Have we missed something? Who voted for this kind of change? Over the years, America has enabled more and more people to vote without knowing what they are doing.
Harsh Words, Mr. Postrevolutionary…
I try to contain my anger when I start to write. But over the last 3 months, since my last post, I have seen things that make me sick to my stomach. Yet it seems that the people who voted this hope and change into office doesn’t have a clue as to what is going on.
I remember the months leading up to the election. How the rhetoric was being bandied about by the people who should have known better, because they are the ones who are now paying the most for the decisions of this administration! “This is the dawn of a new era for America! Obama will bring about a fresh new feel to our country! We don’t want 8 more years of George Bush!”
Spending Was Bad In The Bush Administration!
As most of the Obama supporters were pointing out way back in 2008, Bush was ramping up the deficit at a rate nobody had ever seen before. His military spending was through the roof (because we were – and still are – at war) and the Congressional spendthrifts were tacking on every imaginable earmark that could possibly be added to the defense spending bills to bump up the spending in their districts…
But look at the first 5 months in office of this “new and improved” administration! The deficit is set to eclipse the deficit set by Bush during his 8 years in office! How the heck do we not get alarmed at this? If this is the hope and change that we were voting for, then I am really disillusioned…
Where Does It End?
The Cap And Tax Bill that squeaked through the House, the one nobody read before voting on it (the main reason they waited until late Friday to vote on it) shows signs of being another friend of the spenders. The earmarks added to the bill were designed to buy the votes of the Congressmen who were against it, and now that they managed to get it past the House of Representatives (do they really represent our interests when they pass a bill like this?) the Senate is the only body to stand in the way of this bill becoming law!
What exactly is the Cap and Tax bill? If you listen to the members of the House who voted for it, it is a way for us to determine energy policy for the country in a way that will eliminate our carbon footprint in the world and reduce the US impact on Global Warming.
These measures would set a limit, or cap, on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. The effect of such a cap would be to impose rationing of coal, oil, and natural gas on the American economy. Each covered utility, oil company, and manufacturing facility would be given allowances based on past emissions or some other formula. Those companies that emit less carbon dioxide than permitted by their allowances could sell the excess to those that do not; this is the trade part of cap and trade. Over time, the cap would be ratcheted down, requiring greater cuts in emissions.
The economic nightmare that cap and trade creates will be worse than any potential environmental benefits it has. Anne Smith says that the cost to consumers would be between $800 and $1300 a year due to the increase in the price of energy. Remember when Obama said he wouldn’t raise taxes on 95% of Americans? This is a tax that everyone in America will have to pay.
This will raise the price of energy by making utilities lower their carbon dioxide emissions. However, in the long term this is probably going to be worse for the environment. The reason? Companies will be spending a lot of money on quick fixes to get under the cap for the near term. Real change would take longer. By requiring companies to spend money and meet very short sighted goals, you reduce their ability to spend money on long term innovations that would provide greater benefits.
From: http://geekpolitics.com/unintended-consequences-congress-never-saw-coming-part-2/
So where does that leave us?
It leaves us with the future looking so bleak that we may have the highest number of suicides over the next few years as people look at the potential for their future and decide it is not worth it to struggle through it all. I sure hope not, I would never condone someone taking their own life, as it is not a solution.
Own your home?
You may be stuck with it if it is older than the last five or ten years. With a provision in the Cap And Trade Bill, you may be forced to update your home to the latest home efficiency standards as decided by the EPA. The REEP Provision is defined as:
As it is now written and being passed on to the Senate, there is a provision in the bill referred to as REEP- Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance. The REEP provision would establish another layer of governmental bureaucracy to “facilitate” the retrofitting of residential, commercial and government buildings to meet certain “green standards” that would be drawn up by the Environmental Protection Agency.
What that means is, if you own a house and this bill is passed and implemented as it is currently written, when you sell your home you will be required to bring that house up the green standards before closing.
That could mean putting on a new roof, changing all of the windows to a more energy efficient model, throwing out the old water heater and replacing it one more energy efficient, changing your heating and air conditioning system, installing more water-saving devices on all your plumbing fixtures, or changing the fixtures themselves.
Heck, the list could go on and on. Remember, under the bill the authority to decide what must be done to comply with the new law would be decided by the EPA and we all know how understanding and reasonable the people at the EPA are, don’t we?
Think that because you have a fairly new house you won’t be affected? Think again. New products are released every day. Just a couple of years ago the requirement to install Low-E windows in new homes was mandated. Before that simply having double, or triple, pane windows was considered sufficient. No more.
Roofing material is constantly being improved. And a new roof could cost upwards of $10,000 or more. Toilets today are required to use not more than 1.6 gallons to flush. There can be no doubt that technology is already available to reduce that figure. Will that become part of the new regulations?
From: http://www.fayettedailynews.com/article.php?id_news=3864
Ok, that is a mouthful, right? The proponents of this legislation are trying to get you to believe that this will create a lot of new jobs. I am sure it will, but at what cost to the millions of home owners in the USA? Here is the definition of the provision as stated by the National Trust For Historic Preservation:
This comprehensive energy bill will create millions of new clean energy jobs and help increase the energy efficiency of older and historic homes and businesses. Homeowners and businesses would be provided financial incentives for weatherization under a new Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program included in the bill by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT). Increased energy efficiency is viewed as essential to reducing the carbon emissions of homes and buildings, the operation of which accounts for 43% of carbon emissions in the U.S.
REEP would fund state and municipal investments of up to half the cost of retrofitting the nation’s existing homes and buildings. Homeowners could qualify for $1,000-$3,000 in financial incentives for achieving a 10% to 20% percent increase in efficiency, with another $150 for every additional percentage point of energy savings achieved. Historic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places would be eligible for a 20% boost in these same awards because of the special needs and higher costs associated with retrofitting historic buildings. In addition, REEP would give businesses up to $2.50 per square foot for making major energy reductions, and historic buildings would get the same 20% boost available to historic homes.
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) has included REEP provisions in the Senate version of the energy bill, which will be considered later this summer.
From: http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/advocacy-center/action-alerts/reep.html
What this tells me is that taxpayers are footing the bill for another special interest group, which is why they are so intent on the passage of this bill! Why do taxpayers always have to pay for everything? If this National Trust For Historic Preservation were to save up the money it spends on lobbying congress, it could pay to retrofit all of the historical buildings it is trying to preserve!
Special Interests Need Not Apply…
Without a checkbook in hand! The new administration has proven that you had better bring the money if you want it to take notice, because you aren’t getting anything without a nice hefty donation! Union members gave the administration some nice donations during the elections, and now the union owns part of GM, what a payback!
By seeing the strength of the current lobbying going on in this session of congress, I can only say that business is more usual than it has ever been in Washington! What do you think?
The Soapbox Is Here For You
Go ahead and comment on this post and let me know what you think! We need the world to take notice of the funny business going on in government. Only by you speaking up and telling the world what you think can the administration really hear you! (and thumb their noses at you)
Where Is The Hope?
