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Tom McClintock: Arnold can't give us 'green' cement
LA Daily News ^ | 6/1/07 | Tom McClintock

Posted on 06/01/2007 10:39:21 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

GOV. Arnold Schwarzenegger has staked his administration upon two signature issues: his international leadership to reduce greenhouse gases and his promise to construct new highways, dams, levees, aqueducts and other public works.

In April "the green governor" toured the globe to tout his greenhouse-gas bill (AB 32) that requires a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide by 2020, making it the most restrictive emissions law in the country. More recently, the governor toured California to tout his public-works renaissance that requires $40 billion in taxpayer-financed bonds, making it the biggest borrowing binge in the country.

Individually, these two media events, have played to rave reviews. But combined, they form a picture of breathtaking mendacity.

Schwarzenegger's crusade against greenhouse gases is the single greatest impediment to the era of public works that he has promised. And the crusade for public-works construction is the biggest impediment to reducing greenhouse gases.

To understand the dilemma requires a recap of the chemistry lecture that Schwarzenegger apparently missed.

Highways, dams, levees and aqueducts require prodigious amounts of concrete, whose central ingredient is cement. Cement is manufactured by superheating limestone to produce "clinker," which is about two-thirds of the rock's original weight. The missing third is carbon dioxide.

Lots of carbon dioxide. In fact, cement production is the third-biggest contributor of greenhouse gases in all human activity, ranking only behind internal combustion and deforestation.

And now the farce begins. Schwarzenegger's AB 32 declares carbon dioxide to be the premier environmental hazard of our era. California's Environmental Quality Act requires that any project that degrades the environment must include plans to mitigate that damage.

Last month, Attorney General Jerry Brown used AB 32 to sue San Bernardino County and threaten San Joaquin County on the grounds that their transportation plans fail to explain how they intend to construct or operate highways without increasing carbon-dioxide emissions. In short, the counties cannot proceed with construction until they can demonstrate that highways can be built without earthmovers or concrete and that, once completed, no one will use them.

Brown has suggested that the counties rethink their plans for highway construction and shift the money into mass transit, bus, bicycle and pedestrian projects instead. It's a good bet that's where most of the highway bonds will end up.

The remaining funds for dams, levees, aqueducts, schools and housing will no doubt be sidetracked into similar new-age boondoggles. Legislative plans are already afoot to divert money from Proposition 84 (the water and flood-control bond measure).

This is Jerry Brown's dream come true. As governor in the 1970s, Brown canceled aggressive public-works plans, condemning our generation to shortages of highway capacity, water, electricity and housing.

But he's legally correct. By signing AB 32, Schwarzenegger has turned his promise of a public-works renaissance into a very expensive hoax.

Tom McClintock represents California's 19th state Senate District. Contact him through his Web site, www.sen.ca.gov/mcclintock.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: ab32; arnold; california; cement; climatechange; globalwarming; green; mcclintock; schwarzenegger
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To: SierraWasp

San Diego is costal, and with the exeption of La Jolla and National City, its a red state, LOL


41 posted on 06/02/2007 1:02:52 PM PDT by chaos_5 (1-800-882-2005 Amnesty Hot-line!)
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To: SierraWasp

If Duncan Hunter was truly surging right now to the point of moving up into the first tier of Republican Presidential candidates, then you may have something there. But, Duncan Hunter isn’t greatly surging upwards at all! Duncan Hunter is still my first choice, but he seriously needs to move into the first tier if he’s truly to have any kind of serious chance for Presidential victory! I’m hoping for either a Duncan Hunter/Fred Thompson or a Fred Thompson/Duncan Hunter Presidential ticket out of many other decent possibilities. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party, and RINOS at every political level must be defeated to the best of human abilities!


42 posted on 06/02/2007 1:12:27 PM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: chaos_5; johnthebaptistmoore; calcowgirl; pissant
Yes it is "costal" and costly as well. I think you meant coastal and in spite of that turning the rest of CA's coastline counties into bilious blue pits of pussy blue voters, San Diego County is home to the next POTUS... Duncan Hunter. He may not be "surging" just yet, but that's probably not gonna happen. He won't have to surge!

The other would-be Republican wanna-be's are all gonna trip over their own anatomy and fall flat on their faces and THEN the cream of conservativeness will rise to the top and we'll have our winner!!! Next February is a lifetime away in CA politics!!!

The CA and multiple states Republican Primary Election will be decided immediately after New Years Eve (Anno Neuevo) in Mexifornia!!! Watch for it!!!

43 posted on 06/02/2007 3:40:39 PM PDT by SierraWasp (My tagline is undergoing a vowel movement since the conservative movement is being stifled by Repubs)
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To: SierraWasp; calcowgirl
but you'd have to split off ALL the coastal counties as their constituents are all liberal in the vast majority.

AHEM...

44 posted on 06/02/2007 5:52:21 PM PDT by tubebender (Large reward for person offering leads to my missing tag lines...)
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To: tubebender; marsh2; forester; AuntB; Issaquahking
Ahem yerself, oh great tubularbender! I've heard you and a whole slew of others lamenting how ridiculously blue voting Humbolt County has become!

We'll be sure to let you cross over into a more civilized state of Sierra Republic. Of course I see signs on I-5 over there in Siskayou County that they wanna join up with southern Oregone in another new state of "Jefferson!"

Hay! More power to 'em!!!

45 posted on 06/02/2007 7:01:34 PM PDT by SierraWasp (My tagline is undergoing a vowel movement since the conservative movement is being stifled by Repubs)
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To: SierraWasp; tubebender

It’s pretty sad when those you thought were friends abandon you so quickly, ain’t it?

Hhhmmmph!!!

