Misconceptions helped kill Australian carbon tax (barf alert)

Associated Press ^ | Jul 6, 2014 2:18 AM EDT | Rod McGuirk

[Olog-hai]

… Opponents of the carbon tax implemented in 2012 had the media largely on their side. Electricity prices soared—not mainly because of the tax, but because power companies were spending billions on infrastructure. Most electricity users were compensated for the added cost of the tax, but many of them didn’t know that. And rising gas prices fed the fury—even though the tax didn’t apply to gasoline.

Australia’s experience illustrates how easy it is to scuttle complicated environmental laws, and serves as a warning to President Barack Obama, whose recent proposal to force a 30 percent cut in power plants’ carbon emissions is drawing anger from both sides of politics. […]

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., which owns 70 percent of Australia’s newspapers, supported (Kevin) Rudd in 2007 but by 2010 was backing (Tony) Abbott. The top talk radio hosts in every major Australian city pushed the climate skeptic line. …

[Olog-hai]

Lay the manure on thick, AssPress. Maybe it’ll work this time.

[nhwingut]

[rbg81]

Just what already strapped people want to do; spend more $$ on a problem that doesn’t exist.

Of course, Obama being Obama will propose handing out subsidies to those who can’t afford the higher payments. So a two-fer for him: higher taxes and more people dependent on Government free stuff.

[rellimpank]

--laws should be written only in simple sentences--no compound sentences allowed --and should be limited in length to one page , legal sized paper--.

--that way us peons to whom they apply would clearly understand what is being imposed upon us---

[jmaroneps37]

You mean they UNDERSTOOD the lies and didn’t MISUNDERSTAND Obama and Algore.

[DPMD]

Let’s hear it for “misconceptions.”

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns 70 percent of Australia's newspapers, supported Rudd in 2007 but by 2010 was backing Abbott. The top talk radio hosts in every major Australian city pushed the climate skeptic line.

Well, that settles that issue. </sarcasm>

Far be it from me to claim that Rupert Murdoch has no public influence. OTOH we are being told this by the Associated Press - which is a cabal of journalists which purports to speak, not only for journalism as a whole, but for the public interest at large. And that raises my BS detector to high alert.