Sticking it to the Man: Make Exxon pay for renewable energy!

When you start looking at economics, there's a tendency to become bound up in the endless series of twists and connections. Every little thing in the economy seems to be linked to every other little thing, which means that any change or attempt at improvement is almost guaranteed to have endless, almost unimaginably horrific repercussions. Sometimes, it seems like the only safe move is to do absolutely nothing.

That having been said, there is something in me that wants to applaud bold, brave actions. I want to see the government come up with brilliant, revolutionary solutions to economic problems. I want to see them fight the bad guys and help out the good guys. Part of me just wants to scream "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, and let's stick it to the Man!"

Okay, I'm going to calm down. However, I have to admit that, when I read about Congress' latest move, I wanted to jump up and applaud. You see, yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would give more than $17 billion in tax credits to companies that produce solar, wind, and other renewable forms of energy. Democratic leaders in the House immediately praised this as a step on the road to a cleaner environment and energy independence.