Meet the retrofit police

By Michelle Malkin  •  July 8, 2009 01:19 PM

I noted last week on Twitter that if Cap and Tax becomes law, Americans will need to prepare for the Retrofit Police, the Lightbulb Brigade & Obam-odometers.

Jimmie Bise takes an in-depth look at the retrofitting provisions of the House cap-and-trade bill — Section 304.

Read the whole deal here.

Excerpt:

Here’s what the Democrats have planned for you. The program requires that states label their buildings so that we can all know how efficient every building (that includes residential and non-residential buildings) is and it requires that the information be made public. To that end, the bill suggests a number of circumstances under which the states could inspect a building, including:

(A) preparation, and public disclosure of the label through filing with tax and title records at the time of–

(i) a building audit conducted with support from Federal or State funds;

(ii) a building energy-efficiency retrofit conducted in response to such an audit;

(iii) a final inspection of major renovations or additions made to a building in accordance with a building permit issued by a local government entity;

(iv) a sale that is recorded for title and tax purposes consistent with paragraph (8);

(v) a new lien recorded on the property for more than a set percentage of the assessed value of the property, if that lien reflects public financial assistance for energy-related improvements to that building; or

(vi) a change in ownership or operation of the building for purposes of utility billing; or

(B) other appropriate means.

Pay close attention to (iii), (iv), and (vi) because those hit you right where you live. What that’s saying is the state will be empowered to inspect your home if you want to 1) renovate your house in any way that requires a building permit, 2) sell your house, or 3) change the name of the person responsible for any utility bill.

By now, if you haven’t swallowed your tongue and are in need of medical attention, you’re probably wondering if there’s a penalty for not being in compliance with the new efficiency ratings. The answer is no, and yes. Here’s where the bill gets really sneaky. So far as I can tell, there is no direct penalty if your house does not meet the bill’s target. However, it does require that the number of buildings inspected by the state meet certain percentage targets and if they do not, the state loses out on a significant portion of the money it could get from Washington. In other words, the bill demands certain things from the states, but ties funding for those demands to compliance with the demands.

Melissa Clouthier probes further. And she’s right:

Your house is not your own.

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Posted in: cap and trade

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Comments


  1. #101
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:03 pm, flmom said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 2:51 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    How does a guy who …engaged our mortal enemies …qualify for your definition of conservative?

    The difference being that Reagan engaged from a position of power. He made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

  2. #102
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:03 pm, James Felix said:

    My wife drives a gas guzzler because we have three small children and we can’t spend forty grand for a hybrid minivan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part to cut back in other ways.

    So you’re contributing to overpopulation, helping destroy the planet and all but donating money to Al Qaeda.

    Shame on you, RSS, shame on you.

  3. #103
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:03 pm, Ragspierre said:

    My wife drives a gas guzzler because we have three small children and we can’t spend forty grand for a hybrid minivan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part to cut back in other ways.

    And one of the vehicles I drive is a Mercedes diesel, made over two decades ago, that gets 30 mpg. Think of how conservative that is…

    How much energy do you think goes into building a car?

    HMMMMMM….????

  4. #104
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:05 pm, corkie said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    I do, and that’s why I eat meat about once or twice a week, even though I would love to eat it four meals a day.

    My wife drives a gas guzzler because we have three small children and we can’t spend forty grand for a hybrid minivan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part to cut back in other ways.

    Your conservation efforts and your part to cut back are meaningless! They are eco-follies.

    Even if everyone in the world equaled your efforts, CO2 emissions wouldn’t be reduced to pre-2000 levels.

  5. #105
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:06 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    So Reagan wasn’t Conservative after all? For all these years I’ve been lied to by people who love Reagan and people who hate him?

    No I disapproved of him absolutely, regardless of his ideological stripes. I don’t know how anyone can stand up for a guy who sold weapons to the ayatollah to fund our proxy torture wars in Central America, while taking a blind eye to the crack cocaine that was flooding our cities as a result of those wars.

  6. #106
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:06 pm, txvet2 said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    My wife drives a gas guzzler because we have three small children and we can’t spend forty grand for a hybrid minivan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part to cut back in other ways.

    So, just like Algore, everybody else needs to be inconvenienced but you.

  7. #107
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, corkie said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:03 pm, James Felix said:

    So you’re contributing to overpopulation, helping destroy the planet and all but donating money to Al Qaeda.

    Shame on you, RSS, shame on you.

    None of that matters. What matters is that he does enough to make him feel pompous.

  8. #108
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Even if everyone in the world equaled your efforts, CO2 emissions wouldn’t be reduced to pre-2000 levels.

    And any change would be obviated by a volcano burping…

    not erupting

    just burping.

  9. #109
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Yet that fixes nothing since we can’t bulldoze the people who wrecked it out of the country. They just move on to commit more destruction.

    We are undone. We lost the country when we yielded the children’s education to the collectivists. Now the average voter thinks we are evil and the collectivists ‘care.’

