The Democrat solution? Tax and spend more:
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Obama said, “One of my top priorities next year is to have an energy policy that begins to address all facets of our overreliance on fossil fuels. We may end up having to do it in chunks, as opposed to some sort of comprehensive omnibus legislation. But we’re going to stay on this because it is good for our economy, it’s good for our national security, and, ultimately, it’s good for our environment.”
When it rains it pours.
What can America expect? The threat of carbon caps, renewable energy mandates, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and higher costs for energy.
Obama said so himself. In a 2009 video interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he said, “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”
What he didn’t mention is that more jobs would be lost — or move overseas.
[…]
In a report by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), found that with the EPA’s new regulations on commercial and industrial boilers called the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (Boiler MACT) almost 800,000 jobs are at risk.
The Cannon Courier newspaper in Tennessee reported that, “The EPA rule… will endanger family wage, American jobs and reverse economic development in the rural communities that need it the most.” The paper estimated 21,704 manufacturing jobs throughout Tennessee and the South could be lost as a result of this new regulation.
The Senate Committee report also found:
• New standards for Portland Cement plants: up to 18 cement plants at risk of shutting down, threatening nearly 1,800 direct jobs and 9,000 indirect jobs;
• The Endangerment Finding/Tailoring Rules for Greenhouse Gas Emissions: higher energy costs; jobs moving overseas; severe economic impacts on the poor, the elderly, minorities, and those on fixed incomes; 6.1 million sources subject to EPA control and regulation; and
• The revised National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone: severe restrictions on job creation and business expansion in hundreds of counties nationwide.In a press release Sen. Inhofe responded to the findings, “The record as outlined in this Minority report, which includes EPA’s own analysis, is very clear: EPA will make consumers pay more for electricity, shut down the local factory, and give Chinese firms a decisive advantage over America’s manufacturers, which are struggling to meet the agency’s bureaucratic mandates.”
This doesn’t sound good for a country going through the type of “recovery” that it is. Even worse, this Administration has offered no substitutions to the energy-producing mechanisms used to fuel the nation today.
Whether coal, natural gas or nuclear energy, Obama is waging a war against all of them. Each one of these industries would have to drastically alter its operations to fall within the EPA’s guidelines.
Obama doesn’t seem to care.
[…]
Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), says that in states where there are energy mandates, electricity bills are about 40 percent higher than states that don’t have mandates. He says much of that is attributed to a host of other regulations that get tacked on to the mandates that result in increased prices for consumers.
Obama has been pushing hard for Renewable Energy Standards (RES) for America with the support of many environmentalists groups and wind farm operations. His fight against America’s traditional energy-producing industries could start as early as November in a lame-duck session — depending on the outcome of the elections.
This country cannot afford the amount of jobs that would be lost as a result of Obama’s cap-and-trade policies, nor can it afford a dramatic rise in energy costs.
If Obama throws all his weight behind cap-and-trade with as much vigor and energy as he did with health care and America’s financial system, the country should brace for skyrocketing energy costs and even higher unemployment.
In other words, America can expect more of the same, unless things change in November.
For my money, if this is the direction government wants to take us, we’d do well to have, say, Chris Coons tied to this onerous and potentially “transformational” legislation, rather than adding “bi-partisan” to the press release, courtesy of “electable” Republicans like Mike Castle.
Again: such votes are clarifying. And until Americans see clearly just who is responsible for the kinds of policy initiatives that robs them of more and more of their earnings and liberties, at least some of them are likely to fall, either by rote or through institutionalized bias and mainstream media memetics, for the simplistic and divisive political narratives proffered by the “progressive” spinmasters.
Compromise has its uses. But when the compromise comes at the expense of first principles, you’ve traded a bit of your soul for expedience, and fooled yourself that you are being a “realist” or a “pragmatist,” and not an unwitting enemy of what you profess to believe.
Let’s just hope the ordinarily low-attention, low-information, voters pay attention to who is voting for what.
