Cap and Trade

Why so fast? That's the question that I, and quite a few others, are asking. Especially considering what the "cap and trade" bill would do and cost. Even the Chicago Tribune, Obama's home newspaper which AGREES with many of the principles in the bill, is saying to slow down.

Basically, the bill was still changing as of this morning, has grown to over 1200 pages, nobody's actually had a chance to read the whole thing, and it's set for a vote today in the House!

This is reckless. First off, I completely dismiss the premise of the argument for cap and trade. This is going to increase the cost of energy for everything we do. Not only that, but increase the cost of manufacturing, which will ultimately get passed along to us. All for the asinine theory that we as humans 1.) know what the proper temperature of the Earth should be and 2.) have the ability to change the climate. The "consensus" surrounding this issue is falling apart, and for good reason, in my opinion. Even the Australians are preparing to kill their own carbon emissions schemes.

Secondly, the way this is getting hammered through is ridiculous. Check out this Wall Street Journal story detailing how the Dems are basically setting aside simple, tested, and universal economic truths to make their case for the cap and trade bill. On a side note, take a look at the bill's author, Henry Waxman, who represents Hollywood. Isn't this guy one of the strangest looking human beings ever? Anyway, here is a paragraph taken out of the WSJ story that really says it all:

The hit to GDP is the real threat in this bill. The whole point of cap and trade is to hike the price of electricity and gas so that Americans will use less. These higher prices will show up not just in electricity bills or at the gas station but in every manufactured good, from food to cars. Consumers will cut back on spending, which in turn will cut back on production, which results in fewer jobs created or higher unemployment. Some companies will instead move their operations overseas, with the same result.

I want to know why they feel they have to push this through so quickly. Now hmmm, let me see. What else did they shove through recently without reading, seemed like a few months ago? Oh yeah, that's right. The crappy stimulus bill. Boy, has that thing worked wonders.

They're doing this for the exact same reason they shoved through the stimulus and the same reason they're trying to do the same with health care. They know that if the American people have a chance to really see what's in the bill, there's not a chance in hell it would pass. Change we can believe in.