It’s hard to say whether the Waxman-Markey global warming bill that will soon be debated and voted on in the House is the most intellectually- and morally-corrupt bill ever seriously considered by Congress. But I’d bet that there are 433 congressmen who are glad that this legislative atrocity is not named after them.
After years of fierce battling by greens and global warming skeptics, few Americans seem to buy into the bill’s premise — that manmade emissions of carbon dioxide are causing the planet to run a fever, as Al Gore is fond of saying. Just this week, a public relations firm advising House Democrats recommended that the notion of “global warming” be dropped as a primary message since “almost no one in our focus groups expressed such concern.”
So despite all the frantic global warming alarmism — and the vicious likening of skeptics to Holocaust-deniers by Gore and the legions of green fanatics in activist groups, the media, industry and government — the out-manned and out-gunned skeptics have largely succeeded in being heard by Americans.
Ironically, the wild claims of Gore and the greens may have actually damaged the “green” brand. The PR firm also advised dropping the term “green” since it has become “meaningless or confusing” in focus group-testing.
Though stripped of its intellectual pretense, Waxman-Markey nevertheless soldiers on to House debate and vote. How this has come to pass must be one of the great tragicomedies of American political history.
To compel Congress and industry to work together toward the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade regime, President Obama threatened both with EPA regulation of carbon dioxide, a move that would prevent Congress from reaping the political benefits of doling out $9 trillion worth of taxpayer funds to certain industries and special interest groups between 2012 and 2050. President Obama moved a step toward making good on this threat by ordering the EPA to declare carbon dioxide — what humans exhale and what plants need to grow — a threat to the public welfare.
Apparently even President Obama’s staff was somewhat embarrassed about that move. Obama climate czar Carol Browner ordered a “vow of silence” and issued an edict to “put nothing in writing ever” concerning White House staff deliberations on the matter.
When House Republicans Darrell Issa and James Sensenbrenner called for an investigation into Browner’s potentially “deliberate and willful violation” of the Presidential Records Act, Rep. Henry Waxman got Issa and Sensenbrenner to drop the subject with vague promises to “monitor the situation” and to “potentially” hold a hearing. None of Waxman supposed promises will be implemented before the House debate and vote on Waxman-Markey.
Competing for most-appalling character in the Waxman-Markey saga is Rep. Ed Markey. Immediately after the head of Warren Buffet’s electric utility unit testified against Waxman-Markey’s cap-and-trade provision, Markey fired off a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) specifically requesting that Buffet’s utility be investigated. After being rebuked by House Republicans for this blatant intimidation, Markey then asked FERC to expand the requested investigation to all investor-owned utilities, rather than appearing to single out Buffet’s. Now all utilities are under operating with a Markey-pointed gun to their heads.
Although many businesses have been coerced into supporting Waxman-Markey, much of big business has actively pushed for the bill. Many Wall Street banks hope to profit from the trading of the $9 trillion in emissions allowances to be created under Waxman-Markey. Goldman Sachs would be the preeminent global warming bookie as it owns the exchanges where carbon allowances would be traded.
General Electric, whose CEO sits on Barack Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, was instrumental in putting together the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), a bizarre big business-environmental activist group lobbying consortium that is a primary driver of global warming legislation. USCAP has even taken credit for drafting parts of Waxman-Markey. GE, it seems, would like a federal law requiring electric utilities buy the wind turbines and other energy technologies manufactured by — guess who — GE.
Republican James Sensenbrenner recently asked the Department of Justice to investigate USCAP members General Motors and Chrysler for illegally using taxpayer bailout money to lobby for global warming legislation. AIG, the insurance giant that is now a ward of U.S. taxpayers, only dropped out of USCAP after Rep. Joe Barton pointed out the illegality of accepting federal money and then using it to lobby the federal government.
And then there’s Al Gore, who stands to become the first “carbon billionaire” through his partnership in the venture capital firm of Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers and the UK-based investment firm of Generation Investment Management. When Gore testified in favor of global warming legislation before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January, he failed to disclose his personal financial interests and no Senator came close to asking him about them.
When he testified in April before the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee in favor of Waxman-Markey, Gore again failed to disclose his conflicts-of-interest. When Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) probed into these matters, Gore feigned ignorance and pretended that he would not personally benefit from Waxman-Markey. Although Rep. Waxman made baseball players testify under oath to Congress about the comparatively petty issue of drug use in baseball, he did not subject Gore to penalty for perjury.
In addition to Waxman-Markey’s $9 trillion wealth transfer from taxpayers to special interest groups, the Brookings Institution also estimates that Americans will lose $2 trillion (present value) in purchasing power between 2010-2050. Al Gore dubiously counters that the per household cost of Waxman-Markey is about the value of a postage stamp per day.
But even that’s too much for a bill that will accomplish nothing for the environment while simultaneously making a mockery of our system of government.
Steven Milloy publishes JunkScience.com and is the author of the Amazon.com bestseller, Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them.
For ten years I have been at the foot of my bed in my adult Dr. Dentons, on my knees, praying for an asteroid to land on the IRS building the night of the State of the Union speach when all of the electeds are in one place. Join me in this nightly ritual to cleanse America of our greatest parasites.
Just think if the global warming BS comes to pass and the sea levels raise by 40-80 feet Washington DC will be under water. Pray for global warming!!!
“a postage stamp a day!”
