Cap-and-trade, “reconciliation,” and the death of deliberation
Image credit: American Elephant
My syndicated column today looks at how radical cap-and-trade legislation is getting rammed through Congress. It’s rare that I agree with anything Robert Byrd says. But I do today. No April Fool’s joke!
On a related track, Dems are ramping up efforts to use budget reconciliation to force their universal health care scheme through with limited debate and no chance for filibuster. Connie Hair interviews Jon Kyl on budget prospects at Human Events. Dingy Harry Reid was forced to back off his plot to use cap-and-trade tax revenue to fund Obama-care. And here’s background on two dueling non-binding resolutions related to cap-and-trade that were adopted yesterday.
***
The Shut Up and Swallow Congress
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 209
Deliberation in Washington is dead. We don’t have legislators. We have lemmings. We don’t have debates. We have high-speed hysteria sessions. After ramming through stimulus legislation that no one read and bailout bills that no one understood, Congress is now poised to stuff down taxpayers’ throats a deficit-exploding $3.5 trillion budget that enshrines the largest tax increase in American history.
Welcome to the cap-and-trade crap sandwich.
The Democrats want to rig the game so you don’t have time to figure out this latest act of collective thievery before it’s perpetrated. They have been colluding on a plan to circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and amendment process by attaching their massive green tax scheme to a special budget legislative maneuver (“budget reconciliation” in the parlance of the Washington sausage-makers). No less than Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd criticized this short-circuiting of debate as an “outrage that must be resisted” and “an undemocratic disservice to our people.” But the eco-zealots on the Hill seem hell-bent on telling Americans to shut up and swallow.
On the Senate floor Tuesday, Republicans tried valiantly to stop the cap and trade bullet train – only to be met with histrionic entreaties from the likes of Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dick Durbin shrieking about floods, dinosaurs, and The Children. Boxer and Durbin indignantly accused GOP Senators of “fear-mongering” over the costs of radical greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Then, without missing a beat, the Democrats returned to their wild predictions of the earth fizzling up and their grandchildren perishing like the prehistoric creatures who once roamed our doomed Earth.
GOP Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, and John Thune of South Dakota pushed back. President Obama, the Republicans noted, said last week that the cap-and-trade component of his budget is “non-negotiable.” This global warming reduction proposal amounts to an unprecedented national energy tax on every man, woman, and child. Every household. Every business. Far-reaching and regressive, the White House’s own budget officials first pegged the price tag at $646 billion – but admitted to Senate staffers that the actual number would be “two-to-three times” that figure. Which means an estimated $1.3 trillion and $1.9 trillion between fiscal years 2012 and 2019 by the Obama number-crunchers’ (or rather, number-cookers’) own calculations.
There’s no pretense about the impact these measures will have on taxpayers: “Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket,” Obama admitted during the 2008 campaign. “That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.”
White House budget director Peter Orszag again acknowledged last week that “much of ]the] costs of the plan will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for energy and energy intensive goods.” The GOP puts the cost at approximately $3,100 per family a year. Team Obama promises to offset these costs with some sort of tax credit for families, but by the budget team’s own admission, families would still pay at least $500 per year in out-of-pocket increase energy costs above and beyond the credit. Retirees and college students wouldn’t be eligible for the tax rebates.
This is not “fear-mongering.” It’s fact-mongering. And these facts deserve to be fully weighed and laid on the legislative table takes action again to drastically alter the economic landscape – and stick us with the bill. But once again, the big spenders in Washington can’t be bothered with the deliberative process. They have learned nothing from the AIG bailout rush-and-take-back debacle. Or the porkulus waste debacle. Or the TARP-you-can’t-believe-in debacle. The lemmings will only contemplate the consequences of their Chicken Little actions after they’ve sent the economy permanently over the cliff.
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Is this how Rome fell? Using the Senate rules against the people.
We are living in seriously scary times.
This isn’t cap and trade, this is smoke and mirrors to shaft us, again, without deliberation. Our republic is in her last throes, the criminal political class goosesteps on.
