Doug Ross @ Journal

"Addled Al" (Gore) goes 'round the bend

In last week's Journal, Al Gore publicly humiliated himself with an op-ed entitled, "For People and Planet." In it, Gore demonstrates that he is sufficiently disconnected from the real world that the title of the article could easily have been "Al Gore - Unplugged". The undercurrent of the tome threatens businesses in a fairly direct way:

"License to operate" can no longer be taken for granted by business as challenges such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, water scarcity and poverty have reached a point where civil society is demanding a response from business and government.

Just how a consulting firm, the local GNC franchise, and a one-man plumbing shop can impact climate change and HIV/AIDS is left unsaid. No matter, Gore wants (yes, you guessed it) all businesses, large and small, to pay additional taxes for the privilege of operating:

The "polluter pays" principle is just one example of how companies can be held accountable for the full costs of doing business.

The implication is clear. Gore (and co-author Blood) want government to assign damage payments to businesses -- essentially, the environmental equivalent of "reparations" -- for the harm they've inflicted on the environment. Never mind existing regulations, the EPA, and governmental conservation efforts -- even more taxes are needed!

As if we needed any more proof that Gore has gone 'round the bend, he goes well beyond simple taxes: it's all about capital "re-allocation":

More mechanisms to incorporate environmental and social externalities will be needed to enable capital markets to achieve their intended purpose--to consistently allocate capital to its highest and best use for the good of the people and the planet.

Al - why not simply call it what it is -- an addled, enviro-centric Communism -- and be done with it?

Gore -- as a figure of influence -- is now less relevant than a '72 Pinto at the Los Angeles Car Show.