As goes Energy, so goes the country.

“The worse, the better,” Vladimir Lenin is said to have observed. What Lenin meant was that the worse social conditions became in Russia, the more likely he and the Bolsheviks could foment a communist revolution. President Barrack Obama’s White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel recently updated Lenin’s maxim, saying, “Never allow a crisis to go to waste.”Last Friday, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives took those maxims to heart when they pushed through their 1,200-page American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act by a vote 219 to 212. The bill is supposed to address the twin crises of economic recession and climate change by creating millions of new “green” jobs. Instead of an old-fashioned Soviet-style five-year plan, ACES can be thought of as 50-year plan to radically transform how Americans produce and use energy.

…Well, look, Ron Bailey, this entire administration seems to me to emulate the tactics of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, in all things, not just energy… and in my view we’ve not seen nearly the worst of it yet. (A Depressing thought as we come to July 4th, isn’t it?)

So why should Energy be any different? Energy, after all, is the key to our country and it’s prosperity. Which of course was why I raised such holy hell when the first thing Obama did upon being sworn in was to reverse President Bush’s sign off on offshore drilling. That action is the major reason oil prices have better than doubled in the last 6 months.

The question that Ron asks, though, seems to me pertinent:

Will Americans tolerate such sweeping interventions into their lives and workplaces?

…

The 1994 mid-term election became a referendum on [...]

As you probably already know, the US House of Representatives approved the Cap and Trade bill last Friday (HR2454). I’m still reeling over that.

Although I am disappointed that so many Representatives in Congress voted for this blatent tax, I’m not surprised. I’m never surprised when the powerful in Washington find a new way to separate me from my money, regardless of the method or intermediaries.

There are those who believe that by taxing corporations or the rich, the impact on the rest of society is nil. But it never is. Although not always obvious, these taxes still get paid by you and me in the prices we pay for products and services. Corporations do not absorb millions of dollars in taxation from a mysterious pool of unspent profit. They factor those taxes into their revenue models to ensure they maintain the profit level expected by their owners (shareholders). We all end up paying those taxes.

And in the case of taxing energy consumption, there is no motivation provided to improve the consumption model or method of generating energy… the price simply goes up. The Heritage Foundation has provided an analysis of the impact of the bill on jobs and families, including estimates of gross state product losses, job losses and average family expense increases. This is not good for America.

Now is the time to contact your Senator. Updates to the bill should appear in the sidebar under “Cap And Trade Updates”.

Frustrating are [...]

Bruce McQuain, this morning at Q&Q:

Well there’s an agreement on the Generational Theft Act of 2009. The squishy middle has capitulated.

As expected, just enough Republicans have signed on to ensure its passage. Names?

Specter for one:

Specter said Friday night that action was “very necessary,” and this bill, though not perfect, is better than inaction.

“I think no one could argue with the fact that the situation would be much worse without this bill,” Specter said at a news conference.

And of course, Susan Collins is the other (and Olympia Snowe is also reportedly going to vote for it). Voinavich and Martinez bailed. They’ll give this the veneer of bi-partisan legitimacy.

Which, doubtless, will be endlessly touted by the Democrats over the following two years. And, forever, for that matter, each time the amount of debt incurred by this mess turns up as a discussion point on online venues, or talking head programs.

The problem is obvious; it is what Bruce describes as the “squishy middle” . I’ve been telling you people for nearly a decade now that it is the centrists among us that are going to kill us off as a nation. If this [...]

For many of us, any number of things were expected as part of the new President’s first month in office, including the first five Executive Orders, some of which impacted protections of the unborn and the public at large. And Democrats increased control of Congress will doubtfully lead to more and more spending that will help maintain the poverty status quo.

But many would never have expected to see a new effort on the part of Democrats to work their way around the First Amendment, which states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But here it comes already, hidden in the dress surrounding an already ridiculous “stimulus” package. In a section to provide new money for renovation and repair of public schools, there is a clause that restricts the use of the money where “sectarian instruction, religious worship or a school or department of divinity” exist.

While I would understand that any private school should [...]

Thank goodness there must have been SOME voice of reason in the US House today regarding the switch to digital television transmission and the shutting down of analog transmissions. Although the special rules required a 2/3 vote to approve, at least the House did not roll over and give in like the idiots in the Senate on Monday night (who voted for this travesty unanimously).

Why is this bill a problem?

Well, we understand and accept the fact that, ahem, 4% of households have not yet switched to the digital format (most simply needing a $50 converter box that the government has been providing a $40 coupon for now for over a year now. Evidently, part of the issue is the sudden delay in sending out coupons. According to the Wall Street Journal:

Republicans say the extra money isn’t necessary because

Read The Complete Article

Tags: Digital TV, US House, US Senate

When James Madison and friends put together the Constitution, one of the key things they endeavoured to do was ensure that the Chief Administrator (President) did not have the power of a king. After all, we had just fought our tails off for the right to not have to be subjugated by King George, and as such provide sovereignty to the people and not the President.

I say this in preparation for something that Valerie Jarrett, co-chair of Obama’s transition team, said on Meet The Press yesterday:

“Given the daunting challenges that we face, it is important that President-elect Obama’s prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one.”

DavidL at BitsBlog takes this at face value, which is not in the least unfair. He characterizes this [...]

From the Washington Post:

Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team.

All of you that were taken completely off-guard by this news, please raise your right hands. Now smack yourself on the back of the head.

Any turmoil and angst over this should[...]

This year, the US Senate seat currently held by Tom Harkin is up for grabs. I say “up for grabs” in an attempt to relieve us of the idea that the incumbent has no chance to be unseated.

Harkin has been in the US Senate now for 6 terms (24 years). Without a doubt, he has done some good things while in Congress. Probably the most positive, and the one he speaks of the most, is his authoring of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He has also been a big supporter of farmers and Iowa’s universities.

Harkin is also known in the state, like Neil Smith[...]

I am not surprised at the guilty verdict handed down against US Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on seven counts of making false statements. And nor should anyone else. I stated earlier in the year that Alaskan Republicans needed to find another candidate, but they failed. It amazes me that people like Ted can imagine that they are not only above the law, but that in the midst of failure they should continue on with their struggle for power when they should be focusing on dealing with the issue at hand… planning a appeal. From The Hill:

The senator vowed to “fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have” and said he would return home to defend his seat.

“I am innocent. This verdict is[...]

If you’ve not read Daniel Henninger’s column in the October 2, 2008 edition of The Wall Street Journal, I encourage you to.  In this column, Mr. Henninger defines the term “moral hazard”, particularly as it relates to Wall Street, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Congress.  He writes:
Borrowers across America took a dive for low- [...]