    We lost the country when we passed abortion “rights.” But I agree with your sentiments!

  10. #110
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:08 pm, txvet2 said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:06 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    No I disapproved of him absolutely, regardless of his ideological stripes. I don’t know how anyone can stand up for a guy who sold weapons to the ayatollah to fund our proxy torture wars in Central America, while taking a blind eye to the crack cocaine that was flooding our cities as a result of those wars.

    As blatant a lie as you’ve ever posted on this board.

  11. #111
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:08 pm, nail49 said:

    Conservation… …means not taking more than you really need.

    Red State Stooge: You mean like

    four meals a day

    ?

  12. #112
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:08 pm, corkie said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:06 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    I don’t know how anyone can stand up for a guy who sold weapons to the ayatollah…

    Airplane parts are weapons?

  13. #113
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:10 pm, right4life said:

    I don’t know how anyone can stand up for a guy who sold weapons to the ayatollah to fund our proxy torture wars in Central America,

    you’re ok with people being tortured by communists like ortega and chavez though…its only resisting them that is ‘torture’ right.

  14. #114
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:11 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Methinks RSBigot’s true…which is to say hypocritical…colors are showing.

    What a wonderful demonstration.

  15. #115
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:11 pm, nail49 said:

    Airplane parts are weapons?

    corkie: Drop an airplane wheel on someone’s head and they are dead!

    Har!

  16. #116
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    3 kids can fit in the back of a hybrid civic.

    Aren’t you expecting a lil’ guy?(congrats if grandsonofdy has already entered the world). 3 little kids means 3 car seats, which will not fit in anything that gets better than 25 mpg. Fortunately we’re getting a wagon once our lease expires this year.

  17. #117
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm, right4life said:

    while taking a blind eye to the crack cocaine that was flooding our cities as a result of those wars.

    this is just idiotic. the drug dealers came up with crack, its more addictive, more potent, and more profitable…its free enterprise at work.

    ‘the result of those wars’ you have to be a left-wing stooge to believe something like that…unable to think for yourself.

  18. #118
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:13 pm, John Deaux said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 1:50 pm, WarTip said:
    … the number and ferocity of hurricanes BEFORE the industrial revolution, etc, etc et al ad infinitum.

    I remember back in the 80s when the environmentalists were lamenting the seagrass growth in Florida Bay and the decline of many fish species because of it. Come to find out it was because hurricanes periodically pass over and clear out the grass, but there had been none for over 10 years.

  19. #119
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:14 pm, right4life said:

    the democrats didn’t want to fight communism in central america, preferring to give them over to communist tyrants, so God knows how many more could suffer and die…just like they did in Vietnam…when they sold out our allies, and our servicemen that died, so that millions more could be slaughtered…

    you libs have blood on your hands.

  20. #120
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:15 pm, sonofdy said:

    Aren’t you expecting a lil’ guy?(congrats if grandsonofdy has already entered the world). 3 little kids means 3 car seats, which will not fit in anything that gets better than 25 mpg. Fortunately we’re getting a wagon once our lease expires this year.

    Both are already here, along with my wifes sisters little boy, yes thats 3 INFANTS in the house. ALL 3 can fit in the back seats, if you try real hard.

    It seems like you can talk the talk but not walk the walk.

  21. #121
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:17 pm, Misscheryl said:

    3:06 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    No I disapproved of him absolutely, regardless of his ideological stripes. I don’t know how anyone can stand up for a guy who sold weapons to the ayatollah to fund our proxy torture wars in Central America, while taking a blind eye to the crack cocaine that was flooding our cities as a result of those wars.

    RSS – you may want to rethink this.

  22. #122
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:18 pm, spaceycakes said:

    It serves the Statist’s agenda to keep us harping on class inequality. When there is none.

    RSS brings up ‘terrorism’ when it suits him. When it fits into the agenda at hand (in this case something called ‘foreign oil’), it’s ok. When it involves us sending tanks & troops into Iraq etc, it’s not ok.

    As long as we keep thinking that turning back our thermostats allows some poor tarpaper shack dweller in Chicago to have heat, then all is well.

    Riiiight.

  23. #123
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:18 pm, Ragspierre said:

    you libs have blood on your hands.

    This environmental religion they practice is all about hating our own race.

    They will kill many people. They know it, and don’t care.

    They will lower the standard of living in this country, if they succeed. They know it, and don’t care.

    They will make people miserable. They know it, and don’t care.

    They will destroy millions of jobs. They know it and don’t care.

    We deserve to be killed off as a species. Read their “thinkers”.

    None if this is a mystery.

  24. #124
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:21 pm, right4life said:

    This environmental religion they practice is all about hating our own race.

    this will be another disaster like DDT…where more people will die…although with DDT, the dirty little secret is that was mostly ‘children of color’ that died…and the libs were fine with that…ala margaret sanger and darwin..

  25. #125
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:22 pm, James Felix said:

    No I disapproved of him absolutely, regardless of his ideological stripes.

