) said in a speech on Thursday. "We cannot keep on taxing labor, taxing capital and ignore taxes on pollution," he said. Like the US and other European countries, France is seeking ways to meet a series of environmental commitments. The French government has pledged to divide its CO2 emissions by four in 2050 from the level of 1990 by relying increasingly on nuclear power - which generates few greenhouse gases - better insulating buildings and boosting the use of renewable energies.

France wants to emulate Finland and Sweden, which have succeeded in curbing C02 emissions with the introduction of greenhouse-gas taxes back in the early 1990s. Mr. Sarkozy is also anxious to show that France is making progress on its environmental promises ahead of a United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen in December. - Wall Street Journal

Dominant Social Theme: Sarkozy strikes for humanity.

Free-Market Analysis: Or at least for himself. Apparently, Sarkozy wants to be a big deal in Copenhagen. Does he want to impress the girls? Oh, wait, we are getting him mixed up with that randy, Italian head-of-state. We are not quite sure why Sarkozy is doing what he's doing. But we do know this. Language is getting rearranged again. Sarkozy is called a "conservative" by the mainstream media, and we ask what exactly is "conservative" about imposing yet another redistributionist tax on the long-suffering French, especially when the tax is, in our humble opinion, on a fictitious item.

The world, apparently, has been cooling for the past decade. And even were it not, there is still considerable dispute about whether or not the world is warming, cooling or just standing still. We might just as well go into a mini-ice age as a warmer period. But one thing is certain. Human beings contribute a fairly infinitesimal amount to the planetary atmosphere. Eruptions, vegetation, sunspots - and the ocean and atmosphere itself - are likely the determining factors in the weather. So you, dear reader, go climb the highest mountain you can find, stand on top of it and breath to your heart's content. You won't make a damn bit of difference. Unless you are in France.

If you live in France you will basically be taxed for breathing. We thought conservatism stood for smaller government, less bureaucratic interference, etc. But now we come to find, that conservatism French-style stands for something entirely different. Given the peripatetic and hyperactive Sarkozy, we've yet to figure out exactly what that is. It may have something to do with militarism and a stern moral stance, though France is not exactly a military power, and we are not sure how much of a moral role model Sarkozy happens to be. Oh, well.

Some are pointing out that in mentioning his intent to create a green tax, Sarkozy is actually getting ahead of the curve since France has more nuclear power plants than anyone else. The idea is that Sarkozy, with fiendish "strategery" is trying to build up France's competitive advantage by striking first. Other countries, forced to go along with the tax will find themselves somehow at a competitive disadvantage because they have fewer "green" nuclear power plants.

Conclusion: It is topsy-turvy, isn't it? French conservatives act like social activists; green solutions hinge on that most awkward and fiercesome business, nuclear power, and more and more are waking up to the realization that global warming likely doesn't exist to begin with. As the only paper of any size, no matter how modest (and we are certainly modest) to cover the dominant social themes of the monetary elite on a regular basis, we take our hats off to those at the top of the political and financial heap who continue to promote what appears to us to be an unraveling scam. Surely it is profitable to those who continue to promote it, but we say this particular promotion may be on its last legs, at least in its current form. And thank the 'Net for that.

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Love your Conclusion.
written by Brian, September 14, 2009

Love your Conclusion. You have summed up this mad world in one sentence. The world is Definitely in the hand cart, and is decending along the bumpy road to hell. If you told someone 30years ago that your Conclussion was a matter of fact, what would there reaction be I wonder?

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