The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Cap and Trade, Divide and Conquer

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Cap and Trade, Divide and Conquer

By W. James Antle, III on 6.4.09 @ 4:36PM

In a conference call this afternoon, House Republicans seemed to be enjoying the Democratic turf war over the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill. The bill was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Henry Waxman, but other committees have been balking. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel has objected to a quick floor vote; Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson has threatened to vote the bill down in committee. All this caused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to set a June 19 deadline for moving the bill, unless the committees want to risk losing their jurisdiction.

All parties have since cooled. Pelosi has said June 19 isn't a "hard deadline." Rangel has said he'll try to stay on Pelosi's schedule. And Peterson says he wants to make the bill "workable" rather than defeat it outright. But only Waxman has embraced Pelosi's deadline.

Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Lee Terry (R-Neb.), and Bob Latta (R-Ohio) chortled over the Democratic divisions but also continued to pound away at the substance of the "cap-and-tax" bill. McCarthy zinged Waxman for having "admitted he has no idea what's in the bill." Terry described the "misinformation put out by the two authors of the bill," though he described them as "good people, I like to chat with them." Latta focused on the impact on manufacturing. "My district lives and dies by energy," he said.

All three of them concentrated on the cap-and-trade price tag of at least $1,600 per household, rising in the out years. Latta complained cap-and-trade was "more about raising money than reducing CO2. They've gotta have money for all the things they want to do." They were also unanimous in believing that cap-and-trade was now Nancy Pelosi's top legislative priority.

View all comments (9) | Leave a comment

Pete| 6.4.09 @ 4:48PM

"more about raising money than reducing CO2"

Of freaking course it is...now go tell the people and stop this money/power grab before it is too late.

AntonioSosa| 6.4.09 @ 4:56PM

Obama's global warming/cap and trade scam will cost us much, much more than $3,100 per household! It will cost many of us our businesses. It will cost many of us our jobs. It will cost all of us our freedom.

AntonioSosa| 6.4.09 @ 4:58PM

Those brainwashed to the point of wanting to destroy the economy to "prevent global warming" are behaving like the most primitive human beings who were duped into believing that human sacrifices would ensure them good weather. Human beings don't have the power to control climate! And killing the economy will not help the environment. Poor countries can’t protect the environment. Just look at Haiti!

Martin Owens| 6.4.09 @ 11:53PM

Considering what this will do the to the US economy,
wouldn't a better label be " Kneecap and Trade"?

Tim| 6.5.09 @ 9:40AM

"kneecap and trade"- brilliant!

Rmoen| 6.5.09 @ 1:26PM

The premise of cap and trade--that CO2 drives global warming--is based on United Nations' climate reports that are tainted by politics and agenda. The reports don't pass the smell test -- see www.energyplanusa.com . Plus, there's been a lot of new climate discoveries since the UN's Kyoto Protocol that are largely omitted from the reports.

America needs our own scientific assessment of global warming. I am a Democrat who for the past 20 years believed global warming was caused by CO2. But now after reading the UN reports I suspect the fix was in. The UN reports contain much good science, but in the end, the UN is a political organization where politics trump science. We need our own objective climate commission to think through global warming and determine whether it's driven by CO2. ...before we burden our economy with CO2 taxes.

Murphy| 6.6.09 @ 8:45AM

When all factors are considered, including solar output, water vapor, and other sources of greenhouse gases, reducing this country's carbon emissions will not have a measurable impact on climate. One analysis predicted a 0.1 degree lowering of the global temperature by 2050. Does this justify crippling our economy with cap and trade? Only a devoted socialist would think so.

I believe the Democrats are out to destroy the economy. Cap and trade will be the final straw.

John J. Martino Sr| 6.24.09 @ 2:04PM

Absolutly no on Cap and Trade. Depression is right around the corner (This coming winter) and you want to hit us for more of the money we DON'T have?. You've already bankrupted the country. When is the Trojen horse coming into town?.

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