Change or Dry

This morning I learned that if you want to buy a hybrid (to be clear, we're not in the market at the moment) you should check with your insurer first. Seems most insurance companies are charging higher rates for insuring hybrids than your regular, run of the mill polluter. In fact, in many cases, they're charging more for insuring hybrids than they do for sport or luxury vehicles. Why? They're concerned the cost to repair in the event of an accident or vandalism will be too high.

I'm at once gobsmacked and not surprised at all by this revelation. It's understandable, given that they're pretty risk averse. At the same time, isn't ignoring the fact that our oil reserves are peaking a bit risky too?

Seems to me that insurers might want to skate in front of this puck, rather than following behind with their nerdy clipboards. Because just like the oil we all use to fill up our cars, if they don't start courting the growing numbers of consumers who are buying hybrids (the Prius hit 1 million this week) their traditional and most lucrative market is gonna dry up. 

Bring on the carbon tax

I really hope Stephan Dion has the nads to do it. I really hope a key platform in his election plan is a carbon tax. After the Conservatives finishing making hay with something Canada should have done a long time ago, we can get down to the business of implementing a progressive rather than regressive tax.

Carbon taxation is definitely the way of the future. The idea is to reduce exponentially the tax we already pay on things that are good for us (like our incomes) and increase significantly the tax we should be paying on things that are bad for us (like carbon emissions, gasoline, plastic packaging, etc.). I'd gladly pay a carbon, or sin tax on the bad stuff to get a break on my income tax. Then it's in MY control what I pay taxes on. If I want to drive a big ass gas guzzler, I can; I just have to pay through the nose for it.

What's the problem? This is elementary, and a long time coming. Bring it on.

PS. I've had it to here (picture me with my hand over my head) listening to that little troll Jim Flaherty go on about Liberal tax and spend. Way to rewrite history. For anyone who has forgotten, it was the Liberals that got Canada out of debt (after years of major debt started by my beloved Pierre - who did much for our country, less for our coffers - and exponentially increased by much despised (rightly so, sorry Justin) Brian Mulroney) and into surplus, not the Conservatives. I'm not afraid of Liberals, even though I never vote for em. I am, however, afraid of wacko right wing Conservatives who think the future of our country rests in the destruction of boreal forests in northern Alberta...

Cathy's First Post

You look at the cost of gas when you fill your car; frightened about oil or gas for your home and the growing cost of food. It’s all tied in somehow you know that you can't sit and watch- that you must take action. Luckily there are many easy things we can all do to make a difference. Plant a tree, your own garden, bring your lunch, ride a bike or walk, take the stairs.. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.