Posted on 05/20/2008 11:39:53 PM PDT by calcowgirl
"Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, ... we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters, and all the endless troubles that global warming will bring. We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great. The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge"
With that, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain threw his support -- again -- to a complex government program to reduce carbon emissions. He claims he can do this, without causing economic hardship, by using the power of the free market.
As The Wall Street Journal commented, "His plan is 'market based' insofar as it requires an expensive, invasive government bureaucracy to interfere with the market".
McCain's cap-and-trade system would have a bureaucracy set a limit for CO2 emissions and auction tradable permits to carbon-emitting companies. McCain says the revenue would be "put to good use." Specifically, "We will add to current federal efforts to develop promising technologies. ... We will also establish clear standards in government-funded research, to make sure that funding is effective and focused on the right goals."
We've heard that before. You'd think McCain would have learned that government isn't cut out for this sort of thing.
For all his lip service to markets, there is no getting around the fact that McCain will use force -- that's what government is -- to accomplish his goals. There are only two ways to do things: voluntary or forced. The market is voluntary. No one is ever forced to buy or sell anything.
Cap-and-trade sounds good. Trade is good. But "cap" is force. Government will make arbitrary decisions about how much CO2 will be permitted in a thousand different situations. I can only begin to imagine the bureaucracy that will be required. Will chimney police go to every business and home telling you how much you can emit? Will armed officials from a Department of Global Warming raid your house and jail you if you run your air-conditioner too much? I assume friends of Al Gore will get special dispensation because they are working for the good of the nation.
How much will McCain's plan reduce global temperatures?
He doesn't say -- probably because even the most radical climate-change policies promise no more than a negligible reduction.
As Fred S. Singer, president of the Science & Environmental Policy Project, told the Heartland Institute in 2007, "All these schemes are quite ineffective in reducing the global growth of atmospheric CO2 -- never mind in having any effect on climate. The schemes do have one thing in common: They will damage the U.S. economy and hurt the pocketbooks of every consumer..."
In other words, economic growth will be stifled -- for what?
Roy W. Spencer, a research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and author of "Climate Confusion," says he's "increasingly convinced" that climate change has far more to do with natural phenomena like El Niño and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation than carbon dioxide. "Maybe the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher now than it has been in hundreds of thousands of years. So what?" he wrote in a recent article for the National Review.
"Even though there has never been a single scientific paper published that has ruled out natural variability for most of the warming we've seen since 1850, Big Science has managed to convince politicians and much of the public that the science is settled. Apparently, our addition of nine molecules of carbon dioxide to each 100,000 molecules of air over the last 150 years can now be blamed for anything and everything ... Hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, floods, glaciers flowing toward the sea ... these used to happen naturally, but no more".
Spencer is one of many scientists who doubt the "consensus" that CO2 will cause a global warming "crisis." But politicians still want to act. McCain's hero is Teddy Roosevelt, a hectoring, activist president. To justify government interference in our lives, it helps to have a crisis. In Islamic extremism, McCain has his foreign affairs crisis. In global warming, he has his domestic crisis.
"To heck with a third party. We need a second one!!!"
Well, let’s not get too carried away... :)
He’ll be making a show of kicking some Glowbull Warming lobbyists off of his campaign staff any day now. /s
That has to be the most accurate assessment of this hoax ever posted.
From 2001:
[The majority of our planet’s CO2 being absorbed and oxygen being emitted is not by plants or forests, it occurs in the top 10m of our world’s oceans by algae. And it to here that one team is looking for the answer in eliminating CO2 emissions from fossil fuel smoke stacks, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Bacteria which survives in the hot waters of Yellowstone Park are being examined for the perfect strain, and emissions will be bubbled up through this CO2 munching algae before being released into the atmosphere. An arrangement of parabolic mirrors and fibre optics channel light into the stack to enable photosynthesis to occur.]
“In Islamic extremism, McCain has his foreign affairs crisis. In global warming, he has his domestic crisis.”
For the future of the Republic, may he choose a Constitutionalist for the VP place on the ticket.
Then, after election, may he find his health crisis.
You can say that about John McCain. Just don’t say anything like that about Ted Kennedy around here! Okay?
He's busy driving away voters faster than Big Tent RINO Central...
Earlier today someone who is a McCain fan posted that they hope John would come out soon with a no-gay marriage amendment.
Perhaps we’ll find out his position on that tomorrow. He shuns much conservative talk radio, but tomorrow he’s going live on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. CBS, Wednesday, 4 p.m. Pacific.
The big “Ellen” news this week is her announcement to marry her long time girlfriend per California deciding to sanction such unions.
I’ll be watching. Popcorn anyone?
You know what, I’m agreeing with far too many people tonight, but you’re all making so much sense. This concerns me also. I think you’ve got a very good chance of this coming to pass.
The man is not well grounded, and many of my buds on this forum are about to find out just how ungrounded he is.
It’s pretty bad when you’d rather not vote to keep a guy like Obama out, because your guy could do more harm to the nation by destroying Conservatism.
Talk about the bottom of the barrel...
Did you ever visit that NRCC blog? Lots to agree with over there, too.
In fact, FR isn’t the only place folks are expressing their distaste for the situation.
You’ll hafta watch for me... talk about a sight for sore eyes and disgusting, no, sickening thoughts for a sore mind!!!
You're a tough one, Aunt B.
You can actually watch Ellen and eat at the same time? I was thinking I'd have to skip a meal or two before tuning in. LOL.
Hey, wait a minute... today is Wednesday. ... I just checked your link and he is scheduled tomorrow. Thursday.
John will probably promise to attend. If he does, it will be heralded far and wide on FR as the act of a Consumate Conservative. And if we don’t agree, the list of things Reagan did will be trotted out to make McCain look good by comparison.
And those who post them, will think they scored.
I haven’t the heart to tell them, do you?
No I haven’t yet. I will.
Thanks for the tip. Glad to hear that BTW.
D1
For the life of me, I can’t understand anyone wanting to watch Ellen, except to know what is going on with regard to certain issues.
That McCain would even soil himself by appearing on her show, tells me even more I don’t like about the guy.
Gag.
Oops! So sorry......I can remember names, places but lost a day somewhere this week!!! My fridge died...lost all my groceries...I’m still agitated...Sears can’t show up until June 4th. I think.....the lady taking my order spoke such broken English, I wasn’t sure. I should have asked her to speak Spanish, I could have understood more.
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