A Modest Temperature Increase

It is a melancholy object to those living in this country to see the hundreds of thousands of hard working individuals who have been laid off from their jobs because of the state of the economy. These workers—friends, acquaintances, and countrymen—are now forced to beg on the streets with pitiful signs asking for handouts that this country cannot afford.

It can be agreed that the person who can provide opportunities for all these downtrodden men will be hailed as the savior of our age. Though I care little for the admiration of the country, I have still come up with a plan that not only solves the problem of unemployment, but that also has many other side benefits.

As those who are now jobless will attest, their superiors had told them that the company, in response to dire economic straits, could not afford to pay them anymore. Thus, the most reasonable solution to bring back these jobs that have been lost is to revitalize the economy. Many suggest that the government should introduce a new cash flow into the economy, either through tax rebates or through massive public projects, but there is a simpler way. Many of the United States’ largest employment industries often spend much of their money complying with very strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on the release of certain compounds such as carbon monoxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act alone is costing the industry $523 billion over 23 years, money that could be better spent elsewhere. If the government was simply to eliminate these standards, the industry could start to hire back its workforce.

Once these previously jobless citizens are employed, they will spend more money on the economy, thereby spurring greater job growth and causing more hiring, ad infinitum. Thus, eliminating EPA standards would single-handedly pull the United States economy out of its slump. Of course, once the economy was growing at a fast rate, the government would be collecting more money in taxes that it could then use to either pay down its national debt or invade Iran or Syria, as our President sees fit.

The advantages to relaxing EPA standards are not strictly economic. As a new Massachusetts resident, I have been privy to the harsh New England winters. By releasing greater quantities of carbon monoxide and CFCs into the atmosphere, the United States government could spur global warming to make the weather much more pleasant in the winter. Imagine the quality of life increase for all the New England residents who could go outside in the middle of January with nothing but a T-shirt and shorts. In addition to the added comfort, more moderate temperatures would eliminate problems associated with icy roads and pathways, which currently cost billions of dollars in direct medical costs and indirect situational costs (such as the inability for people to drive to work on certain days).

In short, eliminating environmental standards will help spur the economy, save billions in winter-specific medical care and incidental transportation costs, and increase the quality of life for all those who live in cold climates. I congratulate President George Bush on his plan to date, which relaxes the allowed limits of pollutants established in the Clean Air Act. My only complaint is that he is moving too slowly; we have much to do if I can hope to throw out all my jackets by senior year.

Ashish Agrawal ’08, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Stoughton Hall.