Senate climate bill emerges without key GOP support

40yearfan · May 12th, 2010, 01:18 PM

Senate climate bill emerges without key GOP support

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 12, 2010; 2:32 PM

Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) unveiled a compromise climate bill Wednesday, hoping public concern over the massive oil spill in the gulf will boost the measure's long-shot chances for passage.

While the bill is different from the House-passed climate bill in several respects -- it seeks carbon reductions from separate sectors of the economy rather than imposing a nationwide cap, and it provides more incentives for both new nuclear power and offshore oil drilling -- it still faces a steep hill in attracting the 60 votes needed for passage.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has made it clear the climate bill needs to be within striking distance of the required votes before he will bring it up to the floor.

The single GOP senator who helped craft the proposal, South Carolina's Lindsey O. Graham, abandoned the effort last month. He said last week that the bill stood no chance of passage given the oil spill and Senate Democrats' desire to pass immigration reform this year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...=nl_pmpolitics

40yearfan · May 12th, 2010, 01:21 PM

From American Solutions Vince Haley:

Quote:

Today, Congress once again ignored what Americans want and introduced a new gasoline tax as part of a global warming bill that also contains a cap and trade energy tax on utilities. The section on the gas tax begins on p. 361.

Introduced by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), this bill requires American oil companies to pay a fee to the government for their global warming emissions.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who helped craft the gas tax, admitted the fee "will be passed on" to motorists in the form of higher gasoline prices.

But Senators Kerry and Lieberman are offended that any American would dare call it a gas tax.

Don't be fooled. This is a government requirement that will increase the cost of gasoline. It's a tax. So not only will we have to pay more for gas, we have the added insult of Senators insisting that what we can plainly see as a new gas tax is not actually a gas tax.

The American people know better. And according to an American Solutions poll, 71% of Americans oppose this new gas tax, even if politicians are insisting it is not a gas tax.

In addition, this bill creates a cap and trade system that will dramatically increase the cost of residential and commercial electricity prices.

Even the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says cap and trade will kill jobs and reduce American productivity.

With one bill, Congress will raise gasoline and electricity prices, raise the cost of energy, and kill jobs. This is not the way to create jobs and prosperity.

This bill is wrong for America

nidan · May 12th, 2010, 07:21 PM

Increasing the cost of gas will help reflect its true cost to us and encourage conservation

RedStorm · May 12th, 2010, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nidan

Increasing the cost of gas will help reflect its true cost to us and encourage conservation

Reflect the true cost of gas...reflect the true cost of everything. I wonder how much a loaf of bread or a head of lettuce would cost?

nidan · May 12th, 2010, 08:22 PM

We don't station a large military in Arizona to protect our lettuce supply

Yes I know you want you cheap gas

conraddobler · May 12th, 2010, 08:43 PM

Watching HardBall, watching the fear dawn on the liberals, 18 percentage point gap in motivated voters.

Watching Maine, Utah, et al, they're just flumoxed, they even mentioned that the tea party is more or less a ground up movement, admitted that.

I'm sure they'll be cramming through as much as they humanly can as fast as they can cause the clock is ticking on this ramrod approach.

They keep trying figure this out as if it's tough, I almost feel sorry for them.

BTW, Arlan Specter is in trouble, dead even in some, behind by two in other polls, maybe there is a God.

Every American should of watched Specter's IMO debaucle, OMG it was horrible, Mathews IMO did a decent job of tearing him a new one for being IMO a political harlot.

Louis · May 13th, 2010, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedStorm

Reflect the true cost of gas...reflect the true cost of everything. I wonder how much a loaf of bread or a head of lettuce would cost?

Can we put an end to farm subsidies?

Billions spent in 2009 to bail out farmers.

http://www.ewg.org/farm2010/press-release

I was surpised (shouldn't have been though) to see that the top 10% of farms receive 61% of the subsidies in 2009.

It is even possible then that we could no longer saturate the world's market with cheap grains that put African farmers (for example) out of business.

I'm all for that.

I'm also for raising gas prices. Just use the extra bump in price to invest the money into new technologies to eliminate the need for gas. Maybe pool the money and the first person or company to produce an affordable mode of transportation and public transportation that can efficiently and effectively transport people without the use of any foreign substance can get a piece of that pie.

40yearfan · May 13th, 2010, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louis

Can we put an end to farm subsidies?

