Old-Thinker News | July 15, 2011

By Daniel Taylor

Update (July 21, 2011): Carbon price battle is lost, say experts

The Age reports today that the Australian government is preparing to launch TV ads that will likely frame carbon taxes as a means of “wealth creation.” This PR campaign comes at a time when Australian’s support of carbon taxes is at an all time low.

The ad campaign is set to start this weekend. As The Age reports, “The television campaign is expected to run for four to five weeks and will be combined with print advertising.” Also revealed in the report is the fact that Google is helping the Australian government data-mine the internet for information on voter opinion.

Just how the Australian government will convince their constituents that carbon taxes will help create wealth remains to be seen. The Age’s headline “Carbon tax ads to hit TV amid public confusion” conveys the government’s position that the poor ignorant peasants need to be reminded that government clearly knows best.

Widely recognized carbon tax opponent Lord Monckton recently launched a campaign in Australia against the proposed carbon tax that he believes will bankrupt the country.

Legislation introduced in the United States in 2008, if passed, would have cut America’s GDP - by the EPA’s own admission - by 6.9%.