[cassbot]

I was super happy to see this article and excitedly opened up the HN comments. Really disappointed by these comments.

What is unscientific or extreme about Inslee's position?

Ending fossil fuel subsidies does not mean fossil fuels are disappearing overnight. It means that the prices on fossil fuel derivatives will reflect their true prices, and consumers and the free market will adjust their consumption accordingly.

Don't feel sorry for the status quo. It has plenty of momentum, lobbyists, and big money to keep going the way it's going.

Inslee proposes to shift government incentives to what we wish to see more of. The fact that the technology does not exist now, is an even STRONGER reason to provide government incentives and deadlines for R&D.

How we get on the moon in a decade? A leader shared a vision. People had the courage to believe and make it happen.

We should EXPECT positive change and big vision from our leaders. Don't give up on the system!

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” ― Alice Walker

[ianai]

Agreed on probably all points. Though I’m reasonably convinced that the technology does exist.

On price, oil prices have a significant, direct, and negative effect on market productivity. We could actually put ourselves into a depression by raising prices highly. This is both a reason to get ourselves off fossil fuels ASAP and a hurdle to doing so.

Politically, possibly the strongest and quickest change to the political system in the US would be passing the side stepping of the electoral college system across the states. It’s already over half way there. The House is more responsive to the democratic vote than the senate. The electoral college is the undemocratic influence on the President. So that change would make the 2/3rds of the federal government more democratic than current.

[hudibras]

My feelings exactly. Depressing to see so many smart people here on HN saying "We need to do something about climate change!" But then when a presidential candidate rolls out an ambitious, comprehensive, soup-to-nuts proposal that fixes the problem, they say "No, not like that!"