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.
ughh.. this made my head hurt.
Hey Ahnald.... Here’s a deal: I won’t try to tell you about weight-lifting or plastic surgery... You quit trying to tell me about effects of CO2 on global climate.
What a buffoon...
That's the most disgusting part about this election.
We have been painted into a corner on this issue.... No matter who wins, they are ALL AGW Koolaid Drinkers and will plunge us all into the socialist "world kommunity" over this non-issue.
I see no way out. There is no viable third party.
why dont you get your ass back to mars McBain...you are too easily conned....
The reason, in my opinion, that global warming alarmists like Gov. Schwarzenegger are winning their propaganda war is because the scientific method is either no longer being taught, or no longer being properly taught. In other words, people do not understand the importance of substantiating scientific facts with the consistent results of repeatable, scientific-method based experimentation. As a consequence, global warming alarmists have been able to use courtroom theatrics to sell their politically correct ideas based on inconclusive evidence to the jury, thats people like you and me.
Turn it into 2 seperate states. Let Ahnold and the commielibtards keep the pink part, let the people with common sense have the blue part. It even solves that problem of 55 electoral votes that misrepresent more voters than most states have people.
“They” don’t get “it”.
In the end, we will all get it, but for now the “anointed Juans” of the world will milk it for all they can,, it’s for the future generations , yaknow.
To call these political morons is an insult to morons everywhere..
Ahhh What the heck! MORONS!!!
Dear Arnuld..... please remove your head from your ASS.
They get to split their electoral vote this year.
No... we don't. The initiative died before hitting the ballot.
The stunt the GOP pulled on delegate allocation gave McCain a big boost, however (as it would have any other Schwarzenegger-type Republican, ala Giuliani).
Ugh...this isn’t good.
lol, he can move in with uncle teddy?
You could just quit driving your car. Then Arnold can fly more places, more often. It would be so ‘green’ of you to help him out.
This seems to be at odds with the other article which puts the Governor in the (more clear-eyed) camp of using eco-hysteria for ECO-nomic profit for the state of CA.
I suppose if you’re the governor (or any high-ranking elected official), you have to appear to embrace whatever kooky policy looks like will make your state the most money, regardless of whether or not you think it is just snake oil. . .
But, IF he really, really buys into this horse-hooey, then he has less brain wattage than I gave him credit for.
I grew up and lived most of my life in the “pink zone”. California is just too big. I know there are more conservatives in CA than in most states, but they are hopelessly outnumbered by idiots and left wing whackos. All of the good people in the “blue zone” can vote as one huge bloc and never make a dent in against all of the “pink zoners” votes.
Education is not going to work because nobody is doing it, and nobody will listen anyway. It appears that nothing is going to fix CA. It will fester and rot under the thumb of left wing ideology. I got out for the good of my family. I truly feel sorry for you people.
It's not often you hear executives from the biggest U.S. industries and a Republican governor clamoring for stronger regulations on climate change. But that's exactly what they want.
I read the article. What a load of hooey! Every "executive" is making self-serving statements begging for subsidies. These are guys with business units that cannot survive based on free-market economics. They require government subsidies or regulations (e.g., cap and trade) to survive. They deserve as much credence as a steel company executive crying for higher tariffs or for an ADM executive making the case for ethanol.
I once worked for a company that had a solar product in the 1980s. It worked, but it was way too expensive for the energy it saved, even with government subsidies. The day after the subsidy was rescinded, the company pulled the product. If my job depended on subsidies and ill-conceived regulations I might be "clamoring" for them too.
Remember, it's a mistake to think that business executives favor the free-market. Most want competitive advantage, attained by any legal means possible. It's often easier and cheaper to win a competitive advantage in the corridors of congress than the marketplace (i.e., you can buy a congressman for less than you can buy a point of marketshare).
Hey Ahnold, you of all people should know that the technology won’t be available until 2121!
“Take an asset, such as a state highway system worth, say $200B, sell it for, say, $20B to an investor group which will retain toll profits in perpetuity (say $1B per year in 2008 dollars). Somebody’s getting a good deal, and it isn’t the taxpayers.”
Actually, that is a terrible deal. An investor group would do better in an index fund. The tolls would have to be raised to be doubled for it to even be worth looking at.....
Good post. Right on target.
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