I mean, I’m ready to remind them and all, but who’s going to listen-especially here in NYC.
Here the lefties don’t even understand that tax rates and regulations enacted by the Democrats and RINOs are just as responsible for business fleeing the state as the extorsion of organized labor is.
The Democrats are at least as responsible for the rust belt as NAFTA or the Chinese are…
How much more taxation and legislation can we stand before there is no more industry in this country other than services?
– The Left won’t be able to pretend they only care about wars for much longer, as the available cash for beer parties and mall junkets peters out.
– So its just a matter of time before the young turks see things in a much more serious light as their free loading life style gets kicked to the curb. Then there will be hell to pay, I’ll tell you what.
MEMO TO THE INCOMING 112th CONGRESS:
DE-FUND THE MUTHAFUCKIN EPA.
DO IT.
…
Why yes, I was shouting.
Do the EPA hacks plug in their projectors when they do the PowerPoint?
Here the lefties don’t even understand that tax rates and regulations enacted by the Democrats and RINOs are just as responsible for business fleeing the state as the extorsion of organized labor is.
The “party of no” is simple to understand. Doesn’t have to accurately reflect the reality, but it does fit on a bumpersticker. Bonus points if it rhymes.
It should be “Party of Hell No”.
– Hopefully, on November 2nd it will become the party of “Fuck you”.
Barky has a hard on for the energy industry. He will do his best to pick winners in the energy space and force the incumbent fossil fuels to subsidize their own demise. The fags in the natural gas industry are already aligning themselves for the role of Judenrat for coming new order.
Heres the thing about capitalism that has been lost by the age of greed. The notion of market stewardship. That you did what you did to get ahead, but you also did it in manner that allowed you to sustain the business and grow it in a responsible manner. That was replaced with the attitude on how one can arbitrage the system and eat to ones fill before anyone else figured out what was going on … and then burn the whole thing to the ground once it became a frenzy.
I blame the MBA mentality for that. Mercernary finance is all they churn out at those supposed institutions of learning. They are the equivalent of commercial terrorists.
When Obama was elected(along with significant majorities in congress), the Dems went all in. Fundamental transformation of America. The sick puppies are determined, and yes, they are at heart fascists.
We won’t know whether or not our defense of liberty has been effective on November 3rd. At least I won’t be comfortable, even if the R’s pick up 100 seats. We are all; conservatives, classic liberals, libertarians, republicans, however you self identify, we are all in a crucial battle for the soul of America. If the next congress doesn’t very aggressively counterattack against the EPA(strip them of regulatory power), Obuma care(repeal the whole mess out of hand), and outlaw public unions, I will see the election result as a defensive retreat.
It’ll be hard to cheer for that.
The Democrats seem to have all of the tactical sense of General Melchett.
“The Democrats seem to have all of the tactical sense of General Melchett.”
I was thinking Sherman and the march to the sea.
Can power & cement plants just tell the EPA to shove it? I know that the EPA can levy fines, but what happens if you don’t pay?
I’m holding out for the Party of “Kiss This.”
Can power & cement plants just tell the EPA to shove it? I know that the EPA can levy fines, but what happens if you don’t pay?
How old are you?
OTT,
Living and dying by the Quarterly Earnings Report hasn’t helped, either. Short term profits over long-term growth seems to have been the preference of the big Wall Street investment groups over the past 3 decades…
Maybe Annual reporting would help return some sanity into the system…
The 9th circuit is unbelievable.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/05/brewer-offended-foreign-governments-meddling-arizona-law-dispute/
Our esteemed host quoted:
Oh, it’s more than that. In 2003-2004, our consumption of Portland cement was well above our production, and cement prices skyrocketed; we were importing millions of tons of cement. With the building crash, cement prices have fallen, but implementing plans which would shut down existing cement mills can only force another increase in cement imports, which means an increase in prices for ready mixed concrete. Our 44th President wants to see an increase in construction, and a decent chunk of the
porkulusstimulus plan money was used on construction projects.So, what would we have? As construction comes back — whenever the heck that will be — the price of building will increase, meaning we’ll get less for our dollars. And since we’ll have to be importing more cement, more of those dollars (many of which will be out tax dollars) will get shipped to Greece and Venezuela and Columbia, places which export cement.
