Where the sun don't shine

The authors either don’t realize, or don’t care, that their two objectives (at least presently) are mutually exclusive. They call for a “synchronized global response to the synchronized global recession.” Where were they last fall when the central banks around the globe coordinated their liquidity injections? And I’m not sure what to say about their call for the immediate implementation of “pro-poor” policies. Just when those “anti-poor” policies were starting to take hold …

Who wouldn’t argue green technology is a desirable, and necessary, part of our long-term energy policy? But we’re still a long way off. The signing of the stimulus bill in Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science was chosen in part because of the building’s solar panels that almost completely cover its rooftop, and which featured prominently in nightly news’ casts. But as Vince Carroll of the Rocky Mountain News notes, the panels account for just 3 percent to 5 percent of the building’s energy needs. Rather than being instructive on the cost and benefits of green technology, it’s actually representative of so much of the hype surrounding the new energy economy. Saddling investors, especially boomer investors, with more inefficiency and cost when there’s so little time to re-accumulate assets means sacrificing a significant portion of the largest demographic we’ve ever seen. Al Gore’s cool with that. Are you?