Right now, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the current prospects for our country....its like watching a SAT morning cartoon after a long night of drinking and smoking pot.
Seriously. I saw an editorial online earlier today (I’d link to it, but I forgot where and can’t find it now) that suggested that cap-and-trade is good for business because, if it isn’t passed, the Obama Administration will simply try and achieve the same ends with draconian regulation through the EPA.
That argument is based on the false premise that this is an either-or proposition. Passing cap-and-trade will simply make it more politically palatable for Obama to take even more drastic measures administratively. The left is patient enough to use a relentless, incrementalist approach and will use every means they can to get what they want. The friends of free-market capitalism and the prosperity of this nation need to be equally relentless and resist on all fronts to their utmost.
I remember watching a TV movie about Spartacus years ago where one of the characters likened fighting the Romans to fighting a millstone - they just keep coming and coming until they grind you down. That’s exactly what we’re facing here. Giving them an inch will only make it easier for them to take a mile, and letting up after they suffer an apparent setback (such as the potential defeat of this bill) will only make it easier for them to regroup and try again.
Make no mistake - this is economic civil war. The left is committed to using all three branches of government to destroy industries they dislike and prop up industries they favor (and who favor them with money). They wish to subsidize their supporters while destroying the livelihoods of their opponents, and they’ll use no end of bills, regulations, and lawsuits to do it.
We have a fight on our hands, and it’s time to step up. Unfortunately, we appear to be leaderless in this fight, but this had better change soon.