These traitors must be brought to their knees before it is too late! Will NO ONE wake up and fight them? Will the people in this country just sit and watch while these bastards steal away the American dream forever? Corrupt, immoral, lying, cheating a$$hats! I am so angry right now, I don’t trust myself to write any more. I need to go and weep.
Thanks Michelle for all you do to keep us informed of the under handed antics of Congress. “Never has so many owed so much to so few” to paraphrase Winston Churchill, seems appropriate.
This sucks! Right along with the past borrow and spend dreams of these lunitics.
The inmates truly are in charge of the asylum. We have met the enemy and he is government. We need a rope and a tall tree.
disgusted in Tulsa
To add insult to injury, from what I have read, cap and trade doesn’t even work! It has been a failure in Europe. All it will do is raise the cost of energy, and everything else, for everyone. All to fight a phantom threat of “climate change”. For NOTHING!!!
I believe this country is irrevocably split along ideological lines. I vote for that “divorce email” that floated around a few weeks ago.
I hope the eco-zealots choke on the carbon and die.
Yes…. die.
They are attacking our country from the inside.
Should the GOP even bother to show up in DC anymore? This just smacks of totalitarianism.
Yeah… more $%#^@ing transferring of wealth. That means people with incomes about XXX will pay this bill for people with incomes below XXX.
Pick a number for XXX.
You know who I blame for letting this happen. All the “go along” RINOs like McCain, Spector and those two idiots from Maine.
I want to see them all bound in irons in the town square as retribution for what they’re allowing to happen to this country and it’s people.
“budget reconciliation”, Cap and Trade, Climate Change of the Week, Disaster of the Hour, Nationalized Health Care, Nationalized Banks, Auto Companies, Insurance Companies, Wage Caps and the Smiley Face Fascism rolls on.
The Creative Class-those who support the Correct Government Position-will be spared the controls-that would be the Bread and Circus Clowns of Big Media and Hollywood and of course Government it’s self. These America-Americans-Individualism hating Statist Fascist are on a roll.
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning: Jonah Goldberg:
and now
Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny are probably the two best reads on the phenomenon I have read. Our fears of Islam must certainly take a back seat to the Socialist/Statist/Fascist run amok. One thing I do know: the Left’s hatred for the American People and our Liberty will not allow them to really defend us. They just will not do it. They will do anything they can to achieve and hold power–ANYTHING.
All the rest is smoke and mirrors. We defend ourselves-all accommodation with the Left and the Obaminites is little different than Treason it’s self. Hopefully we have one more election to stop them-hopefully. And that is no Aprils Fools joke, not by a long shot.
The GOP as we knew it, is dead. The party is chock full of lilly-livered sissies (had to edit or risk being banned) and has no hope of finding any real men to step up and do what is right. We are going to have to find another means of getting our voices heard. My fear is that massive waves of social unrest is all that is left to us; but if it has to be, it has to be. You better be stocking up on barter goods, ammo, food, water and medicine, folks. It is going to get ugly. We are on a slippery slope and the brakes are not even being used. God help us as only He can.
Hope is being abandoned, and remember that change is not always a good thing.
Give me Liberty or choose Death for one of us, as I will not live in bondage.
Where the heck are the Republicans on this issue?!?!?? This cap/trade stuff is an extremely important battle. Except for a few true mavericks fighting this, I see nothing! I guess they’re too busy uninviting Sarah Palin to their biggest fundraiser. What a bunch of pathetic scumbags.
The Democrats make a big show of being on the side of the poor people and are going to show their love by ramming through a big increase in the cost of living. Stuff like this is not good for my blood pressure.
I just wish more people would pay attention to what the Democrats actually do and not just what they say.
James Hansen: ‘democratic process isn’t working’
Considering how these eco-nazis have stifled the process directly in Congress I suppose he can claim this as a ~prediction~ that he finally got right!
Yup. Exactly.
HEH
Prolly the two biggest supporters of Obama – along with the auto unions.
By the time they all figure out that Obama is one big a$$ mistake, it will be WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too late.
