Marathon Pundit: Environmentalists hold cap and trade death watch

Monday, August 30, 2010

Environmentalists hold cap and trade death watch

Do you know the enemy,
Do you know your enemy
Well gotta know the enemy, wa hey!
Green Day, "Know Your Enemy," 2009.

If you are looking for a job, or simply yearning for stronger economy, then cap and trade, which should be called "cap and tax," is your enemy. Innocently promoted by the Democrats and environmentalists as "climate change legislation," if enacted, cap and trade will be a tax you pay every time you use electricity. Manufacturers and farmers, big users of power, will also pay it, which means you will when you buy their products, such as food.

It's not just a tax, but a jobs killer.

Although President Obama, you know, he promised a laser-like focus on jobs in January, supports cap and tax, Senate Democrats don't believe the votes are there in the upper chamber--unless they try to Rahm it through in the fall lame duck session. Environmentalists smell death in the air at their "CarnivOil," as the Washington Post tells us.

"We killed the clean-energy bill! There's still no cap on oil spills!" yelled Heather Brutz, the barker, who was pretending to speak for the industry. "And now, for our graaaaaaand finale, we're going to pass the diiiiiirty-air act!"

A year ago, these groups seemed to be at the peak of their influence, needing only the Senate's approval for a landmark climate-change bill. But they lost that fight, done in by the sluggish economy and opposition from business and fossil-fuel interests.

Now the groups are wondering how they can keep this loss from becoming a rout as their opponents press their advantage and try to undo the Obama administration's climate efforts. At two events last week in Wisconsin, environmental groups seemed to be trying two strategies: defiance and pleading for sympathy.

Neither one drew enough people to fill a high school gym.