I got two e-mails this morning about a massive (1200 pages) cap and trade bill that the Democrats in Congress are trying blast into law without giving committees time to read it or even see it before a vote.
One e-mail was from my congresswoman, Kay Granger. Here are the opening paragraphs to her constituency:
Last night, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat majority surprisingly announced that this Friday will be the day the House considers landmark energy and climate legislation known as “cap and trade.” “Cap and trade” means the government would set artificial limits on the amount of emissions businesses, utilities, farmers, and others can have, forcing them to severely alter the way they operate. If they can’t operate within their emissions limit, they would have to pay the government or other parties to get a higher limit. This is essentially a tax on these groups, and it is most certainly going to be passed on to all of you.
This bill is still being written as we speak – no one has seen or read it, and the bill is being crafted completely behind closed doors and as it stands now it is rumored to be 1,201 pages long. Normally, Members draft legislation, and then submit it to congressional committees for consideration. Only after it has received the support of the committee can the legislation be considered for a vote. However, this bill is going straight from the drawing board in Speaker Pelosi’s office to the House floor with no input from anyone except the small group of Members drafting the bill.
This makes me mad. How can you vote on something you haven't read?! I hate all of this sneaky bull corn. WHAT HAPPENED TO TRANSPARENCY?
The second e-mail was from the Cornwall Alliance. Here are some clips from it:
Right now, Congressional leaders are pushing hard to pass a global warming “cap-and-trade” bill that the Heritage Foundation estimates will result in $9.4 trillion in lost GDP through 2035 and a loss of nearly 2.5 million jobs.
How much more damage can our economy take at the hands of our government?
The costs of ill-conceived climate change legislation may soon come home to roost. Likely to raise the average family’s annual energy bill by more than $1,200, the current climate bill would be not only the largest tax in history, but a regressive tax because the poor spend more proportionately on energy than do others.
As someone who already pays about $270/month in heating and cooling costs. I can't really afford another $100 a month. And we keep our house at 77 in the summer and 65 in the winter. What about businesses that need to keep customers happy at 72 all year?
So call your Congressmen. (You can find yours by searching in the upper left corner on The House of Representatives' site.) Let them know (politely but firmly) that we won't stand for it.
2 comments:
Is it just me, or does it seem like we are facing a torrent of legislation aimed at overhauling everything, with money that noone has. Of course, each bill is always crafted behind closed doors and is rushed through the congress to escape any scrutiny (or even a simple reading). Scrutiny is a good thing, these ideas should be discussed and stand up to questioning to deserve to be our laws. Are these politicians so blind and power-hungry that they want to shove their ideologies down everyone's throats, regardless of the ramifications? Or are they trying to transfer all the wealth of America's citizens to its government, creating some kind of dictatorship? What exactly is going on in America? It certainly isn't serving the people.
Well said, Karen. If the government isn't serving the people, are we willing to kick them all out? When will we be willing to say enough is enough?
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