Congress Taxes Air

Well they've finally done it. Congress has finally found a way to tax air. By taxing "carbon emissions" in the Waxman-Markey (cap and trade) bill they are taxing how much carbon dioxide is put into the air. Guess what you exhale when you breathe? Carbon dioxide.

Our leadership has made no secret that is just the first step in their plans to regulate everything we do it and call it climate change legislation. This is simply another example of Congress using punishment through taxation in order to modify the behavior of the American people. Where is our individual freedom when the government thinks they should have control over everything we do? Why don't they just come right out and make it illegal? After all, to most of them burning coal is on the same par with murder.

So why is the bill called cap and trade you ask? It's quite simple really. The government is going to put a cap on how much carbon can be emitted, and if you don't use all of your allotment you can trade it for something else. Well, actually you can sell it to somebody else. The Washington Post described it this way; "The government would set a cap on the amount of carbon dioxide that could be emitted and would issue allowances to polluting sectors that could buy and sell those rights." So if you are in an industry that necessarily emits carbon, you're going to have to pay off the government in order to stay in business.

People have been duped into believing that this is a bill to create jobs, it's just the opposite. By levying huge taxes on companies who emit carbon, those companies will risk closing their doors because they can't bear the cost of the new taxes. Not only that, but the companies in other areas of the world, making the same product, will be able to sell it cheaper because they won't be subject to the same legislation. And those other companies are probably already emitting more carbon that the companies here. So what are we actually going to end up doing? Increasing a demand and therefore productivity for the companies that are less clean by punishing our cleaner companies here.

This is nothing more than one giant pay to play bill. A bill that so many people opposed initially that most of the 1,500 page legislation is a pay off to get votes. The Washington Post said this as well; "The result is a 1,201-page measure filled with political compromises, directives, subsidies and selections of winners and losers that most members won't be able to analyze before the vote and that leaves us wondering how effective it will be. " And this was before the last minute 300 page amendment. Winners and losers have already been selected by our Government. How does that work in a free market system? It doesn't. This will be giving the government control over every product produced, how it's produced, and what options we as consumers have. This is step one in the process of the government eliminating our right to choose and the consumer's control of the market. Their plan is to have the government control the market. Does that sound like the USA that you know?

I am all for being environmentally responsible. And if this bill were actually an attempt to find alternative fuel sources and /or to make those already discovered more cost effective and financially competitive, I'd be all for it. But it's not. It's a behavior modification tax. The government is going with their simple logic that if they don't want us to do something make it so expensive we can't afford to do it. According to them we use too much energy so they are slapping a huge energy tax on us. And this is a tax. A tax on ALL Americans. And weren't we promised that 95% of Americans would not have a tax increase? That only those making over $250K would be impacted by a tax increase? Well this is a tax that is expected to cause your energy bill to increase by at least 40%. So for those already struggling, already living paycheck to paycheck, one of your bills is going to increase dramatically. My senator, in a response to an e-mail I sent her, has already acknowledged that this is going to drive costs up and put our businesses at a disadvantage, so if you don't believe me, just ask your Congressmen.

This bill passed the house by a narrow margin because 8 Republicans voted for it. Had they stood by the principles of the Republican party this would not have happened. If you want to know who the "Republican 8" as we now refer to them are, you can find out about them by clicking on the link to the left for Left Coast Rebel. He has written a blog with a list of who they are and where they are from.

Please contact your Senator and urge them to vote no on this legislation. We cannot have this bill which taxes air and encourages corruption become law.

And all of this is to address an issue that scientists are still debating. The climate is changing, as it always has and always will, but man's impact on the climate is still contested by many scientists, and yet we're levying a huge tax under the guise of mitigating a problem we're not even sure exists.

Claire McCaskill and Climate Change

As you may have guessed, I am against the cap and trade climate change legislation. In an effort to prevent this useless, excessive tax increase which benefits nobody but GE and Al Gore, I wrote to my Senator. I advised her that should she vote for the Waxman- Markey bill (cap and trade) I would work tirelessly to ensure her defeat in her next bid for re-election. This is the response I received from Ms McCaskill. I have translated Ms McCaskill's words into their actual meaning. The real meaning is listed in red.


Thank you for contacting me regarding climate change legislation and "green jobs" in the 111th Congress. I appreciate your comments and welcome the opportunity to respond. (But don't think I actually give a shit what you think)

I believe global climate change threatens our health, environment, and national security. Congress needs to implement meaningful reform that addresses this issue as soon as possible. (We're just arrogant enough to believe we can control the weather). Drafting a responsible (responsible, from our congress? Now there's a laugh)measure that makes both significant reductions in carbon emissions and maintains a strong U.S. economy will be difficult, but it is a task my colleagues and I are committed to. (Regardless of your piss ant little opinion on the matter)

Regarding carbon emissions and potential “cap-and-trade” legislation, I agree that something must be done to protect and preserve our environment for future generations. However, as an elected representative for all Missourians, I will always seek to protect my constituents from undue hardship and ensure that the federal government will spend their hard-earned taxpayer dollars wisely. (of course that's wisely according to Congress and not wisely according to our constituency. We know better than you do.) That is why, as we continue the debate on climate change legislation, I will be working hard to include safeguards that minimize costs, keep government accountable and prevent harm to the U.S. economy. (But don't think for a minute that I won't be pushing this damaging bill through)

Working families will be significantly affected by climate change legislation, (as your electric bills goes through the roof and you risk freezing to death in your homes) so any bill addressing this issue should provide financial protection to avoid passing all costs on to consumers. (Forgetting for a moment that we're the ones slapping that cost on you.) There must be a cushion to offset rising energy costs and provisions that protect American jobs from international competitors that do not face the same environmental constraints. (We acknowledge that we are putting our own companies at a global disadvantage in the middle of an economic crisis by slapping this huge tax on them. So we'll work to mitigate the damage we insist on inflicting.) Strong climate change legislation must also spread the burden of rising energy costs evenly throughout the country, rather than disproportionately affecting one region over another. (But don't think for a minute that the costs won't rise for you) Additionally, the green jobs created by such legislation must be ones that are available to the already skilled workers of Missouri. (So as long as Missouri benefits then screw the rest of the country)

My colleagues and I have already taken a good first step on the way to curbing carbon emissions by passing comprehensive energy legislation into law in December 2007. This bill is expected to remove 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air through improved energy efficiency standards. (though it's been in effect for over a year and we're still talking about what's expected because it hasn't actually changed anything) However, we need to do more. (Because we aren't satisfied until we've meddled enough to completely destroy that which we set out to save.)Further investment in clean energy sources along with responsible climate change legislation will drastically reduce carbon emissions and start our country down a cleaner, economically stronger(and I'm so pleased I can say that with a straight face) path, including the path to green jobs for Missouri residents. (We'll just ignore the fact that in Spain, where this has already been tried, we lose 2.1 regular jobs for every green job created. I don't like that stat so I'll just ignore it. After all, just because it's already failed everywhere else it's been tried doesn't mean that I can't make it work)

My colleagues and I will continue to pursue legislation that will achieve real emissions reductions and still protect our nation's economy and Missouri jobs. Thank you again for contacting me about this very important issue and please do not hesitate to let me know if I can address any other issues that might be important to you. (And I will continue to totally disregard your opinions and concerns as I have every other time you have contacted me.)

All best,Senator Claire McCaskill