    RSS, stop for a moment. Forget that you and I disagree politically and just listen for a second.

    If you look over your posts you’ll find that you never answer a point anyone makes to you, you never actually defend your point of view.

    A typical exchange with you goes like this:

    -RSS asserts Proposition A
    -Someone else says Proposition A is
    incorrect
    -RSS responds by asserting Proposition B

    What you just said to me is a prime example.
    1)You said conservatives only preach to the choir
    2)I said Reagan’s 49 state landslide disproved that notion
    3)You responded by saying Reagan isn’t conservative
    4)I said that assertion flies in the face of what the man’s friends and enemies have labeled him for 30 years
    5)You respond with some boilerplate liberal crap about how you don’t like Reagan

    You said nothing to defend your assertion that Reagan wasn’t a Conservative, and by extension you have no defense of your original assertion that conservatives only preach to the choir.

    The reason you will never change anyone’s mind here is because you are incapable of articulating and defending a coherent position.

    Now, of course I don’t expect you to read this and change your ways. I think at your core you are a deeply unserious person with an aversion to actual thought and persuasion. Hopefully though someone else will read this and take a useful lesson from it, making the time I took to post it less than a complete waste.

  26. #126
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:23 pm, spaceycakes said:

    Ragspierre said

    Indeed; Remember Cameroon, 1986?

  27. #127
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, swede said:

    We deserve to be killed off as a species.

    Well, our species did produce democrats, thus must be flawed. Mutants perhaps.

  28. #128
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, txvet2 said:

    You mean like this?

  29. #129
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    this is just idiotic. the drug dealers came up with crack, its more addictive, more potent, and more profitable…its free enterprise at work.

    You need to act like you know.

    Of course U.S. drug dealers have their share of blame in the crack mess. But the fact is that they wouldn’t have any cocaine without smugglers, who included those who we were funding in the 80s, and whose side hustle we had plenty of knowledge of at the time.

  30. #130
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, right4life said:

    RSS asserts Proposition A
    -Someone else says Proposition A is
    incorrect
    -RSS responds by asserting Proposition B

    thats the left-wing playbook…they cannot defend their position(s) because that would take intelligence…and all libs can do is parrot talking points…if they could think for themselves they wouldn’t be libs…

  31. #131
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:27 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    You said nothing to defend your assertion that Reagan wasn’t a Conservative, and by extension you have no defense of your original assertion that conservatives only preach to the choir.

    Didn’t I say that Reagan talked to our enemies, ran up a huge government debt, and granted widespread amnesty? What a RINO!

  32. #132
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, nail49 said:

    Hopefully though someone else will read this and take a useful lesson from it, making the time I took to post it less than a complete waste.

    JF: I took something from it — a great delight in watching you spank the Red State Stooge.

  33. #133
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, txvet2 said:

    Oops, link didn’t work. Like this.

  34. #134
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, WarTip said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:22 pm, James Felix said: RSS, stop for a moment. Forget that you and I disagree politically and just listen for a second.

    If you look over your posts you’ll find that you never answer a point anyone makes to you, you never actually defend your point of view.

    Does that mean I should quit waiting for a response to the points I posted?

    Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

    And I was so hopeful about being edumacated.

  35. #135
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:29 pm, James Felix said:

    But the fact is that they wouldn’t have any cocaine without smugglers, who included those who we were funding in the 80s, and whose side hustle we had plenty of knowledge of at the time.

    Well then, thank God we had a Democrat in the White House all through the 90′s and the Cold War ended. That surely put the drug smugglers out of business.

  36. #136
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:30 pm, sonofdy said:

    RSS seems egar to divert from the topic at hand to drugs in the 80′s. (like reagan could have stoped it)

    I wonder why?

  37. #137
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, James Felix said:

    Didn’t I say that Reagan talked to our enemies, ran up a huge government debt, and granted widespread amnesty? What a RINO!

    That was part of your original assertion, not a defense of it.

    Thanks for proving my point.

  38. #138
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, spaceycakes said:

    sonofdy–I dunno; I was too busy taking drugs in the 80s

  39. #139
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, corkie said:

    Red State Skeptic,

    1. Don’t you dare think that I’m not a conservationist simply because I disagree with your method of conservation.

    MY method of environmental conservation is superior to yours. MY method of conservation would help the planet if practiced by everyone (yours wouldn’t).

    2. Don’t you dare think that I don’t support reducing our dependency on foreign oil.

    MY plan to reduce our dependency is superior to yours. MY plan would work (yours wouldn’t).

    Furthermore, I suspect that many other commenters on here feel the same way as me.

  40. #140
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:33 pm, corkie said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:27 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Didn’t I say that Reagan talked to our enemies…

    Nope. You wrote, “engaged.”

    Engaging enemies IS most certainly a conservative principle.