Billions spent in 2009 to bail out farmers.

http://www.ewg.org/farm2010/press-release

I was surpised (shouldn't have been though) to see that the top 10% of farms receive 61% of the subsidies in 2009.

It is even possible then that we could no longer saturate the world's market with cheap grains that put African farmers (for example) out of business.

I'm all for that.

I'm also for raising gas prices. Just use the extra bump in price to invest the money into new technologies to eliminate the need for gas. Maybe pool the money and the first person or company to produce an affordable mode of transportation and public transportation that can efficiently and effectively transport people without the use of any foreign substance can get a piece of that pie.

I agree with you about farm subsides Louis, but I think we should produce even more grain. Enough to make sure no one needs to go hungry.

Not so for gas prices however. Between 15 and 20% of the people in this country are out of work and there are many others who have to drive to work that are barely making it now. Raising gas prices will surely increase the amount of unemployed.

Louis · May 13th, 2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 40yearfan

I agree with you about farm subsides Louis, but I think we should produce even more grain. Enough to make sure no one needs to go hungry.
.

http://blog.cleantechies.com/2010/01...er-food-bills/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...iofuel-ethanol

Get a different form of fuel and more grains can be committed to feed people.

If you are interested please read the book Enough: Why the World's Poor Starve in an Age of Plenty. These two journalists from the Wall Street Journal put together a very inciteful book about this topic.

I think I may still have the book at home if you are interested.

EDIT*

Let me also recommend $20 per gallon, an excellent read on what would happen to the country if gas prices were at certain prices.

I may have that one too.

EDIT2*

And can we stop feeding cows grains?

http://www.foodrevolution.org/grassfedbeef.htm

LoyaltyisaCurse · May 13th, 2010, 12:22 PM

"Senate climate bill emerges without key GOP support"

Can we sticky this thread title since this applies to EVERY bill that emerges from the Demcratically controlle congress?

A bunch of whiny babies those congressional pukes are...

40yearfan · May 13th, 2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoyaltyisaCurse

"Senate climate bill emerges without key GOP support"

Can we sticky this thread title since this applies to EVERY bill that emerges from the Demcratically controlle congress?

A bunch of whiny babies those congressional pukes are...

If any of them want a job after November, they'd better oppose this bill. The last thing we need right now are more taxes and higher prices.

LoyaltyisaCurse · May 13th, 2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 40yearfan

If any of them want a job after November, they'd better oppose this bill. The last thing we need right now are more taxes and higher prices.

that is the same mantra Republican trot out during any economic time... Taxes are at their lowest relative rates in more than a 1/2 century...

The cut, cut, cut, taxes philosophy clearly has not worked and is largely responsible for the mess we are in now... The Bush tax cuts did serious long term fiscal damage and to say otherwise is flat out lies.

We have to pay for stuff and thank god the Bush Tax cuts expire soon.

LoyaltyisaCurse · May 13th, 2010, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedStorm

Reflect the true cost of gas...reflect the true cost of everything. I wonder how much a loaf of bread or a head of lettuce would cost?

That depends on how many illegal immigrants are allowed to remain in the US...They have a much greater affect on prices than a few cents increase in gas tax.

MigratingOsprey · May 13th, 2010, 02:45 PM

I think you missed his point .... i believe he was talking about how agriculture is governed, incentives provided to either produce (or not produce) a crop, etc

taking away all of that and see how much a gallon of milk would run or a loaf of bread

also, transportation costs are very important in determining the final cost of all goods

40yearfan · May 13th, 2010, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoyaltyisaCurse

that is the same mantra Republican trot out during any economic time... Taxes are at their lowest relative rates in more than a 1/2 century...

The cut, cut, cut, taxes philosophy clearly has not worked and is largely responsible for the mess we are in now... The Bush tax cuts did serious long term fiscal damage and to say otherwise is flat out lies.

We have to pay for stuff and thank god the Bush Tax cuts expire soon.

There is nothing wrong with tax cuts if you have a corresponding cut in spending also. That wasn't done. Business propered during the Bush years until the Demos took over Congress in 2006.

If you can sit here with a straight face and tell me that federal spending is not the major problem right now, there is no use in discussing this any further. If we keep blaming others for our problems and refuse to do what is necessary to correct those problems, this country is doomed.