We have become so divided as a Nation that we can't come together on issues that have nothing to do with Politics and everything to do with our well-being.
Our President just signed an executive order stating that everyone has to trade in their iPhone for a Moto Razr. Yes, this for that. Many Republicans are screaming for joy! Some are touting the courage it took for him to make this decision. Others are saying how proud they are that he put America first. And, as always, the rank and file Republican leadership are touting this as a win for deregulation.
You can go read all the reasons why this was a stupid decision. Bad for the economy 1. Bad for the economy 2. Bad for the economy, business and our children. Based on suspect data. Dishonest. Bad for the Planet. And my favorite which sums it up nicely.
So this topic is well covered by many who know this space way better than I do. But let me tell you a story that was told to me on one of my trips to China (by the way, I can't prove this actually happened but it was shared with me in China).
A town in China wanted to plant trees in an area that had been clear-cut for decades. They estimated that they needed to plant a million trees. Rather than go through a long, drawn out process for planting these trees, they sent a million families a letter with instructions and a number. The number was their tree that they had to plant on a given day. When the time came, those people took their number went to the location, found their sapling and place on the map and planted their tree. The project was done in a week.
Another quick story. When we lived in Sweden more than a decade ago, the government decreed that all public transportation had to be fueled by renewable sources by a certain date. They hit that date. Now they are committing to be carbon neutral by 2045. I'm sure they will hit those dates.
So what's my point. Free market thinkers believe that the free market should decide when we hit certain carbon goals or embrace clean tech. But I hate to break it to those free market believers but we are not on an even playing field. When China decides it wants to accelerate something (as in the example of the trees), there is nothing that gets in the way. Years ago China realized that it was actually cheaper to invest in renewable energy than it was to deploy a network or coal power plants and they continue to double down announcing $360B in renewable energy by 2020. Europe is also moving forward with heavy investments in renewable energy like Sweden did years ago. Estimates are putting the Clean Tech Market at between $4 Trillion and $6 Trillion. Yesterday our President made sure we are losers in that race. He handed out cement shoes to our economy and told it to go run against Usain Bolt.
Yesterday's announcement which started with a bizarre sycophantic rant by President, I mean Vice President Pence and ended with President Bannon, I mean Trump, reminded me of the meetings when we used to talk about how dumb the iPhone was because it wasn't as good as the amazing feature phones that were in the Market, including the Razr. So, enjoy your Razr, at least you'll now be able to buy healthcare.
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