Cap and Tax... er, Trade Bill in the House

As I write this, the House sits at 210-210, with 14 undecided on the legislation in question. In short, it would add a tax on all energy use in the USA, in the form of artificial caps put on how much a given company or factory, etc., can pollute over a given time period. Companies that don't pollute as much can sell these credits to companies that do pollute, and over time the amount of the credits available each year shrinks, to force us towards 'cleaner' energy.

What you end up with are massive increases in energy costs, new government bureaucracy (and really, who ever has enough of that?), and people out of work as companies go out of business who can't comply with the law and increased costs. The numbers are in the neighborhood of your energy costing another $4,600/year to run your household, by 2020. Keep in mind that the cost of everything you buy - since it all takes energy to produce - goes up during this period as well.

But hey, it's for a good cause, right? I mean, if we don't do this, we all die from global warming, so paying more is better than dying - isn't it?

This is not about global warming, or increased revenue, or saving the world: this is about power. Who sets the limits on the pollution that can be produced? Who becomes the gatekeeper of our entire economic system? As with health care, the government becomes our surrogate parent, our world, and dare I say - our god. By the end we look to it for sustenance in every aspect of our lives.

At what point are we going to wake up? At what point are we sick of the lies? At what point do we shout from the hills that this is enough, and life should be more than turning to the government to solve every problem, real and imagined, in our land? I tell you, brothers, that I am sick of it all.

Consider these lies:

That our world evolved, and there is no God.
That societies evolve, and we are greater than our ancestors.
That global warming exists, and is a threat to us.
That abortion is not murder, and is beneficial for women and societies.
That homosexuality is not a sin, and is a normal behavior that should be embraced as such.
That cradle to the grave health care is a fundamental human right.
That state education is a fundamental human right.
That this life we have here on Earth is the most important thing we have, and nothing is worth giving it up.

And perhaps the worst lie of all:

If I sit at my desk, or on my couch, and ignore all these problems, someone else will fix them and I can go back to being entertained and worried about my own pleasure in life.

So ignore this post. Do nothing. The world will not end in a fiery apocalypse. In the words of the great Deceiver from Genesis, you will not surely die. The world will simply continue the decline it has been in for centuries, and the legacy you leave your children will be... nothing. And your mark on your nation will be... nothing. And this is the life we so desperately cling to?

Take 5 minutes, and email or call your Representatives, and your Senators. A link on the left side of this site will help you find them. Do not let this bill - the single biggest tax in American history - be passed. Please.