Happy Earth Day...Hooray for Capitalism

As we celebrate Earth Day today, I thought it would be nice to consider the Republican perspective on environmentalism.  Michelle Malkin linked to an excellent article from the Heartland Institute on her website today, available at http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=19737.  (Michelle Malkin’s comments on Earth Day available at http://michellemalkin.com/2008/04/21/celebrate-earth-day-destroy-capitalism/).  

 

Some excerpts below:

…Contrary to the slogans of demonstrators throughout the world, the nations that have the best track records on environmental protection and improvement are those with the highest amount of free-market capitalism.

…Nations with the freest economic systems are the ones whose citizens can afford the luxury of protecting their environments. Conversely, persons living in command-and-control economies barely surviving on life's necessities of food, clothing, and shelter use their natural resources to the absolute limit. They have no other choice in providing for themselves and their families.

As family incomes rise, the improving quality of life allows people to devote more resources to solving environmental problems. Thus, with expanding societal wealth under free-market economies, environmental degradation is first arrested and then reversed. Society goes through a form of "environmental transition." After the transition, greater wealth and technology improve environmental quality instead of worsening it.

We are lucky in Central Florida because this is the time of year that we get some of our nicest weather, and today is no exception.  Why not celebrate Earth Day by getting outside and enjoying our beautiful natural Florida environment?  Have a great day, everyone.

 

- Sarah