  41. #141
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, tmitsss said:

    Let’s move to Machu Picchu

  42. #142
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, right4life said:

    You need to act like you know.

    oh this is laughable…the whole *CIA created the crack epidemic* is laughable left-wing BS.

    oh yeah *allegations* and thats all your article has, that the contras smuggled cocaine….of course the medillin cartel in columbia had NOTHING to do with cocaine, or crack :roll:

    did you actually READ your link???

    CIA Response To Allegations of Drug Trafficking. No information has been found to indicate any action to follow-up or corroborate the allegations concerning ADREN/15th of September Legion drug smuggling into the United States. However, the September 1981 and February 1982 information against ADREN/15th of September Legion stemmed from a single source, and in October 1982, Headquarters issued a cable indicating that the source was thought to be untrustworthy and a possible agent of the Government of Nicaragua. A January 1982 Headquarters cable noted that an Agency asset should not meet Justiniano Perez and Francisco Rivera “who represent the ‘Renegade’ splinter group of the 15th of September Legion.”

    so much for the left-wing BS…

  43. #143
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:37 pm, txvet2 said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:27 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    You forgot to mention that he used to sneak out of the White House and steal cans of beans from homeless people so he could take them back and eat them himself. If you’re going to propound whacko history, don’t go half way.

  44. #144
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:37 pm, flmom said:

    Furthermore, I suspect that many other commenters on here feel the same way as me.

    I certainly do. This whole global warming scam has the hallmark of a religion, as Rags inferred earlier. I resent anyone trying to ‘convert’ me, much as the same global warming cultists would resent my trying to ‘convert’ them to my faith.

  45. #145
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:39 pm, Ragspierre said:

    No information has been found to indicate any action to follow-up or corroborate the allegations concerning ADREN/15th of September Legion drug smuggling into the United States. However, the September 1981 and February 1982 information against ADREN/15th of September Legion stemmed from a single source, and in October 1982, Headquarters issued a cable indicating that the source was thought to be untrustworthy and a possible agent of the Government of Nicaragua.

    So…. RedStOOOOOOOPidBigot…

    You really need to read your own poop.

    What you are relating is a rumor that was investigated, and found incredible.

    Typical for a KosSack…

    Which, BTW is the source for a lot of your talking points here.

  46. #146
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pm, corkie said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:37 pm, flmom said:

    Yes, the global warming claim is the worst thing that could have happened to real conservation efforts. Excessive resources are constantly diverted away from real environmental issues.

  47. #147
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pm, James Felix said:

    I certainly do. This whole global warming scam has the hallmark of a religion cult, as Rags inferred earlier

    Fixed that for you :)

  48. #148
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Reagan…ran up a huge government debt

    A perfect collectivist lie.

    Not only is it NOT true, he didn’t have the power to do as alleged.

    What RSB is relating is the result of the LIE that Demoncrats told Reagan about their intent to cut spending as a quid pro quo to his agreement to slightly raise taxes toward the end of his term.

  49. #149
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:46 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    so that we can all know how efficient every building (that includes residential and non-residential buildings) is

    As soon as they leave I’m going to open my windows. Does that put me on the Reno-Napolitano enemies list?

  50. #150
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:48 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Does that put me on the Reno-Napolitano enemies list?

    Done that….LOOOOOOOnnnnnnnggggg ago…

  51. #151
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:52 pm, ctisa said:

    My house was built in 1828. It will be far cheaper for me to burn it to the ground than it would for me to upgrade it before selling.

  52. #152
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:53 pm, Misscheryl said:

    where’d he go?

  53. #153
    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:57 pm, Ragspierre said:

    where’d he go?

    Tall grass…or

    Kos for a refill of BS.

  54. #154
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm, stillontheroad said:

    Red State Skeptic said:
    I may work in the City but I live in farm country, the farmers and ranchers here are having a fit, costs of anything petroleum based, are going through the roof. This cap and Trade business is going to put many of them out of business simply because of
    costs. When that happens, watch all food stuffs increase to the point of insanity and then see how well the Knee Cap and Trade bill works out.

  55. #155
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:04 pm, WarTip said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm, stillontheroad said:

    Red State Skeptic said:
    I may work in the City but I live in farm country, the farmers and ranchers here are having a fit, costs of anything petroleum based, are going through the roof. This cap and Trade business is going to put many of them out of business simply because of
    costs. When that happens, watch all food stuffs increase to the point of insanity and then see how well the Knee Cap and Trade bill works out.

    It worked so well in Australia that they repealed it. Think we have anyone that smart in our “representative” government?

  56. #156
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:10 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    My house was built in 1828. It will be far cheaper for me to burn it to the ground than it would for me to upgrade it before selling.

    It probably wasn’t built with union labor so it should be torn down. Don’t burn it though – polar bears will die and Al Gore will be forced to eat another donut to absorb the CO2. Those fine old-growth timbers shouldn’t be in private hands anyway – we will use them for railroad ties on your new solar-powered commuter train. As for the new building, Obama’s deal with Medvedev will require you to build a scale model of a Stalin-era apartment block which will be used to house you, a Chinese Gitmoite and Auntie Obama What’s-her-name.