;-)


46 posted on 06/02/2007 7:30:44 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: GladesGuru
What we are observing is the deliberate conversion of America from a nation of private ownership of land to a nasty combination of government and corporate/wealthy family ownership of land.

With the corporate land held by tax-exempt foundations.

47 posted on 06/02/2007 8:08:33 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (Duncan Hunter for President)
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To: johnthebaptistmoore
If Duncan Hunter was truly surging right now to the point of moving up into the first tier of Republican Presidential candidates, then you may have something there.

The only reason he hasn't is because FReepers and other conservatives are falling for Fred Thompson's fan dance.

48 posted on 06/02/2007 8:12:07 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (Duncan Hunter for President)
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To: calcowgirl; tubebender
You always hurt the ones you love... (tee hee)(titter)(giggle)

Hey! I'm just tryin ta tuffen the two of you up so's you can be ready fer the revolution(s)!!!

A whole lot of our founders and righteous leaders are doin at least 78 RPM in their graves right about now!!!

Everybody still thinks none of the unthinkable can happen in America, especially in CA. But by the time they realize it's happening, it'll be too late to stop the compound problems and what resources we once had will be pissed into the wind, taking decades and decades to return to anything near what we have today.

You never know what you've got till it's gone...

49 posted on 06/02/2007 8:41:51 PM PDT by SierraWasp (My tagline is undergoing a vowel movement since the conservative movement is being stifled by Repubs)
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To: Carry_Okie

“With the corporate land held by tax-exempt foundations.”

Ah, yes! The Clintonian “Third Way”.

Well, gag me with a socialist. And they did. :-(


50 posted on 06/02/2007 9:51:30 PM PDT by GladesGuru (In a society predicated upon freedom, it is essential to examine principle)
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To: calcowgirl

Thank you!


51 posted on 06/02/2007 11:09:28 PM PDT by Seadog Bytes (OPM - The Liberal 'solution' to every societal problem. (Other People's Money))
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To: Carry_Okie

“The only reason he hasn’t is because FReepers and other conservatives are falling for Fred Thompson’s fan dance.” No! The reason why Duncan Hunter isn’t surging into the first tier of Republican Presidential candidates is because he has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1980! History show again and again that those who are running for President who are from Congress don’t do that well. Presidential candidates who have been Governors in the past have done very well and have a much better shot at victory.


52 posted on 06/02/2007 11:40:06 PM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: SierraWasp

State of Jefferson? They say it’s illegal, but then what jorge and his buddy annnolllddd are trying to do is illegal. Negative x negative = positive...I’ll be ready for the State of Jefferson!


53 posted on 06/03/2007 5:39:13 AM PDT by Issaquahking (Illegals kill more than al Quaida, thanks to the president,congress, and senate for ruining the USA!)
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To: Issaquahking
"They say it’s illegal..."

That sure doesn't sound right! Did "they" ever say why??? Was it because they were trying to take pieces of two states at once to make a new state out of???

Even that could be gotten around by the old "two-step" process!!!

Hey man! Where there's a will, there's always a way!!!

People have to be willing to get things done!!!

54 posted on 06/03/2007 12:20:13 PM PDT by SierraWasp (My tagline is undergoing a vowel movement since the conservative movement is being stifled by Repubs)
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To: B Knotts
Seriously, how could a Democrat do worse that this guy?

Or as I argued here at the time (and was derisively hooted-down), at least the blame for this kind of stupidity would have been placed on the Democrats' doorstep. Now Republicans will get hammered for the consequences of "me too" socialist RINO policies. I've been calling this guy SchwarzenKennedy since he announced for Governor. In the words of the late Sam Francis Republicans have again proven themselves the "Stupid Party."

55 posted on 06/23/2007 1:35:45 PM PDT by Bernard Marx
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To: RightWhale
I would agree, but McClintock apparently lacks sufficient mass appeal. Truth is like that.

Perhaps, but since I've never seen the Republican party in California actually put any money or support behind him, I suppose we'll never know.

56 posted on 08/22/2007 11:21:22 PM PDT by mhx
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To: Carry_Okie
The only reason he hasn't is because FReepers and other conservatives are falling for Fred Thompson's fan dance.

They have very short memories and unless their TV screen reminds them they forget about the real Fred Thompson. The one who would not have likely won reelection to the senate because Republicans were rather disgusted with him. You would think after Arnoid Kennedy people would learn better than to support someone just because they are on TV and popular. Fred is a much better lawyer and actor than he ever was or ever will be as an elected leader. If they want a good Tennessee Conservative on a presidential ticket then draft Jimmy Duncan as a VP. He has been approached by a third party as well.

Fred will fold to the DEMs just like Arnoid did in California. I think some Freepers need to go back to the impeachment threads and do some reading to refresh their memories. Fred's naps or whatever during his committee hearings by no means helped matters. He gave up about a third way through them. This was the man who started out with a "Let the chips fall where they may: Lions Roar and ended those hearings with a "Don't name any names" squeaky mouse voice.

Fred is too close to being a John McCain without the temper. The DEMs will lead him around like a kid with a new puppy dog.

57 posted on 08/23/2007 12:11:42 AM PDT by cva66snipe (Proud Partisan Constitution Supporting Conservative to which I make no apologies for nor back down)
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To: cva66snipe
It is Thompson's immigration record that convinces me he is no patriot. From what I can tell, the guy is a closet globalist.
58 posted on 08/23/2007 7:13:59 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (There are people in power who are truly evil.)
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To: mhx

He got various endorsements, including from FR, during the election for Gov. He has some excellent Conservative attributes.


59 posted on 08/23/2007 7:40:10 AM PDT by RightWhale (It's Brecht's donkey, not mine)
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