I’m sure you know that they are on no one’s side, expect themselves. They use poor people, blacks, hispanics, illegals, unions and any other large group they can find to buy their vote. Why… as Arizona Neanderthal wrote…
That’s the bottom line. It should have been obvious to all the extent that they would do to, including Hilary Clinton, when they were rooting for the military to fail in Iraq. Think about that.
A majority of the people who voted, voted for this clown and his policies. And the same people (or at least people of the same mindset) voted for the Clintons twice, too. So we have known that something is seriously wrong with our country for some time now, when this can happen.
A near-majority of the American people no longer pay any taxes, so what do they care? If they can get “freebies” for nothing, why not? They have not been taught and so are too ignorant to see that it hurts us all and will destroy the engine of prosperity for all.
The Republicans with just a few notable exceptions are spineless and brainless jellyfish and are not at all united against this. They must put Country first and explain over and over again in succinct language how this will kill our country.
And TERM LIMITS has to be part of the solution! Lack of term limits is why we have the likes of ReidKerryKennedyBoxerFrankPelosi et al as circus ringleaders.
Pray for our Country.
WHEN WILL WE REVOLT. LETS STORM THE CAPITOL AND ARREST THESE POLITICIANS FOR TREASON?
WE ARE SITTING DOING NOTHING BUT COMPLAINING AND THIS CRAP CONTINUES. PROTEST ARE GOOD BUT NOT ENOUGH. WHEN WILL WE GET THE NERVE TO STORM THE FEDERAL BUILDINGS THAT BELONG TO US, AND THROW THESE BUMS INTO JAIL?
I have to disagree with this statement. Liberals do not learn from their mistakes. At best, they think a failed plan was not implemented properly or fell apart because ignorant Americans refused to recognize their superior wisdom. Instead of admitting to the utter disaster after disaster that there schemes cause, they seek another another strategy to implement them. The liberals that are capable of learning from their mistakes usually end up conservatives.
I really believe it’s time for the people to storm the capitol. Just like the french revolution it’s the only way to get them to wake up. 5 mill are out of work that would work quite well to literally storm the building. Cap police can’t arrest everyone!
With one exception – unless they are making a lot of money peddling leftist propaganda.
Ditto that.
The minority party can really do nothing, short of save face.
A government pseudo-handout…we are to be appreciative of DuhOne, and grovel at his feet. By the time the dems are done screwing things up, there will be no tax money left to fund everything they have created…not that there’s any money now, mind you.
This must be what a dictatorship looks like in its infant stage.
Michelle is right. It’s the first time I heard the old guy make sense and he sounds very senatorial. We (the public) don’t know what the hell is being shoved down our throat. Whatever hairbrained idea some corrupt politican comes up with is going to become law and we live with it forever. Is there a Republican man or woman in D.C.? How I wish we would have elected Sarah. She is the only one with back bone enough to speak out for freedom! The rest are spineless jelly fish, letting Byrd do the heavy lifting.
I saw Ginny Brown-Waite before congress stating Cap and Trade would cost each family an additional $3,128.00 per year for electricity.
That’s $260.67 extra per month.
I didn’t believe what I was hearing, I thought I miss hear or she miss spoke,
So I looked up the following sight.
http://republicanwhip.house.gov/newsroom/2009/03/budget-fact-5-3000-per-family-per-year-in-higher-energy-prices.ht
Ok, government is broken and there’s clear and present danger within.
A government can be ruined by bankrupting it and turning it into a socialist country. That is NOT what the founding fathers had in mind. Our framers planned a Federalist government and we had already gotten away from that long ago, but we are sprinting at warp speed in the wrong direction. This is unconstitutional.
Our “government” is not ruined, but it has been taken over by evil people. Someone has tied up Uncle Sam and he’s being held prisoner.
Pray for our Country. Yeah, that’s right, but that’s not enough. We can sit and cuss all day about the Republicans, but the fact is, they’ve failed us too. So, are we going to sit and watch our entire country and way of life go to hell?
Executive office – gone.
Legislators – both houses – gone.
Media – dead and gone.