    Thank you – remember, I am only the messenger.

  57. #157
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:16 pm, sonofdy said:

    Thank you – remember, I am only the messenger.

    Sorry, we shoot the messengers arround here.

    ;-)

  58. #158
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:18 pm, Durangodarlin said:

    and Congress voted on this without even reading it. How irresponsible. Of course if a bill has over 1000 pages, no one is going to read it. How absurd! Seems to me they are taken for a bunch of fools by the leadership, and they take us for a bunch of fools!

  59. #159
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:41 pm, Salt said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:16 pm, sonofdy said:

    Thank you – remember, I am only the messenger.

    Sorry, we shoot the messengers arround here.

    ;-)

    Save your ammo. They’ll be raising taxes on that next.

  60. #160
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:44 pm, cwbois said:

    SO RSS you ride the bus, big fricken deal. How nice for you to ride a public subsidized mode of transportation. Not all of us work in jobs that allow us to use anything other than or own private cars while at the same time paying taxes that subsidize your ride. How many other politically correct things do you do that the rest of us subsidize.

  61. #161
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:49 pm, spaceycakes said:

    wait…the bus picks up RSS & he lives in a farming area?

  62. #162
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:51 pm, Misscheryl said:

    spaceycakes said:
    wait…the bus picks up RSS & he lives in a farming area?

    it’s the short bus…they go everywhere It’s a federal program.

  63. #163
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:53 pm, tiredofit08 said:

    if all this crap and tax is passed, I’ll certainly be seriously considering never purchasing a home ever again….

  64. #164
    On July 8th, 2009 at 4:58 pm, spaceycakes said:

    I call bollocks

  65. #165
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:06 pm, infidel4life said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:02 pm, sonofdy said:

    Why do you hate the planet?

    So standing up for freedom, common sense, and the future of this nation = hating the planet….(?)

    LOL, that question proves that you do not even have the ability to think clearly. Yet another example of our failed state-run schools.

  66. #166
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:12 pm, sonofdy said:

    Dude, the question was aimed at RSS because he admited wife has a big car, after telling us we hate the planet because we don’t take the bus like he does. He also said eating meat too often is bad dispite him eating 4 meals a day.

  67. #167
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:14 pm, spaceycakes said:

    No, really. I live in a very rural area. Where’s the damn bus?!

  68. #168
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:17 pm, sonofdy said:

    No, really. I live in a very rural area. Where’s the damn bus?!

    Be along in 10 to 15 years.

  69. #169
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:19 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Where’s the damn bus?!

    when have we heard that before?

  70. #170
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:25 pm, Misscheryl said:

    speaking of environmental nuts. Greenpeace just unfurled a huge banner on Mt. Rushmore with Obama’s face on it demaning an end to global warming…

    ah huh yes they did.

  71. #171
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:26 pm, Ragspierre said:

    No, really. I live in a very rural area. Where’s the damn bus?!

    Be along in 10 to 15 years.

    You guys think you’re kidding.

    Michael Moore has seriously proposed rural bus transport.

  72. #172
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:28 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    I said it before just after the bill passed. This bill essentially nationalized every private home in America. You don’t own it if you can’t sell it. And if you thought property taxes were high just wait until they Fed get into the act and mandate all sorts of changes you must implement in your own home!

    This bill alone is reason to throw out every elected official in the federal government!

  73. #173
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:32 pm, johnsteele said:

    Can someone explain — intelligently please — where in the Constitution federal government gets the authority to require local building officials to do these things? Oh, wait, we don’t use the Constitution any longer.

  74. #174
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:42 pm, spaceycakes said:

    Ragspierre–the only thing Michael Moore does that I take seriously is his bowel movements.

    Now, those have gotta be earth-changing.

  75. #175
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:46 pm, WarTip said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:26 pm, Ragspierre said:

    No, really. I live in a very rural area. Where’s the damn bus?!

    Be along in 10 to 15 years.

    You guys think you’re kidding.

    Michael Moore has seriously proposed rural bus transport.

    Where I live now, public transportation is NOT subsidized by taxpayers and actually makes more profits that way.

    Where I grew up (last I heard and the last time I was back in the states at least) if you needed a ride into town (about 65 miles away) you could ride the school bus to town … but like the students, you had to leave your rifle in the rifle rack behind the driver’s seat but you could carry your pistol on your person.

    Rural? Hahahahaha Yeah! Once we got into town!

  76. #176
    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:55 pm, zorro said:

    … But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security….

    The “despots” in Congress are really pushing the envelope.

  77. #177
    On July 8th, 2009 at 6:04 pm, wayiwalk said:

    It’s really painful to read the synopsis of the bill.

    How many of these commercial building owners (most likely to be targets, don’t they have deep pockets, wink wink) voted for these idiots that are pushing this plan through?

