Obama Wants To Force People To Go Green

suchandra · November 2, 2008

<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"><hr size="1" noshade="noshade">ELECTION 2008

Obama: Spike energy costs to make people go 'green'

2007 interview: Proposes government create 'price signals' to control behavior

<hr size="1">Posted: November 01, 2008

7:05 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn

JOHNSTON, Iowa – In a recently publicized video from the Democratic primaries, Sen. Barack Obama said the government should drive energy bills up through "price signals" in order to force Americans into more environmentally friendly choices.

In the Nov. 9, 2007, interview on Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press," Obama said Americans like driving SUVs and leaving the lights on, but since "it is undisputable that the climate is getting warmer," consumers would have to change their habits.

When asked what would make consumers change, Obama said government-created "price signals" would make people more mindful of energy costs and compel them to start changing light bulbs and turning off light switches.

Watch the video documentary, "Global Warming or Global Governance? What the media refuse to tell you about so-called climate change"

Associated Press reporter Mike Glover asked, "How do you convince people to change their lifestyle, to live differently?"

Obama's answer, viewable in the video below, was, "I think it is important for us to send some price signals to change behavior. You know, if electricity goes up, people start becoming more mindful of their electricity bill."

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When Des Moines Register reporter David Yepsen asked Obama what part of his campaign Americans may not like to hear, the candidate returned to the theme of price signals.

"Number one, we're going to have to start doing a better job of conserving on energy," Obama said. "Americans like to drive their big SUVs. They like to leave all the lights on in their house. We're going to have to change our habits."

He then clarified how the government could implement the kind price signals that change consumer habits.

"We're going to have to cap the emission of greenhouse gases," Obama said. "That means that power plants are going to have to adjust how they generate power. They will pass on those costs to consumers. … A lot of us who can afford it are going to have to pay more per unit of electricity, and that means we're going to have to change our light bulbs, we're going to have to shut the lights off in our houses."

The full context of Obama's comments about driving up electricity prices to bring about consumer change can be viewed in a second segment of the interview below:

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Internet bloggers that began circulating the video earlier today also lent their opinion on Obama's plan for consumer change.

"Is that the function of government — to fix prices as a punitive measure to change consumer behavior?" asked the Hot Air Blog. "It will be in an Obama administration. He and a few elites will decide which consumer behaviors are bad and penalize it with price signals."

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, however, commented in a May editorial on the issue of government-created price signals, arguing that a federal gasoline tax would be just the kind of energy "price signal" that would finally persuade Americans to give up their SUVs.

"We need to make a structural shift in our energy economy," Friedman wrote. "The only way to get from here to there is to start now with a price signal that will force the change.

"Barack Obama had the courage to tell voters that the McCain-Clinton summer gas-giveaway plan was a fraud. Wouldn't it be amazing if he took the next step and put the right plan before the American people? Wouldn't that just be amazing?" Friedman wrote.

Samia · November 2, 2008

And just like in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia he will have his own dedicated enforcers.

A civilian security force ?

Yea that is " Change " we can all believe in.

theist · November 3, 2008

Don't know about raising the prices to effect behavior but that is something that has been happening to cigarets for years and I agree with it. Personally I think the tobacco industry should be closed down completely by the government.

So I have no problem with forcing people to go green. Wars are being fought over oil because we are not energy self sufficient.

AncientMariner · November 3, 2008

Don't know about raising the prices to effect behavior but that is something that has been happening to cigarets for years and I agree with it. Personally I think the tobacco industry should be closed down completely by the government.

So I have no problem with forcing people to go green. Wars are being fought over oil because we are not energy self sufficient.

Can't say I disagree with your statement but the people that are pushing this agenda are part of an elite class that do not personally modify their own lifestyles at all and they want further and further centralized control to dictate to the masses while they live a life of extravagance on the labor of the idiot masses. If they were true leaders they would lead by example like Gandhi and not be corporate puppet hypocrites.

theist · November 3, 2008

Can't say I disagree with your statement but the people that are pushing this agenda are part of an elite class that do not personally modify their own lifestyles at all and they want further and further centralized control to dictate to the masses while they live a life of extravagance on the labor of the idiot masses. If they were true leaders they would lead by example like Gandhi and not be corporate puppet hypocrites.

Well I must admit I believe in a somewhat authoritarian government as long as the authority in place is God conscious.

We are not so fortunate as that however. Our leaders may have some good qualities but they are also pigs.

Next best thing is that occasionally the corporate heads can be brought around, People started demanding eco-friendlier cars because of the sudden spike in gas prices and walla the auto manufactures are getting on board. No doubt they don't give a damn about Mother Earth but then neither do most of the little guys. Both watch their own bottom lines.

Personally I was happy to see gas at $4 a gallon. It spurred people on to seek an alternative. I would like to see gas stations forced to offer a wide selection of alternatives from their stations much the way AT&T was forced to share their phone lines with their competition.

I agree on the teaching by example. Al Gore is held up a such an environmentalist yet he uses way more energy then he needs in his own home and life. And how about John Kennedy criss-crossing the country in his private jet telling everyone they should be driving fuel efficent cars. LOL

Sarva gattah · November 4, 2008

Don't know about raising the prices to effect behavior but that is something that has been happening to cigarets for years and I agree with it. Personally I think the tobacco industry should be closed down completely by the government.

So I have no problem with forcing people to go green. Wars are being fought over oil because we are not energy self sufficient.

Yes, I Agree. The same with alcohol, prices are rising and soon even advertising of it will be banned Down Under and the age to concent put at 21 years of age (that already exists in most American States)

suchandra · November 4, 2008

It spurred people on to seek an alternative.

Thats a good point, unless people see reasonable alternatives they only feel suppressed and will simply develop more and more materialistic solutions how to get along.

Since materialistic brains can only figure what works right now and mainly what works for me right now, we never get solutions that work successfully in the long term and that work successfully for all people.

Our leaders may have some good qualities but they are also pigs.

Agreed, our leaders are basically like animals. Therefore they ultimately can only rule like we see it in the animal kingdom, only the strongest survives.