So the other day I called my congressman. Can't say I ever have done that before. But you know what? We live in a time where if you don't agree with something, you have the ability to take take action. Its one thing to talk about issues on a blog but to act upon those issues is another step. So I decided to call Congressman Allen Boyd, of the 2nd Congressional District of Florida, to politely inform him that I and many other constituents in northwest Florida would like him to vote NO on the Cap and Trade Bill. The response I got from his aid answering the phone?.. "I'll pass it along to the Congressman." I guess the aid forgot to tell Congressman Boyd that I called because Boyd voted in favor of the bill, which ended up passing narrowly. Boyd is a Democrat, albeit a moderate "Blue Dog Democrat", but still a Democrat and thats why he voted for the Cap and Trade Bill.
If you don't know what the Cap and Trade Bill is all about here is the short version as per my understanding, in which I'll be the first to admit is lacking. (Correct me if I am wrong) but, by definition Cap and Trade is basically government regulation of carbon emissions and pollution. Government sets a limit of how much a manufacturer (or anybody for that matter) can pollute. If a manufacturing facility end up under their allowed pollution limit they can sell their allowances to another manufacturer. If a facility goes over their allowed pollution limit, fines are imposed by government regulators or they can buy pollution allowances from other manufacturers.
In reality Cap and Trade ends up being one gigantic energy tax on the average American. In fact the working class will probably be the most affected by the Cap and Trade. When manufacturers are fined for polluting to much or have to buy more allowance for their pollution, who is going to pay for that fine? Not the manufacturer. It is us the average American who will pay for it with higher utility bills, higher food prices and higher gas prices.
The Democrats have tried to disguise Cap and Trade as an environmental bill but that's just not the case. Yes, it may help lower carbon emissions in some parts of the country but other regions of the country are only going to get worse as a result of the Cap and Trade regulations. I heard a report today that the EPA says Cap and Trade regulations will lower the earth's average temp less than half a degree over the next one hundred years. Thats hardly worth the trouble if you ask me. Cap and Trade is a way for the Obama administration to create and tap into a new commodity in which they will have the ability to heavily regulate and tax with out having to actually call it a tax.
There is so much more to this issue that I cannot get into here. If you are liberal in your political leanings I am sure your take on Cap and Trade is vastly different. But love it or hate it thats my take.