    The worst notion from all of this I see is that with greater and greater gov’t control of things, it only invites more and more graft/kickbacks/payoffs to “the inspectors” of these buildings, most of whom probably won’t understand at all what they are inspecting.

    The more power and money you put into the gov’t's hands, the more bad behaviour you see on the part of the actors…nothing worse than fools responsible for OPM!

    By the way, why do all of the threads on this board have to devolve into person attacks that are digressions from the issues?

    Could MM consider using board software that allows users to block comments from users they consider idiots?

  78. #178
    On July 8th, 2009 at 6:50 pm, txvet2 said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 5:28 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Wait until you have to pay a federal property tax to pay for the bureaucrats whose job it is to refuse to allow you to sell your house.

  79. #179
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:20 pm, inspiredhome said:

    “An unconstitutional act is not law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties: affords no protection: it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation, as inoperative as though it has never been passed.”

  80. #180
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:26 pm, WarTip said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:20 pm, inspiredhome said:

    “An unconstitutional act is not law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties: affords no protection: it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation, as inoperative as though it has never been passed.”

    McCein Feingold silences the people and prohibits us from exercising our first amendment rights to free speech but the SCOTUS says it is Constitutional.

    I agree with you but unfortunately, we now have a SCOTUS that is increasingly bent on following international law and creating their own rules as they go with a blatant disregard for the Constitution. I do not foresee this changing as we become increasingly socialist and then dive into the realm of communism.

  81. #181
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm, Jeff said:

    M.P.G. was killed by many forces. I owned a 1976 Pontiac Sunbird carbureted 3.8 liter, 5-speed. 38 m.p.g. highway. I had a 1994 Ford Tempo 3.0 liter automatic, no overdrive. 25 m.p.g. Then, a 2001 Olds Bravada SUV 4.3 liter, automatic with overdrive. 24 m.p.g. My SUV was FAR more comfortable, had more power, and room than my Tempo while, weighing 1200 lbs. more AND less aerodynamic.

  82. #182
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:37 pm, Jeff said:

    Insulating your home to be more efficient should have been your goal if, you planned on owning it for any length of time. I added insulation in my home in Northern Michigan to R-58 everywhere it would fit, and replaced water heater with a tankless model. My house was very comfortable year-round and I never paid over $125 a month for heat, or cooling. Oh, 1500 square foot ranch style and, yes it snowed plenty in winter. My Mom paid $400 a month in winter for heat in her house ( In 1978 ) For a home only, slightly larger than mine. I want others to be encouraged via tax credits to do what’s necessary for improved efficiency. If your already there, adding an additional fee to prove you have done so, is asinine. How will renters be helped by this bill ?

  83. #183
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:37 pm, inspiredhome said:

    I do know that God is in control. As Thomas Jefferson said about events in his time, so it also rings true for today:

    “For in a warm climate, no man will labour for himself who can make another labour for him. This is so true, that of the proprietors of slaves a very small proportion indeed are ever seen to labor. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever . . . .”

  84. #184
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm, Jeff said:

    BTW : Energy independence is a crock. If it was so good; how come Saudi Arabia is not energy independant ? They IMPORTED 83,000 barrels a day of gasoline and, other refined oil products in 2005. Read ” Gusher of Lies ” Robert Bryce 2008. Very good read.

  85. #185
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:44 pm, Stillwaiting said:

    Sadly, our homes have not been our own since local gov’ts first started assessing a property tax. In a way, we are all just renting from the gov’t.

    Local ordinances and HOA rules took away more of our freedom. In my little town the “compliance officers” drive around looking for homes with no trees in the front yard, shrubs too close to the street, house numbers over the garage door, etc., etc.

    Now states will likely require disclosure of your home’s energy-efficiency rating when you want to sell the property. So you can either shell out the bucks to comply or let the bad rating reduce your property value.

  86. #186
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:46 pm, Ragspierre said:

    I agree with you but unfortunately, we now have a SCOTUS that is increasingly bent on following international law and creating their own rules as they go with a blatant disregard for the Constitution.

    And I maintain that each of us, in the quiet realm of our own conscience, HAS to decide if we really believe in the founding principles of America.

    Are we, as individuals, masters or servants of our government?

    Once we individually answer that question, we know what we must do.

    If we say that obedience to law is our highest duty, then we are merely awaiting the passage of the law that makes us slaves.

  87. #187
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    while taking a blind eye to the crack cocaine that was flooding our cities as a result of those wars.

    Justhelping Obama get though high school…

  88. #188
    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:56 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    wait…the bus picks up RSS & he lives in a farming area?

    Actually those nice Amish guys pick him up and give him a ride.

  89. #189
    On July 8th, 2009 at 8:16 pm, coffee said:

    #58 corkie said:

    Stop thinking that reducing CO2 emissions equals reducing our dependency on foreign oil.

    Oh, he stopped doing that long ago.