All we have left is the SCOTUS. Does someone have to ask them to “review” what’s happening to our country?
What has to happen now?
I firmly believe we are heading for disaster. Obama wants to spend us into oblivion but wants to make “painful” cuts in our military. He’s killing us all and not even being sneaky about it. The problem is 54% of this country have been duped and they’re like hogs to slaughter – sheep over a cliff – just standing in line at Jim Jones’ kool-aid stand.
We are in “Clear and Present Danger, Part 2″ as sure as I’m sitting here.
WHO IS GOING TO LEAD US OUT OF THIS MESS?
Like pitchforks and squirrel guns? I’m in!
You know, I’m really starting to wonder about Obama’s spiritual roots…his mission seems as slick as any radical muslim can come up with, without being obvious.
Think about it, what’s to keep sharia law from invading the nation once the people have been taxed to death and beat into submission by the government? Will the USA just become a shell of a once great country, under God, because they threw God under the bus?
None of this would happen if it weren’t for the DNC parrot media.
No, we don’t want that. Our grandchildren will instead be perishing under the load of
sh#tdebt this congress has produced.AMEN! We can get out of this mess, but the corrupt media will have to actually start reporting the truth about the corruptocraps on both sides.
http://www.chicagoclimatex.com/content.jsf?id=821
According to Fox news, obama and a few of his friends started this exchange and in the first sentence it says that it is the only one in town. Also check out the members list.
Boy he covers all his base’s.
Where is the RNC?
The Chairman should be filing lawsuits that none of this crap is allowed under the Constitution and there no authority for any of this nationalization of private companies and the rule of law regarding private property.
I cannot believe people are just sitting here watching their country being taken over by communists without a peep from the loyal opposition.
We should all march on DC and start making citizen arrests IMHO
At this point, the media could start accurately reporting what’s happening, but we need someone – a leader – to get us out of this. Suddenly 90% of us could wise up and see the writing on the wall, but we need a leader. We need someone to stop this madness.
An additional $270/mo in energy costs pretty much screws our budget over. Even if I cut cable, internet, cell phone service, and all entertainment I won’t be able to pay $400/mo for energy. That’s gonna be a lot of fun come winter in Wisconsin. Thanks, Obama!
Well, Michelle, there you have it. It’s for “The Children”. Who can be against The Children? It must be good if it’s for The Children. Or if it has Fairness in it’s title, or Freedom of Choice or Responsibility any other currently popular feelgood catchphrase the administration and Congress happen to conjure up.
I have always wondering just how much freedom and liberty being taking from the average person before they would rise up against their country. Sadly, the way I see it, everyone is just sitting in their lazy boy watching all of this happening without a peep.
Rockefeller sure picked the right puppet this time around to groom for President.This guy has only been President for a little over 60 days and we already are turning into a banana republic.
I too am locked and loaded but it looks like most of my fellow American are like sheep going to the slaughter.
Rush was telling everyone yesterday that the Soetoro administration told GM they could no longer sell SUV’s and Obama signed another executive order banning any oil drilling on 20 million acres of federal land last Friday.
Watch for oil prices to go through the ceiling again!
Your papers please comrade
IF we ever get out of this mess, I sure hope Republicans will once and for all realize that the other side will NOT play nice, and there’s no reason to placate to them. One thing that’s been lacking in the GOP is not only strong leadership and voice of reason, but a voice that has STRENGTH and determination, with a heart of courage…not the liver-lipped, sissy egghead pansies we’ve been served for too long.
I could care less about their children!
The “useful idiots” elected these people and the “useful idiots” will destroy this country. Now you can see the damage ACORN has done.
For the current emergency pitchforks will be known as Liberal Mounting Brackets. If you do not have a pitchfork a broom or shovel will do.
This makes me sick! The politicians focus on how cap-and-trade will help cut emissions…… yeah, right! It will increase the cost of everything we use and buy, not just our electric bill. The cost to produce products will increase. The cost to heat and cool office buildings will increase. So, just imagine how much more your auto insurance will be, just because the company’s operating costs increased. Or, your banking fees. Or, groceries. Or, the cost of operating your kids school. The tax credit B.S. won’t even begin to offset the increased costs. IDIOTS! They make me sick.
