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If you haven’t done so yet, please take a moment to contact your Congressman tonight and let him or her know that you want a NO vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, also known as the Waxman-Markley, or “Cap and Trade,” or Energy Tax.
There are a number of reasons why every single person should demand their Representative vote NO on this bill. Let’s look at just a few.
Congressional leadership is rushing through this bill. They are calling for a vote tomorrow and do not even have a final copy of the bill ready. The Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit with the goal of increasing transparency in Government, notes that last week this bill was 946 pages and in recent days has grown to 1201 with little explanation for how or why. Will Congress Read Bills Before Voting?
The last time Democrats rushed an unread bill over 1000 pages long was the Stimulus Bill. The one that was so desperately required to save our economy and create jobs that they couldn’t stop long enough to read or debate the 9000+ earmarks stuffed into it.
So what is “stuffed” into this bill and why don’t they want to allow 72 hours for “the People” to read the final bill before a vote is called? Is the planet going to explode if the bill isn’t carefully examined?
Do most Americans know what is in this bill and how they will be affected? The Wall Street Journal had a great opinion piece this morning titled The Cap and Tax Fiction about the ramifications of this legislation. The Wall Street Journal (still regarded a pretty respected newspaper) acknowledges that this is a huge energy tax with a severe impact on the nation’s GDP and huge taxes for ordinary households. This isn’t a tax only for “the richest 1%”, this will hit every single household to the tune of about $1,300/year in just a few years. When the real crushing restrictions finally come due in 2020, your household out-of-pocket contribution is projected to be $6,800/year.
Did you realize that Rep. Waxman, the co-sponsor of the bill, admitted to his colleagues in committee that he did not know what was in the bill? Watch him say it and remember that was when the bill was “in committee.” The bill has grown considerably since then.
The purpose of the bill is to reduce carbon emissions. The method is to make it so expensive to use oil and coal based energy that people quit using it. Remember last summer when gasoline approached $5/gallon and you really did think twice before driving 60 miles across town if you really didn’t have to? It’s very possible that in 2020 when the severe restrictions finally hit, you will be remembering $5/gal gasoline with fond memories. Oh, if only we could go back….. Then again, maybe not because you’ll be driving a Government Motors electric suitcase. But I digress.
At a time when the city of Houston is experiencing a heat wave with consecutive days over 100F ( breaking a record set back in 1980) AND the local electric company is already running a program to pay people’s electric bills, do we really need to be increasing the costs on purpose?
And my favorite. This has been tried in other countries with little success and huge costs. Do you have time for an anecdotal personal story? My sister spent one summer as an exchange student in Bourges, France. I remember her telling us that the family she lived with had no air conditioning, hated to run the fans, watched little television, chastised her for taking showers, and were hysterical when she plugged in a blow dryer to dry her hair. It seems that electricity was so outrageously expensive they denied themselves what Americans consider to be pretty basic comforts.
Even Senator Dingell (D-Mich) stated that Cap and Trade is actually a great big TAX before a Senate hearing with Al Gore last month. Now, don’t get me wrong, Senator Dingell isn’t necessarily against Cap and Trade, he just prefers the Carbon Tax method of taking your money. He correctly stated that Cap and Trade has been tried in the European Union where it has been an abysmal failure.
Now is the time to do something. Call your Representative’s office. It doesn’t matter what time it is. Do it. Now.