Wednesday night Václav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, addressed 1,100 guests of Washington Policy Center at the organization's 2008 Annual Dinner in Seattle.  His remarks are available online.

President Klaus received the 2008 Columbia Award "for his courage and dedication in leading the Czech people out of the shadow of communism and for creating a modern market economy based on respect for individual liberty, property rights and the environment. This has enabled the Czech Republic to become a respected member of the community of nations.  President Klaus' example is an inspiration to people around the world who aspire to a life of freedom, democracy and economic opportunity."

President Klaus' talk centered on two vital and intertwined themes:  How the European Union is weakening democracy and free enterprise in Europe, and how global warming alarmism is expanding government power.

His insight into the European Union is particularly important because the Czech Republic is slated to lead the EU in 2009.

"Entering the EU did not increase our freedom, or democracy, or our sovereignty.  It brought us more of regulation and more of extensive government intervention."

 

"The EU's welfare system, the EU's protectionism, the EU's legal and regulatory burdens on business, the EU's quasi 'competition policy', the EU's pension and health care systems, the European Single Currency arrangements, etc. are very real.  They result in the losing of democracy in favor of pan-European bureaucratic organizations located in Brussels that tend to restrain freedom, democracy and democratic accountability, not to speak about economic efficiency, entrepreneurship and competition."

President Klaus' final remark on the European Union is hard-hitting.

 

"The EU becomes the embodiment of postdemocracy, which is something the free people should never accept."

He cited another growing threat to democracy:  the alarmist global warming ideology.

"I am frustrated that is has not been sufficiently challenged both inside and especially outside of climatology, he said.  Many people have doubts about it but remain publicly more or less silent.  We keep hearing one-sided propaganda regarding the greenhouse hypothesis, but do not hear serious counter-arguments."

President Klaus pointed out several factors in global warming alarmism that pose a threat to democracy:

1. The discussion of global warming and the process of dealing with it "is in the hands of a group of climatologists (and other related scientists) who are highly motivated to look in one direction only because a large number of academic careers has in the last couple of years evolved around the idea of man-made global warming."

2. It is "also in the hands of politicians who maximize the number of votes they seek to get from the electorate on the basis of whatever idea they could profit from. And the idea of man-made global warming is very seductive, politically promising and expedient."

3. As a consequence of political decisions, the process is controlled by "bureaucrats of national and more often of international institutions who try to maximize their budgets and years of careers regardless the costs, truth and rationality."

4. It is also greatly influenced by an industry spawned by global warming alarmism.  This industry manipulates the policymaking process to obtain vast government subsidies and bolster its own interests.

The president also raised some important questions we ought to consider:

"Should a moderate temperature increase bother us more than many other pressing problems we face and should it receive our extraordinary attention at the expense of many competing problems? Are current attempts to mitigate global warming the best allocation of our scarce resources?...If we want to change the climate, can it be done? And what will be the consequences of such ambitions of ours?"

The solutions to challenges posed by climate change, Klaus argues, will come from creative market forces and not from government regulation.

"We know--with certainty--one thing.  The consequences of climate changes--if there are any--will be solved, like any other changes and challenges in the past, by the market and human ingenuity, not by the government masterminding.  They will be solved by technology, by growing wealth, by human adjustment, mobility and flexibility, not by government regulation and taxation."