Controll of the people…it’s a communist thing. Obama is not going socialist…he’s reaching for the throat with pure communism!
Arizona – I have several. Need to borrow one?
They already have instigated electricity hikes in California thanks to Barry Soetoro’s buddy Arnold in the name of Global Warming.It is called tiered energy billing. Energy hogs shall be penalized!!
They have raised electricity from 10 cents a kilowatt to 19.2 cents last year and if you use more than your quota and are deemed an energy hog your rate goes up to 32 cents a kilowatt.
We got an electric bill in the middle of the summer for $650 never having paid over $250 in any previous year even when it was 105F during August.
We had our thermostat at 86F when we got the $650 bill and were told to just turn up that thermostat and quit wasting energy by the power company.
Your papers please comrades
Don’t worry your pretty little head, DuhOne will tell us that the gubmint will give us what we need to get thru the crisis.
And just think…all of this fiscal crises for the sole purpose of enlarging welfare programs and keeping Democrats in office. How lovely.
/sarc
Let me get this straight…
I’m going to be taxed to reduce something that has been refuted to be a hoax time and time again, and is more religion than science? In addition my electric bill, which is already outrageous is going increase even more? Seriously? When is this insanity going to stop? They’re going to reduce us to 3rd world status before the year is up.
Screw that. Why do I bother paying bills? I want Obama to take care of me.
I’m so sick of this crap.
Uh, I think that’s the mission, but not before gubmint swells to monstrous proportions, eats the hands that feed it, then eats itself.
Why oh why do we keep electing lawyers as our public servants?
I can’t really blame the voters as we really have no say in our choices because the system is rigged.
Not to mention the majority of people get their news from papers or the alphabet channels. You really can’t get the truth from either of those sources.
Living in California, I know that I barely have much say in the local races let alone state and federal. And frankly, I haven’t seen many fiscal conservatives able to move up through the ranks and take on the swines in Sacramento. Arnold found that out in his first 30 days.
April 1st is supposed to be a time of laughter and jokes, with spring just around the corner.
Instead, I’m depressed and worried about my ability to continue to take care of me and mine.
We marched on city hall last year complaining about the energy increases and the only thing we could get them to do was reduce the rates for 3 months during the hottest months this coming year.
They agreed to reduce the rates to only 16 cents a kilowatt even though wholesale it costs only 8 cents a kilowatt for them to purchase the electricity.
We are a third world country now IMHO
Arnold had turned California into a Banana Republic.
Your Papers please Comrades
My God is the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Obama’s god is government…and all are supposed to worship and serve it. It will fix everything.
There is a connection. Think about it.
Neil Cavuto on Imus in the Morning, this morning we should be following the Swedish Model:)
Neil Cavuto SAABing to Imus.
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/04/neil-cavuto-saabing-to-imus.html
You’re kidding – right?
Deliberation does not mean minority rule.
Republicans should be careful here. Their actions since the election have lowered their poll numbers to the point where they are in danger of going below 40 seats in the Senate in 2010. Pure obsturctionism now will lead to pure 100% Democratic rule then.
Instead, it’s National Obama Day.
It was a rhetorical question, they are useless IMHO
Steele should be filing lawsuits over the constitutional nature of these bills being slammed down our throats instead he gives interviews on TV with pundits not mentioning any of the take over of our Republic.
#29 Obamageddon’s roots are Communism. Both his mother and grandparents were communist as well as his mentor Frank Marshall Davis.
He believes in and will install it into our government by using smoke and mirrors with conciliatory words to bedazzle the public into believing he is in their corner.
The sheep are to stupid and fearful to see or stop it. They have put snoop dog in office by believing the same words in his campaign speeches. he TOLD the public what he was going to do and they failed to listen.
He is no better than a terrorist that told us they would attack and the arrogance of americans that said it would never happen prevented the attack!
Tool.