Good plan!
Well, Dana, he is a one worlder afterall. Especially if that one world can be a socialist shithole.
If Obama throws all his weight behind cap-and-trade with as much vigor and energy as he did with health care and America’s financial system, the country should brace for skyrocketing energy costs and even higher unemployment.
No, I’m thinking the country should brace for a tsunami of whining, as Congresscritters find themselves between a Chicago thug with a baseball bat and an angry mob of voters with torches and pitchforks.
It’ll look like a casting call for the Scream Queen in this year’s zombie movie.
May I suggest stocking up on CrankyCudgels™? They will come in handy for putting the beat-down on the hordes of whiny liberals who will be roaming the streets after the election.
More “cool” ads from the minds of the greens.
A whiff of buckshot might work better than a CrankyCudgel™
The blog posts and comments are putting a smile on my face today.
Huzzah!
I really cannot wait until it costs $1750 a month to heat my home, and $576 to fill my gas tank.
I really cannot wait until it costs $1750 a month to heat my home, and $576 to fill my gas tank.
To be fair, these figures aren’t far out of line with my projections that a loaf of bread will go for $75. I’ve said it before: “We’ll make everyone a millionaire!” is a Democrat campaign slogan that’s popular and (half) truthful.
What if the cement companies just said no. 80% of the plants in the US are owned by three companies, what if they refused to impliment the latest EPA mandates? Could the federal government step in and shut them all down?
I know the rules won’t be enforced for several years due to court challenges, but if the cement trade group loses, what then.
How do we fight back against out of control regulators and federal judges? Can companies band together refuse to follow federal laws that are designed to put them out of business?
Here‘s a bit of free opposition research regarding the EPA plan.
Squid – When the price of oil sets all-time highs, my products will only cost about $49,028,715.47 for a football field.
Why on earth would we limit ourselves to torches and pitchforks? We’re the most heavily armed nation in the world, dontcha’know.
Remember, you can’t spell “environmentalist” without “mental.”
I stole that from–of all places–the HotAir comment section.
Matty O, your mom needs to get you the SHORTBUS™ schedule.
Matty, are you related to cynn?
Who is this “bitch ball” thingie?
Who is this “bitch ball” thingie?
I am me! semanticleo, alphie, parsnip, truth-n-justice, lovey, nishidiot, thor all rolled into one.
Those are trolls from multiple sites. Sock puppets kind of suck.
I am part of the troll collective. A lot of things suck, don’t let it ruin your day.
Then it’s fortunate that things will change in November, isn’t it? Come November 3rd Obama isn’t going to have much weight to throw behind anything. Granted, there are fears of a lame duck session — I don’t know how realistic those fears are — and we’re still going to have a lot of RINOs to deal with in subsequent election cycles, but I do think we can quit worrying about Obama throwing his weight around.
Why do you say that?
If you are in a free country, you should resist a gangster government.
The USA was founded on the rule of law, progressives have been undermining that principle for decades. Free people have to band together to oppose tyranny. The Constitution must be reinstated to the primacy it enjoyed until Wilson swept it aside.
Yes, as far as prose goes, I’m a window licker, tend toward disjointed statements.
You know, though it never use to bother me, I find myself increasingly annoyed by the term ‘fossil fuel’. Just the name, in and of itself.
Nobody actually knows where that shit comes from.
They do know it’s not dinosaur fossils… that was a theory put out by Russian scientists a century ago, and while it seemed credible at the time, they know it’s not at all the case.
They have newer theories… and the most accepted ones are biogenic (meaning it’s organic) but they really don’t know about those either.
And it sure as hell ain’t fossils.