Comment by tempestn | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tempestn | Hacker News Reader

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I agree with you, but I don't think it's wrong that there's a general feeling that we're working on this problem, and we're getting better. Look at all these solar panels and electric vehicles we're reading about. We know there's still C02 being pumped out, but at least we're starting to get a handle on it. This shows that actually we're not. We've got a positive second derivative here. The current path leads pretty quickly to likely disaster. If you really believe that, maybe you're willing to accept more pain (economic, etc.) to make a significant difference than you otherwise would.

Personally, I live in BC, which is about to have a provincial election. I've been struggling with my choice, because while I generally align more with the NDP (left-wing party) on ideals, a number of their platform pieces seem misguided or vote-buying at best. The Liberal party (which is really a conservative party in all but name) doesn't really align with my values, but they do seem more competent, and less likely to make poor fiscal policy.

However, one key difference between their platforms is on expansion of natural gas extraction, and environmental issues in general. Reading this article got me thinking that climate change is a big enough issue that it should probably trump other concerns.

Please, please write to your local party reps in all those parties explaining your dilemma! This will probably have as much or more value in terms of policy change as a vote. Parties lump so many disparate issues together, they need to hear what individual issues are actually important to the rest of us.

Are you referring to the "competent" housing policies of the Libs that have made BC into the biggest housing bubble in the entire world? I'm not sure the conservatives (ultra-right) or NDP could have done this simply because their bases would not let them (for different reasons).

So because of this competence we're in a sitch such that we can't stop the housing boom for fear of an entire collapse of the BC economy? Please explain how either other party would have done a worse job.

No, I'm not referring specifically to Liberal housing policies. I'm not aware of any aspects of the NDP platform that would improve the housing affordability problem in BC, but I'd be interested to know about them if they exist. Might make my choice even easier. Their website just calls for "strong action", but doesn't specify what it should be: https://www.bcndp.ca/housing-speculation

As far as NDP policies I find questionable, a few are

-Remove tolls on lower mainland bridges. - this just seems like blatant vote-buying. It will worsen congestion and pollution, and reduce provincial revenue, while benefiting a small segment of the provincial population.

-(Further) delay acceptance of ride-sharing companies (Uber, etc.) - The NDP has always been the "workers' party," so I assume their interests align with the taxi drivers' union here. The policy seems poor though, from both environmental and fiscal perspectives (again). Also seems unwise politically, and I get nervous about a party when they do something that's both unwise and unpopular.

-Significantly increase minimum wage. - I support initiatives to reduce inequality. However, I don't agree that increasing minimum wage from $10.85 to $15 is the best approach. I expect it will have a significant impact on both businesses and minimum-wage employees. (Positive for some; negative for those who can no longer find work.) I believe there are better ways to help people, and that minimum wage tends to be chosen because it doesn't have a direct impact on the provincial deficit, so it's a 'free' promise. Increasing minimum wage with inflation is one thing, but a ~40% jump is another.

Those are a few things. Many of their other positions I agree with in theory, but there are few details presented so far. (Full platform is yet to be released.) Unfortunately the details that they have put forward, like those above, I find worrisome. That said, I will still likely vote NDP (or possibly Green if my riding doesn't look competitive) since I do expect they will be better for the environment (removal of tolls and blocking of ride-share notwithstanding), and I support most of their goals, even if I don't expect they'll be entirely competent in achieving them.

The housing policies are the only things that matter from an economic perspective and money is the only thing that matters. Just look at any BC economic statistics - I'm guessing ~80% of the economy at this point is tied directly or indirectly to real estate.

This situation mirrors the global warming debate: we are in a sitch such that if we fix things now it will be very painful and if not it will an an existential issue down the road. If human nature has taught me anything it's going to be the latter.

In regards to your hyphenated points:

- Haven't been following that. For public property it seems like the money always ends up going to some big donor's pocket. Have a look at the 403 or many of the other public-private partnership projects. It's almost always a terrible deal for taxpayers. It's funny - many complain about government being ineffective but not when those signing monopoly-supporting contracts.

- Have a look at some analysis online of the actual wages ride-sharing drivers make after they pay for capital costs associated with the cars, etc. I believe one generous article calculated about 2$/h for uber.

- Unless your day job is to analyze the effects of such changes you're not qualified to make that claim. Maybe the number is 16 maybe it's 2.05. Even with the most sophisticated models this would be very hard to estimate. I think we should tie MP salaries to mean wages. You'd see a nice bump to min wage every year!

You're getting too caught up in what they say. These are politicians... look at what they have done (eg the bubble).

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