I am sorry, but that is only $160 per year and the well-documented figures I have seen are more like $3,000 to $4,000 per employed person to produce $25 billion in new taxes. Forget about a new car, putting your kid through college or anything other than paying your mortgage, food and clothing at Walmart bills.
I find it hard to believe that the CBO did such a poor job guessing at the impact of Cap and Trade. Thanks to the CBO, it is now possible to say, with their opinion as proof, that the cost of the bill is as low as a postage stamp a day. The PDF file was only 13 pages but anyone who took the time to read it must have noticed that the thing read like a cross between a Monopoly game and a drug deal. Some ofthe Carbon Allowances are to be given away(free samples) and maybe 70% of them are to be bought from the government later. Most of the negative impact comes well after this crop of Congressmen and Senators have stood election at least once.
The CBO passed on the impact of the policy especially if it worked or not. Even though the cost to the consumer was the main focus, it was mentioned in passing but not added to the total cost that the governments of state and local variety would also incur costs. I guess that means that my state and city government will just eat the problem as if they were taking one for the planet. Cynical people think the local and state government will make the taxpayters donate the money that the CBO refused to tally.
IF the CBO sees no problem with a policy that does not work, I think we owe a lot of con men an apology for harrassment and even imprissonment. Maybe our Predident will apologize for that too? Spreading these financial instruments throughout the system could be a lot like producing counterfeit money. Do they think the Chinese or the Indians are going to come over here and snap them up like distressed properties? This whole crisis was suppose to be started with toxic paper and here we are generating more of it!
Well, I EAT lefties for breakfast any more. I am tired of their cooing about “talking things over” and “reaching an accord”. It ain’t happenin’! Not with me any more. When one of them tries to confront me, I bust their chops, but good. So doing, I am in my grizzly bear mode. And once that kicks in, they usually put their tails between their legs and run like hell. No more compromise!! BULLSHIT!!!! I have a genuine Welsh Temper too!!!!
The science is very simple. And you are right, water is the most potent “greenhouse gas” there is, IF any there be. Science as you and I know it is gone and anyone who tries to practice real science is squashed or destroyed. And the sycophants all go where the money is, and most of that comes from our “gummint”. For example, “The Big Bang” almost certainly never happened. The BB makes this universe a closes system. But all the empirical data is clearly starting to point to an OPEN SYSTEM universe. It is also interesting to note that when we have closed-system cosmologies, as we clearly have today, liberty tends to get crushed by authoritarian/totalitarian, statist “government”. When we have OPEN-SYSTEM cosmologies, personal liberty tends to rise up and dominate the world. See Eric Learner’s “The Big Bang Never Happened”. He is very precise on this point. But you also understand that like so many “leading scientists”, James Hansen IS A WHORE!! And until we flush the whores out of science, there will be no improvement in anyone’s life on this planet (except for the hyper fat-cats who are bringing on this train wreck for their own benefit; certainly not for ours. Tar and feather James Hansen and ride him out of town naked on a very splintery split fence rail!!!!! And do it to some of the rest of the whores to, until they get the message. We want, WE NEED, REAL SCIENCE BACK!!!!!!!!
That;s ok I am messed up and that is a big difference, it is ok to make a mistake unless a leftie sees it and then you are his/her fodder for the next year, so they can rake you over the coals about your learning..
How right you are, drgroovejb,
If the Republicans can take the House in 2010 they can make Obama a lame duck for two years, build a candidate and then drub his butt in 2012 after shutting off all the borrowing and spending. That is the way!
I know the guy can’t help it but if you look at his face top to bottom it is as corrupt as he is. It is past time to stop this green hell we have found ourselves in . the politicians are not conducive in the senate for this bill to pass. Can you imagine working with Waxman all day long even if it is just for a couple days a week . I feel the ones that are pushing this bill know what it is about and should be prosecuted for fraud .
Well, look at it this way. If the economy and health care reform crap don’t get him, then cap and trade will. When the “people” find out that they have to pay for “global warming” the debate, definitely, will be over. I believe he is a lame duck in 2010 and gone like Carter in 2012.
I am a tad bit more optimistic about the waxass and sparkey bill because I believe even democrats don’t want to SCREW themselves.
Except the liberal-fascist “frogs”, of course, following ‘bama around with their noses up his dictator ass.
Even those who are brain-dead in science should be able to see this bill is all about money and power, taxing power, and nothing else. How anyone could ever get away with blaming a trace gas for heating the atmosphere is the story behind the story. This beats “flat Earth” all to Hell. I can teach a class of junior high school science students how to read areas under absorption curves, compare CO2 and H2O vapor in terms of E = (h X c)/w and see that water vapor is not only the principle greenhouse gas, but has 1500 times the effect of CO2! James Hansen should be hanged for what he has done to science, science education, eduational publishing, respect for authority and America.
I messed up, the above should state:
“Those who vote AGAINST it STILL DO.”
Waxman-Markey is to me the test as to whether or not ANY member of the House or the Senate has any honor or integrity any more.
Those who vote for it DO NOT.
Those who vote for it STILL DO.
At this point in time, absent a miracle, I do not think it can be stopped.
This bill is THE PINNACLE of all the is wrong with the USA today and I can tell you that the people really do not want it. It is just that the days of the “gummint” listening to be peopled passed away, perhaps forever, on January 20, 2009, when the impostor/usurper and fascist tyrant had himself installed in the White House.