New Year Ideas

I had to get some random thoughts out of my head so I can focus on work today, so here are some pie-in-the-sky ideas for your consideration:

Since recent history has shown that we need to move from a growth-based economy to a sustainable economy, national consumption models must be changed. To me, this is a job for the feds.

Increase efficiency: The easiest changes politically usually are increases in efficiency. So lets adopt a keep-it-simple national policy, eh? Here are some ideas:

1. Drop a digit of currency. 200 years ago pennies were worth $0.13. Now they are not worth saving. So get rid of pennies, nickels, and quarters and lets pay $3.1 for gas instead of $3.099. Every extra significant digit leads to an increase in energy used for accounting.
2. Get rid of Daylight savings time. I have heard all the arguments of why it started but I am still left to wonder: whats the point? Pick one side of daylight savings time and keep it.
3. Standardize for the Consumer. The great untalked-about infrastructure: standards. This year the Europeans required all cell phone manufacturers to use one common charger. I say take this to the next level and standardize all low-power electronics interfaces. Since everything plugs into a computer these days, use the USB plug. Put them in cars. There are a lot of standards like this that could make life simpler for consumers, but companies have no incentives to do this other than being standards compliant. No one is going to make these standards except gov't.
4. Switch to the metric system. Again, heard all the arguments against this, and it comes down to keeping a tradition. When 0.3 billion people refuse to use the same units of measurement as the other 6 billion people, what do you call it? Silly.

Reduce Consumption. These changes are harder but so obviously needed:

1. Outlaw energy waste. Obviously we don't take national energy policy seriously or we would not let our politicians start wars in oil-producing countries. We should. When 2 technologies exist that accomplish the same thing and cost the same but one uses less energy, take that choice away from the consumer. For example, outlaw incandescent light bulbs, tank water heaters, and large-format TVs. The energy star program is a good program - lets give it teeth.
2. Give more tools to the consumer. Have you seen google power meter? Access to good energy usage data has proven to drop energy use. But right now only the power companies have the access to this capability. Conflict of interest, perhaps? Require the power companies to give you access to your real-time energy usage broken down by major appliances. Some already do.
3. Simplify and redirect the tax code. This is the zinger. Change our main tax vehicle to consumption based. For example, drop the income tax down (and please simplify it) and add a federal VAT sales tax to purchases. Right now we tax income, which incentivizes working less (ie, bailouts). By switching to a sales tax model we tax consumption, which incentivizes saving. I realize there are drawbacks to this (sales tax is the easiest one to evade), but big-picture, this is probably the single best/easiest way to transition us from a growth and consumption based economy to a sustainable economy.

There I feel better. Now I can do some work. Happy Friday!