The cowards and traitors in Washington, DC will convert to Islam to keep their heads on their shoulders and their a**es in their seats.
Revolution is in the wind. A blind man can see it coming.
I’m going to go WAY OUT out on a limb and predict that the Republicans are going to go meekly into the night. “We’re all in this together” etc… (Zoom shot on McCain fawning at the feet of Obama like a pre-teen girl).
#59 forget the SC they will never hear constituional issues regarding congress. As much as they try to legislate from the bench which they’re not to do this is one area where they won’t and become cowards to intervene in the congresses legislative process.
They play both sides of the field very well when it suits their purpose!
By the way, what is the number we call to complain to congress?
Jangar – One thing is very clear to me. The current Republican Party is useless. Do not look for any sort of leadership in that organization. Why do I say that. Simple experience. Since that one very brief Contract With America moment, have they done anything right? Have they kept to any principles? No.
If we are to survive as a nation even close to what the Founders intended it will be up to you. By “you” I mean those of us who believe in the Constitution, Freedom, Liberty, Personal Responsibility.
Stop enabling the national or state republican parties. Start enabling local men and women who believe as we do. Some may say, we need to work within the party. Really? I’ve heard that line for 15 years now. Hasn’t worked.
It is going to be a tough fight. But, do you think those liberals are really a match for us when we really decide to fight?
That fart makes me sick.
#65 start here then go to your individual reps sites.
http://tinyurl.com/3ovu3
No offense to the rest of the country, but IMHO it’s time for the people of Texas to assemble and push for secession effective immediately. I think we can just fine manage by ourselves without all this mental libtardation mucking up our lives.
I agree. Get out while you can.
just fine manage = manage just fine
lysdexia strikes again.
These are the same “number cookers” that “understated” the amount of taxes they owed – until their hand was forced to reveal the actual amount and pony up with the cash.
Of course, that’s assuming they actually ‘fessed up to the WHOLE amount and not just what they were caught with…
“Job Losses From Obama Green Stimulus Foreseen in Spanish Study”
Here’s PROOF that attempts to limit fossil fuel will do serious damage to our economy.
We need a ‘green list’ of politicians – the ONES TO THROW OUT OF CONGRESS!
But they’re building the perfect world for all of us out of the goodness of their hearts.
/lgm
OK I get it… Someone is going to jump up and say April Fools about our electric bill going up $300.00 per month… I’m waiting…. come on… some one PLEASE say April Fools…
This has to be a joke… the american public will just stand by and let these bozos do this. Then we are the fools.
The only fools this April are the ones perpetuating this unconstitutional outrage.
Obamageddon is dictating on ideology that will destroy this country!
He could careless about what we have to say as long as he completes his agenda!
The Nurse Ratched government.
If the MSM were to actually report what is going on, a huge number of average democrat families, minding their own business, raising their kids, would come unglued. This historical presidency and rape of the public trust would come to a screeching hault.
Nor does haste guarantee effectiveness.
I love when the professor doles out advice to the other party as if he really cares.
Republicans should be careful, but Democrats should move bills at blinding speed, I suppose.
A desire to actually know what’s in the bill and debating it is not obstructionism. If the Democrats were so certain that their solutions were the right ones, they would not fear scrutiny. Your beloved polls are also showing that people do not like bailouts and are growing increasingly skeptical of the government solution. Even CNN is capitulating on that notion.
…and what’s this with the use of the word “rule”? A little slip of the tongue?
American people are not sitting and watching. The majority are actively enabling the conduct.
We are still a republic. We could change our entire government if we wanted to in a mere six years, and we could change enough of it to at least block schemes like this in only two years. It is in our power to elect an entire new slate of representives that would roll back the federal government to its proper, Constitutional role.
We could do that, but we don’t. We send the incumbents back decade after decade and allow them to entrench themselves in power and enrich themselves at our expense. The sad fact is that our government is like this because most people either want it this way or just don’t care.
