Quote of the Day:
Secretaries of State may want to stop making statements in the form of questions, à la “Jeopardy.” First Hillary Clinton declared “what difference at this point does it make?” regarding the reasons that four Americans died in Benghazi.
Then on Monday John Kerry told graduates of Boston College that even if he’s wrong about climate change, it won’t cost a thing. …
“If we make the necessary efforts to address this challenge—and supposing I’m wrong or scientists are wrong, 97% of them all wrong—supposing they are, what’s the worst that can happen?”
The energy policies Secretary Kerry is advocating call for more political control over the economy, new taxes, limits on carbon energy and vast federal subsidies for pet green energy projects, along with expensive new regulations for the Midwest, South, and West.
The Journal adds:
The “worst that can happen” is that we spend trillions of dollars trying to solve a problem that we can’t do anything to stop; that we misallocate scarce resources in a way that slows economic growth; that slower growth leads to less economic opportunity for Boston College grads and especially the world’s poor, and that America and the world become much less wealthy and technologically advanced than we would otherwise. All of which would make the world less able to cope with the costs of climate change if Mr. Kerry is right.
Secretary Kerry’s cavalier attitude is offensive, but the costs to all of us if his policies become reality are more than merely offensive. The worst that can happen is very bad indeed.
And another question: Whatever happened to secretaries of state who dealt with diplomatic matters? Our last secretary focused (ostensibly) on protecting girls and women (ask the Nigerians how that worked out), and now Kerry is advocating drastic energy policies that would damage the U.S. The Secretary of State is playing “Jeopardy” with our energy policy.