Climate Change Bill: Moving America to...

Under the cover of all the hoopla happening on Friday, the House of Representatives slipped in an hour to vote on and pass the historic mammoth 1500 page Climate Change Bill, of course, which almost no one had read.

A big win for the environment, which speaker Pelosi calls “A move to the future.” But as we learned, or hopefully learned, from the Kyoto Accord, the promise of the bill needs to match the process designed to meet that promise, which was its weakness.

Amidst the craziness that some are calling “Cap and Trade” include:

· A mandatory 20% reduction of fossil fuels by 2020 replaced by yet unknown alternative energy (nuclear not included)

· US companies buying an allotment of Pollution Permits from the government, let alone being forced to also purchase Al Gore’s venture capital invested carbon measuring software.

· A doubling of many household’s utility bills

· Other oddities added to the bill, probably in the 300 pages added at the last minute:

· All houses must conform to California housing standards

· Houses but be pre-approved by a federal energy efficiency inspection before it can be sold.

· And even something about shower police??

· Bottom line, it is, regardless of what side of the political spectrum you lie, the biggest tax hike in US history.

After the historic victory Obama said, “It's a bold and necessary step that holds the promise of creating new industries and millions of new jobs, decreasing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil."

So obviously there are more questions:

Does the US need the Government to create new markets and new jobs?

If dependence on foreign oil is such a big deal, why don’t we just use what we already have and are not using?

Since government will create the market and therefore these jobs, who will pay for it? Is this another FORCED distribution of wealth, opposed to consumer driven consumption?

The allotted permits are determined by what and who? Isn’t this simply more government getting involved in economical matters? One could assume more arbitrary carrots to dangle in front of corporations to do the bidding of the government. “Sure, we’ll give you more allotments, if you…..” But I’m SURE that would never happen…

Why is the government pushing through MAJOR legislation that drastically affects the future of our nation without letting not only the public at large, but even those voting the chance to read it?

How will US companies, already fighting an uphill battle against foreign competition do better? What is to keep them from just moving? For example in the last 8 months, AT&T cancelled up to 12.000 US jobs at about an average of 38,000 USD per year. Many of those went to Slovakia where they pay less than 1/3^rd that amount.

A couple insights, first, if you’re not into day-trading it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get familiar with it, as more and more companies move operations overseas to stay competitive, meaning less work available, day-trading I predict will be the best option for self-employment .

There is a strange desire to emulate Europe. This is the US, which has led the world in most things developmentally since its inception. It is European to imitate, while American style is to innovate. Our government today acts more like older European leadership then even the current European leadership.

A previously White House suppressed EPA report has recently surfaced claiming that the Earth temperatures since 2001 have stayed the same or cooled while CO2 emissions have gone up. An investigation has already been called in the Senate.

The US is unique in that is truly is not only the land of opportunity, but the ONLY land of opportunity.

That being true, the US as the strongest most successful economy in the history of the WORLD, should just take advantage of that which made us strong, which is opportunity through potential, not this limitation through penalty.

The president believes he can FORCE change on Americans rather than simply incentivize them, provide opportunity and potential in the direction you want to head, and American will COMPETE to get there first. But you would need to be raised American to understand that. Clearly, the administration doesn’t get it, or just doesn’t care.

I agree with Pelosi in that this bill is a move…maybe not to the future as she foresees it.

If you haven’t experienced other cultures (outside of US boarders of course) I’ll explain in detail what this last point means in the next blog.