Donald J. Boudreaux is chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University. He is therefore highly qualified to write on…global warming:
Undoubtedly, most people who seek government action to fight global warming are “reasonable.” They envision no drastic changes to our civilization. And I concede that, in principle, cost-effective steps to reduce global warming are possible. But I’m sure that it’s also true that most of the “reasonable” people who demand action against global warming are unaware of the critical role that capitalism plays in improving the lives of ordinary men and women.
So given this fact along with the hysterical language used by the likes of Al Gore – who, after all, is not on society’s fringes – it’s a perfectly legitimate stance for truly reasonable people to conclude that the best policy regarding global warming is to neglect it – and let capitalism continue to make us healthier and wealthier.…
Overly simplistic, you may argue. A little too happy to rely on a model not known for being kind to the less fortunate in society? Not to worry, Boudreaux writes, the “system” will sort it all out.