  90. #190
    On July 8th, 2009 at 8:42 pm, allrsn said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:18 pm, Ragspierre said:
    you libs have blood on your hands.

    You forgot:

    Life

    Liberty

    The pursuit of happiness

    In other words you forgot FREEDOM

  91. #191
    On July 8th, 2009 at 8:42 pm, havok said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    My wife drives a gas guzzler because we have three small children and we can’t spend forty grand for a hybrid minivan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part to cut back in other ways.

    LOL…and you dare lecture anyone else. How much oil did it take to make the PC you type on all day? How much energy does it take to make a new hybrid car? How long do you have to drive it to reclaim that energy? What do you do with the perfectly good car you want me to throw away?

    You need to change your name. You don’t comprehend skepticism.

  92. #192
    On July 8th, 2009 at 9:11 pm, WarTip said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:46 pm, Ragspierre said: And I maintain that each of us, in the quiet realm of our own conscience, HAS to decide if we really believe in the founding principles of America.

    Are we, as individuals, masters or servants of our government?

    Once we individually answer that question, we know what we must do.

    If we say that obedience to law is our highest duty, then we are merely awaiting the passage of the law that makes us slaves.

    I do agree but I think your presentation is an oversimplification. Perhaps this is due to the constraints of space and the fact that this is not truly our site, but I shall elaborate some if you will allow me … speaking only for myself mind you.

    My Bible says to me that I am supposed to follow the laws of man … yet also that nothing supersedes the law of God. Thus, when the law of man conflicts with the Law of God, only one can be followed with a clear conscience. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and on this point I do agree. However, like the Bible, it has been “interpreted” to mean what people want it to mean to further their causes. I am subject to the Law that is laid forth in the Constitution. However, the Constitution does not provide me with any rights but rather, expressly forbids the government from impeding my rights given to me by my creator. When that law is conflicted, that is a violation of the supreme law of this land and by its very nature, unconstitutional no matter how much the SCOTUS may try to convince me otherwise. To paraphrase, the Constitution is not an instrument to allow government to control the people, but rather an instrument for the people to control the government.

    We have lost control and we need to get it back soon or the consequences will be increasingly and exponentially worse at least for anyone not in a position of authority and power. That is not freedom by any stretch of the imagination and I for one, refuse to submit.

  93. #193
    On July 8th, 2009 at 10:15 pm, MarcoPolo said:

    From a local GOP newsletter:

    “How many Democrats does it take to screw you with a light bulb?”

  94. #194
    On July 8th, 2009 at 10:33 pm, Flyoverman said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm, Jeff said:
    BTW : Energy independence is a crock.

    Until you are at war and people start sinking every oil tanker headed towards your country or they just cut off the supply like OPEC did to the U.S. in 1973.

    Most countries have no possible way to be energy independent. We are so blessed to have the means, and we just refuse to take advantage of this blessing for totally irrational reasons.

  95. #195
    On July 8th, 2009 at 10:40 pm, ironman said:

    On July 8th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    My wife drives a gas guzzler because we have three small children and we can’t spend forty grand for a hybrid minivan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part to cut back in other ways.

    I drive a 1974 Ford LTD with a 460cu. in. engine that billows black smoke and gets 10 miles to the gallon…not to mention that it marks its territory with a half pint of oil on the ground when it’s parked.I wouldn’t trade it for 10 hybrid minivans or Priuses(Piouses).However,just for the sake of irony,I may cover the back bumper with all the typical hippy stickers(peace sign,ecology symbol,”don’t pollute my Mother Gaia”,etc,etc..)

    We deserve to be killed off as a species.

    No…just the self righteous/holier-than-thou/Marxist/big nanny statist/eco-nazi portion of the species should taste the strychnine kool-aid….that is,if they have the courage of their convictions.

  96. #196
    On July 8th, 2009 at 10:52 pm, fulldroolcup said:

    Try to think back the last forty years and come up with any span of 20 years when the US was not at some period at war. So when RSS calls conservatives “warmongers” AND says he spent 20 years in the Army, my BullShiteMeter goes off-scale.

    so, rss: did you object to those wars the US engaged in when you served? Did you call your fellow soldiers warmongers? Baby-killers? Sounds kinda implausible.

    So, RSS: tell us your MOS, your rank, years served, where you were stationed, your division, brigade, company, unit. etc. Name ONE general officer (two-star and up) you served under.

    Plenty of people here on MM have served in the military (I have not, for the record, but I grew up in an Air Force family). They will easily be able to verify your info.

    If you won’t give the info we will draw the obvious conclusion. If you say it’s none of my business, YOU brought your service up as some sort of credential.

    Prove it.

    Oh and about Reagan “engaging” our mortal enemies: isn’t “The Won” doing that? He just left Moscow, AND he keeps trying to open “dialogues” with Iran, with whom we do not have diplomatic relations.

    And isn’t “The Won” driving up deficits TEN TIMES those of the Reagan years, in a single year?

    Are you fuming at Obama as you have at Reagan all these years?

