Monday, July 20, 2009

National Health Care

Sure, everyone would like to get something for free. But anything handed to us by the grace of the federal government is only something we have already paid for ourselves. The only money the government has, has come from taxpayers of this country. The $1.5 trillion health care plan the Obama administration is currently lobbying for will bankrupt this country.

They (Washington progressives) want to tax the wealthiest five percent (who already pay 70% of all taxes collected) an additional amount to pay for a universal health care program. This tax will create $500 billion according to studies by the Congressional Budget Office. Where will the other $1 trillion come from?

More than likely we will all see an additional column on our pay stubs where more money is sucked from our economy and handed over to the socialists who think they know what is best for us all. Meanwhile we will have fewer choices about our lives, health, standards of living and the freedoms that make this country great.

Why the rush? Obama wants this plan to be approved before the summer break.
What would be the harm in looking this plan over and debating the pros and cons of it. Are the Democrats worried that it will fail after we get a chance to see its flaws? The Democrats will more than likely blame the failure on the "scare tactics" of the Republicans. Ridiculous! They already have a majority capable of voting it into law even if all the Republicans vote no. What are they waiting for?

Saturday, July 11, 2009

More Cap-and-Trade Nonsense

The cap-and-trade legislation has such a far reaching effect on our everyday lives, that it destroys freedoms that previous generations have fought long and hard to preserve. This bill will affect every item on our store shelves since it takes energy to produce it and energy to put it there.
If this bill passes the cost of products world-wide will escalate to offset the CO2 permit manufacturers will have to buy to stay in business.

This is an indirect tax we will all pay. Once all the limited permits are sold by the federal government, there will be no more to be had. Large corporations are lining up to buy them all (like tickets to a sold out concert). If you are starting a new business and you cannot get a CO2 permit, you will be forced to close your doors or go overseas to do your manufacturing. When your product arrives in this country it will have tariffs attached to it because it was produced in a country that has not signed on to the climate change agenda.
Our federal government will grow in size to include investigators to determine what percentage of each imported product was made in a country that does not cap CO2 emissions. More wasted tax dollars, more big government.

Selling your house will become more difficult too. All home sales that receive government loan assistance (FHA ,GI,HUD) must meet new energy efficiency standards. Homes for sale must be 30% more energy efficient which may require the homeowner to replace the furnace, a/c, water heater, appliances and light fixtures with new light bulbs. Yes, they are even telling us what kind of light bulbs we must use! At this moment, thousands of homes are owned by our nation's banks who are already on shaky ground. The last thing they need is another reason to make it more difficult to reduce their enormous debt.

Trees that are planted on new construction sites have federal guidelines as well. The cap and trade bill legislates how and where trees are planted that are used to shade a building to reduce energy use. There will also be a new educational program on how to plant trees. Its a wonder we ever heard of Johnny Appleseed.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Cap-and-Trade Energy Legislation

In an attempt to legislate our behaviors and mindsets, our House of Representatives has passed another bill to limit our freedoms. While I agree that we are stewards of this Earth, we must do our best to keep the air, water and land in which we live as clean as possible. But not just for our well being but for the other creatures on this planet, as we are all intertwined in this existence. By the same token we must do what is best for mankind first and foremost. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 -- “cap-and-trade” energy legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sounds like a great idea on the surface. Who doesn’t want clean energy and security? But looking deeper at the impact this legislation will have on the economy is staggering. This will be the largest tax increase in US history. Under a cap-and-trade system, government sets a cap on the total amount of carbon that can be emitted nationally; companies then buy or sell permits (tax) to emit CO2. The cap gets cranked down over time to reduce total carbon emissions. Barack Obama admits this will increase our energy costs. In the midst of an economic downturn, this legislation will tie the hands of our manufacturing capabilities and drive jobs overseas. As manufacturing leaves this country the need for those products will not go away. Instead these companies will make just as much CO2 making the same products but only on the other side of the world. The cost of skyrocketing electricity will sap the profits and disposable incomes from businesses and families alike. This will cause sharply rising inflation as companies try to recoup their losses. This legislation might have little effect on us if we could all walk to our local marketplace and purchase the items we need that were brought there by tradesmen and farmers via their oxen drawn carts.

As energy prices soar, the low income families and the elderly will see a greater percentage of their wage keeping them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Consumers will then need assistance to meet their bills and ask for the Federal Government to subsidize energy costs. After all, if our taxes can heal all of those without healthcare insurance we should surely keep them alive to treat them.