Rossputin.com: Rational Thinking About Our World

Here's an interesting video interview of Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) with a warning about the big (huge) government implications of the Lieberman-Warner "cap and trade" energy proposal.

see "Video report -- Sen. Corker discusses concerns over a piece of global warming legislation", Kingston (TN) Times-News, 4/11/08
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005919

Like every other piece of legislation aimed at the "problem" of climate change, it is really just a not-so-well disguised attempt to enlarge the size and intrusiveness of government and to redistribute income. The difference with this bill is that it would result in one of the largest redistributions ever, on what would almost certainly be the largest tax other than income-related taxes which Americans have ever seen.

One we let government get control of deciding what energy sources are OK and what aren't, they'll destroy our economy in much the same way that socialized medicine has destroyed health care in many countries...it is still incredible that the Democrats want to bring that health care destruction here, and now they want to do the same to energy.

The only reason that cap and trade hasn't destroyed Europe is that they issued so many credits that the system doesn't actually reduce carbon emissions (not that that should be a huge priority anyway). The system does, however, transfer plenty of money from consumers and companies to traders and banks and other companies who have learned how to game the system. This lesson has not been lost on American companies, which is why Senator Corker mentions CEOs of big companies wandering the halls of Congress to make sure the game is defined in a way that benefits their companies...and penalizes you and me.

I would even suggest that "cap and trade", as a step toward a socialist energy economy, is more dangerous than socialized medicine. While HillaryCare and things like it are getting a lot of attention, I fear that most people don't understand the ramifications of Lieberman-Warner and therefore won't oppose it as aggressively as they should.

I urge my readers to learn what Lieberman-Warner would really do to us, both from the points of view of economic and political liberty, and to share that knowledge with your friends and encourage as many people as you can to contact their Congressmen and Senators, urging them to oppose the bill.