    Oh and btw: just a day or two ago Obama’s EPA head and Energy Sec. admitted in front of Sen Inhofe’s panel that w/o India and China’s curtailing their own GROWING CO2 emissions, cap-and-trade will….do…nothing…to reduce atmospheric CO2.

    Nothing.

    Zip

    Zero

    Nada

    (you can find it all on Youtube).

    So your prissy practices may make you feel good, but they accomplish zip.

    It’s like going to the beach and being afraid to pee while you’re in the water, fearing you might cause ocean levels to rise.

    But I suspect that’s what you think, right?

    Oh, and how does buying a hybrid deprive Al Qaeda of revenues? Unless you are a first-time car buyer, or unless you will junk your current car, your trade-in will still be on the road, right? Still need gas, right?

  97. #197
    On July 8th, 2009 at 10:53 pm, fulldroolcup said:

    Try to think back the last forty years and come up with any span of 20 years when the US was not at some period at war. So when RSS calls conservatives “warmongers” AND says he spent 20 years in the Army, my Whopper-Meter goes off-scale.

    so, rss: did you object to those wars the US engaged in when you served? Did you call your fellow soldiers warmongers? Baby-killers? Sounds kinda implausible.

    So, RSS: tell us your MOS, your rank, years served, where you were stationed, your division, brigade, company, unit. etc. Name ONE general officer (two-star and up) you served under.

    Plenty of people here on MM have served in the military (I have not, for the record, but I grew up in an Air Force family). They will easily be able to verify your info.

    If you won’t give the info we will draw the obvious conclusion. If you say it’s none of my business, YOU brought your service up as some sort of credential.

    Prove it.

    Oh and about Reagan “engaging” our mortal enemies: isn’t “The Won” doing that? He just left Moscow, AND he keeps trying to open “dialogues” with Iran, with whom we do not have diplomatic relations.

    And isn’t “The Won” driving up deficits TEN TIMES those of the Reagan years, in a single year?

    Are you fuming at Obama as you have at Reagan all these years?

    Oh and btw: just a day or two ago Obama’s EPA head and Energy Sec. admitted in front of Sen Inhofe’s panel that w/o India and China’s curtailing their own GROWING CO2 emissions, cap-and-trade will….do…nothing…to reduce atmospheric CO2.

    Nothing.

    Zip

    Zero

    Nada

    (you can find it all on Youtube).

    So your prissy practices may make you feel good, but they accomplish zip.

    It’s like going to the beach and being afraid to pee while you’re in the water, fearing you might cause ocean levels to rise.

    But I suspect that’s what you think, right?

    Oh, and how does buying a hybrid deprive Al Qaeda of revenues? Unless you are a first-time car buyer, or unless you will junk your current car, your trade-in will still be on the road, right? Still need gas, right?

  98. #198
    On July 8th, 2009 at 11:15 pm, purplepeep said:

    I submit that this will provide some great material for “How many leftwing bureaucrats does it take to threaten federal prison and force entry to your home to change your lightbulb?” type jokes.

  99. #199
    On July 8th, 2009 at 11:22 pm, purplepeep said:

    fulldroolcup said:
    So, RSS: tell us your MOS, your rank, years served, where you were stationed, your division, brigade, company, unit. etc. Name ONE general officer (two-star and up) you served under.

    You’ll often run into a few “5-star generals” ranting against the military in the comments sections/forums of the leftwingers, FDCup! :)

  100. #200
    On July 9th, 2009 at 3:31 am, Papa Louie said:

    Ragspierre said:

    This environmental religion they practice is all about hating our own race. …

    We deserve to be killed off as a species. Read their “thinkers”.

    Here are a couple of quotes from those “thinkers” to back you up:

    Phasing out the human race will solve every problem on earth, social and environmental. — Dave Forman, Founder of Earth First!

    If I were reincarnated, I would wish to be returned to Earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels. — Prince Phillip, World Wildlife Fund

    You can also go back to the seventies and find quotes on Global Cooling like this:

    This cooling has already killed hundreds of thousands of people. If it continues and no strong action is taken, it will cause world famine, world chaos and world war, and this could all come about before the year 2000. — Lowell Ponte “The Cooling”, 1976

    Doesn’t that sound almost identical to the global warming propaganda being spouted today? None of this is really about CO2 or Climate Change. It’s about concentrating power in the hands of leftist elites who will then set about to reduce the global population – except, of course, within the circle of those leftist elites.

    They know they can’t win popular support on the platform of killing off most of the world’s population. But by hiding their real agenda behind the false front of global climate change, they can use Cap and Trade to gain control of huge sums of money and, at the same time, slowly choke off the economy in the name of reducing carbon.

    But the carbon they really want to limit is not CO2; it’s human flesh. If they truly believed that climate change was a real threat to humanity, the far left would welcome it with open arms. Climate Change is just another in a long line of excuses used by the left to gain complete control of our lives.

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