The Vilification of Gas Stoves
Another Victim of Regulatory Capture
At times I wonder if we really live in a Matrix-style alternate reality, where rationality is a foreign concept. And there is no stronger evidence of this than the latest barrage of attacks on gas stoves. What may seem as such a goofy topic that should be dismissed as noise, is in reality, a very dangerous concept that has real, negative economic consequences. It is a form of propaganda that seems to repeat itself in various forms all too often.
The establishment always has an agenda and the best way to achieve their goals is by first gaining support from the hoi polloi and then forcing it onto the public through policy. The masses are asses, you see, and fear and division are the magic tools used to gain compliance. Unfortunately, it works all too well.
The Climate Agenda
Now that the COVID fear is waning, a new “crisis” has to fill the void. The newest agenda, as the Biden administration calls it, is the climate agenda. It is the “I support the newest thing” of the day.
“Joe Biden knows there is no greater challenge facing our country and our world. That’s why he is outlining a bold plan – a Clean Energy Revolution – to address this grave threat and lead the world in addressing the climate emergency.”1
A few weeks ago, the commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sent out a feeler to the American people to see if compliance will be achieved without pushback. In an interview with Bloomberg, the commissioner—Richard Trumka Jr.—suggested that the government might consider banning gas stoves, pulling the safety card.2
“This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
The corporate press—as the lapdogs they are—took the bait on the climate hysteria and ran with it, all in unison:
The New York Times published a piece titled,
“Your Gas Stove May be Killing You.”3
Time magazine inflamed a divisive culture war with their article,
“How Gas Stoves Became the Latest Right-Wing Cause in the Culture Wars.”4
NPR pushed the fear with the headline,
“What you need to know about gas stoves and health risks.”5
New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez further sowed division by invoking “the science” to imply those that push back are doofuses and need to take a chill pill.
“There is very concerning science about some of the emissions from gas stoves, especially around the cognitive development of young children, asthma, cancer, etc. ... This is a decision about what may be sold and regulations in the far future. Okay? So everyone just take the temperature down a little bit.”6
But, it is the future of regulations that is precisely the dangerous part that everyone should be worrying about. Decisions and dictates that affect everyone are made by the select few in government who—contrary to the cartoonish view taught to kids in grade school—have little interest in the people’s prosperity.
Regulatory Capture
The catalyst for these types of propaganda onslaughts is regulatory capture. Regulatory capture is when an industry cultivates government to generate laws that fall in the favor of that industry. It is why lobbying is a booming business in Washington, D.C.
This “climate emergency” has nothing to do with the climate. It is a racket for power and enrichment like all other agendas. Politically connected and politically favored companies get rich off the associated policies. I’d argue that regulatory capture is leading to (if we are not already there) a political economy that sacrifices productiveness for political advantage. A political economy gives no benefit to the prosperity of man, unless of course, you are the politically connected man. In such a world, entrepreneurs measure success based on regulatory capture, not on whether their product serves the market for good.
Case in point: Ask yourself why the mRNA vaccines are still under emergency use authorization. Why are these vaccines being purchased by the government and not released to the market for people to buy for themselves like other medical products? Perhaps because people wouldn’t buy them. They are arguably worthless and potentially dangerous.
The US government’s Inflation Reduction Act hands out billions of dollars in “incentives” for people to electrify their home appliances.7 It’s a racket. The government takes the people's money, then gives a little bit back to the people in the form of rebates for buying politically friendly appliances. What a deal!
You may say that gas stoves are not the “hill to die on.” But if people don’t start fighting for the hills, we’ll all be relegated to the ditches soon enough.