Here is an editorial that hits the nail on the head that I found over at WND.com:
“By what authority did Barack Hussein Obama fire GM CEO Rick Wagoner? Mr Wagoner’s departure from GM should be upon a vote of GM’s board of directors, not on the whim of a politician. Obama’s supposed firing of Wagoner is not a federal power vested in the executive branch under Article II of the U.S. Constitution. The question is not whether Wagoner should have been fired – but by whom. And the answer is not by the federal executive with an imperious wave of his sword hand – while the other threatens to deny life-giving capital to a dying private enterprise.
Our federal executive has handed his man Geithner the keys to the federal Treasury and in cooperation or perhaps collusion with the privately owned Federal Reserve can now bludgeon bailout recipients into submission. My fellow Americans, not since Mussolini and Hitler have we witnessed this breathtaking rush to fascism, where the government wields the ultimate weapon to force privately owned industries to carry out its every command and comply … or perish.”
Cindy L. Espinoza
And I might add that the Federal Reserve is running this country right now, not our elected Representatives. Their puppet Barry Soetoro, a british citizen, is conducting a coup d’état as America sleeps.
philtac – April Obama!
MM, you must rethink you beliefs in conspiracies. We have one and it is called the Democratic Party. It is not only conspiring to take over the country, but also to turn it over the UN. The sooner conservatives realize this the better our chances to stop them.
Bingo!
Just thought it needed emphasis, and a repeat. Perhaps as an editorial in local papers as well. This idea needs legs, and quick!
Michelle is correct – the whole carbon tax/green tax/cap-n-trade thing is a sham, here’s why…
The “alternative” energy sources that are so high on everyone’s radar are infeasible for a number of reasons.
Solar = high $$, requires storage system, variable output
Wind = unreliable, variable output
Geothermal = reliable, extremely limited in scope
Hydroelectric = unreliable, variable output, harms the fish (eco-no-no)
Tidal/Fusion/Cold Fusion, yada, yada = pipe dreams
That leaves us with two alternatives: Fossil Fuels and Nuclear
Fossil Fuels – oil = OUT; natural gas = carbon generator; coal = carbon generator.
Obama’s “clean coal” = joke. Look, coal, oil and natural gas all work the same way, you take a carbon source, break the carbon bonds, liberate the energy contained in the bonds through a combustion process, ideally generating heat, carbon dioxide, and water in the process. There is no such thing as “clean coal” – it burns the same as ordinary coal, producing the same levels of carbon dioxide as “standard” coal. “Clean coal” indicates that the coal in question is low in impurities such as sulfur and arsenic, compounds that generate SOx air pollution (bad) and toxic ash. “Clean coal” is NO answer, as it offers NO combustion/energy advantages over normal coal and instead only represents a VERY expensive fuel source to existing power plants that provides NOTHING in return for the expense.
Sensing a pattern in BHO’s problem solving?
There is one other problem that NO ONE is addressing, electric demand is variable, it fluctuates throughout the day and peaks at various times during the day. Rather than keep plants at full output and waste the energy, utilities run a “base load” assortment of generation facilities to meet the “base load” of electrical demand while keeping other generating facilities on “hot standby” to rapidly bring power to the grid as demand increases. At present, most utilities use gas turbine generating stations to provide meet the statutory requirements for “hot standby.” No other form of plant can economically provide this capability.
IF we were SERIOUS about solving the “global warming” problem, current technology provides only ONE VIABLE answer – nuclear power.
IF BHO truly drank ol’ Al ‘Tubby’ Gore’s Globull Wormening Kool-Aide (ugly image…), he’d be using DoE to approve ‘standardized’ nuke designs for ‘fast track’ regulatory approval. With such a system, nukes could replace coal and most natural gas generators in the US within 10 years. Globull wormening = solved, CO2 tax useless…
BUT even with nukes, we’d still need natural gas to provide the “hot standby” (nukes are tremendously slow to spool up). Unless – we transformed the transportation system in the US into an electrified system. By “recharging” the transportation infrastructure at night and powering industry during the day, electrical demand would experience a leveling that would make it feasible to bring more nuke “baseline” plants online while minimizing the number of natural gas plants in “hot standby.”
