Posted on 03/16/2008 2:42:41 PM PDT by calcowgirl
The federal government is "asleep at the wheel," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a conference in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Friday.
The Republican governor was talking about the fight between the Golden State and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which denied a waiver that would have allowed the state to enforce a law requiring lower greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles (see Will U.S. Policy Drive Green-Car Tech Away?).
"They dont get it," he said.
While climate-change-fighting activities are happening around the world, he said, the U.S. government has yet to enact national climate-change legislation.
"Theyve really failed in coming up with guidelines and coming up with an energy plan that [reduces our reliance on fossil fuels]," he said. "For three or four decades weve been talking about it, but we havent done anything."
Moving back to the battle over Californias tailpipe-emission standard, Schwarzenegger said he would prefer that states follow a single national standard regulating carbon-dioxide emissions from cars. But if nothing happens, he said, California has to do something.
"I really care about peoples health," he said. "We are killing people right now."
(snip)
Carbon Tax Terminator?
Adding to a long-standing debate about whether a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system makes more sense, Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, said during a speech Wednesday that the word "tax" is too polarizing to be politically acceptable.
Kimberley Strassel, an editorial board member at The Wall Street Journal, asked Schwarzenegger whether a carbon tax would be better than a cap-and-trade system, if it werent for the word "tax."
"In Sacramento, they love talking about taxing everything," he said, to laughter, referring to the possibility of a carbon tax. "Every single tax. Theres not a tax they dont love. I think the people of California sent me to Sacramento to be a sort of tax Terminator."
But isnt a carbon cap and trade also really a tax?
"You can call it whatever you want," Schwarzenegger sidestepped. "We want to make sure we are doing everything we can about global warming."
(snip)
"The people who dont believe in global warming are those that dont believe in the globe," he said. "They think the world is flat.
STFU Arnold! Stop listening to “The Wife”!
CA is only $16B in the whole? We beat ya...the libs in NJ have us at $38B! Libs...ya gotta hate em.
Yes it was. It’s one of those things that makes you go: “Hmmmmmmm” isn’t it?
Please don’t put up the fence until we sneak out !
A friend just moved to NJ. He told me they are so far in debt, they are considering selling the Garden State Parkway and NJ Turnpike. What next, sell the entire state highway system and the Governor’s mansion? LOL!
I think that's apples and oranges. $16 billion is the deficit -- we're more than $50 billion in debt.
I think it is high time that California start exporting more than California cheese(from happy cows!). We need to start an ad campaign to export the “cheesy one”, our very own governor.
It sure is. Ever since that time, I’ve been working steadily to set up a plan to get my family out of this state. It became clear that, not only are liberal ignoramuses my enemy, it feels like I have no conservative friends here, either. The nanny statism is rampant, coming from every direction.
On the up side, I can now safely ignore the vicious McCainiacs, Paul haters, politically correct Romney fans, and whatever else around here. ;) I simply don’t care what the rinos/cinos think any more.
Before he entered his private Jet or before he drove away in one of his Hummers. Inquiring minds want to know.
LOL!
Who needs Democrats?
read later
Projection.
Arnold the Idiot, worse than Gray Davis was.
AHHHnold - just go pump iron - something you know a little about.
Someone had better reevaluate his Meds.
I contend that has been the plan for California, NJ, and several others from the beginning and the perception that ARnold was out to "destroy" California was correct. Only when forced into a corner with burgeoning debt and looming deficits, will they be able to convince the citizens to sign up for selling highways (and paying tolls), privatizing schools and prisons, etc. The PR campaign is currently getting everyone riled up about potential spending cuts (close schools, hospitals, yadayada), cuts that are far beyond what is necessary and won't ever happen. When they have everyone frightened enough, they will come in with a grand plan to save the day by selling off the state's assets. Technically, most are called "public private partnerships" and involve long-term leases (e.g. 50 years). Personally, I am wary of any "partnership" that involves businesses (particularly foreign ones) joining with government and leaving citizens out of the equation.
In the interest of full disclosure, these figures are just guesses, but I'd bet the actual figures would still reinforce my point.
In 5 years.
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