Bottom line – there is a solution available that addresses all of the issues (real or imagined), restores energy independence to the US, reduces the dreaded CO2 footprint, puts Americans to work for America and provides low cost energy to the country, perhaps spurring additional manufacturing within the US. The solution is there, the problem is by taking advantage of the solution which is arguably in the best short and long term interests of the country, no additional tax revenues are generated. Thus the solution will die stillborn.
BTW – if we go to this damn CO2 tax, can I get all of the money the same scheme cost me in the carbon monoxide (CO) cap-n-trade system that was implemented years ago to address the purported ‘issue’ of Globull Wormening?
Obama = a charlatan and demagogue delivering platitudes to the masses since 2006.
Lord help us all.
from, shinola
We can all agree that the DC GOP are mostly sheep, but I would hesitate in a blanket vote of removing them all in the next 2 elections. Even sheep have their purpose. Instead, dump the dems, elect conservative leaders, and those nasty sheep will follow (with the exception of McCain, Maine duo and the idiot from PA).
Question?? If Obama gives the countries soverenty to the UN, does that mean all the extra tax income will go to the UN?
I mean if the UN controls the country will the UN let him spend the money?
There won’t be an extra tax income. You can’t tax broke.
That’s all good and everything, but it seems our hands are tied with OBAMACORN rigging elections in the dems favor, and lobbyists (who receive bailout money) giving huge amounts of money to the liberal machine. How can we fight against that?
Funny how pure obstructionism is only a problem when Republicans do it. Democrats, on the other hand, can ride it to victory in Congress and the White House.
Yes, and the UN will decide how much and what to do with it by vote from the world body. We would be at the complete mercy of every nasty country in the world.
After years of bleeding heart libetards in control, that’s already the case in LA. Know what I’m say’n my peeps?
You left out a new company called Black Light Power that can produce heat to existing tubines at a cost of .01 a kilowatt.Their process produces zero pollution into the environment.
They have signed two contracts to retrofit power plants to their new fuel technology.Farmers’ Electric Cooperative 250MW and Estacado Energy Services 250MW Facility
http://www.blacklightpower.com
They have validated their energy source with a 50KW test reactor system at Rowan University over the last year.
I am sure Barry Soetoro does not want them to succeed because it will screw up the plans of the One World Order to tax carbon to the hilt to fund the UN.
Black Light can produce cheap power at .01 cents a Kilowatt including their royalties for the new energy process fuel.
Universal health care scheme, Universal car health scheme, Ughhh! My head is spinning! I need some air.
What liberals don’t understand is.
The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
This Government is bound and determined to transmogrify this country.
But there is no worry. These costs will be offset by tax CREDIT.
The keyword is credit. Something that must ultimately be paid for. So you can spend it during the year but you better danged well be able to toss it back into the gubmint coffers at the end of the year.
I never thought I would say this, but danged I am glad I grew up poor and can still live comfortably that way.
Do not underestimate the amount of money that will be directed to individuals inside the government. As the costs of this are computed as between 650 billion and 1.5 trillion, there will be massive corruption and cash for all of the ‘insiders’ involved. This is not about some altruistic care for the environment.
This is the largest single theft of cash involving energy since Enron and Anderson stole billions from the people of California. The people and the state of California are still trying to pay that one off.
It’s not possible in this country to flat out steal an election. You can tilt a close one, yes, with potentially disasterous results. But these elections shouldn’t even be close. Given a choice between liberty and tyranny (economic and otherwise) the vote should be so overwhelming that it’s just not possible to fudge the results.
What we need is for the majority of the people to care enough about their nation and their lives that they seek out information, critcally evaluate it and then cast a vote. Sadly I don’t see that happening any time soon.
One thought that keeps me from despair is remembering that six short years ago the Democrats were in this exact position: completely out of power and howling at the injustice of it all. If that bunch of socialist knuckleheads can turn it around there’s no reason we can’t. People on either side of the political aisle who think that the democrats are now in power permanently are delusional. The relevant question is how much damage do they do before they’re in the wilderness again.