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July 1, 2009
Following California Over the Edge
Healthcare isn't the only area where progressive California offers us a preview of our Obamunist future. The Land of Fruits and Nuts also shows us where his energy policies will lead:
While promoting his new cap-and-trade energy tax bill, which passed the U.S. House last week, President Obama revealed in a White House address on Monday his model for the nation's economy — California. "In the late 1970s, the state of California enacted tougher energy-efficiency policies," Obama said, noting that the state and its residents use less energy today per capita than the national average. "Think about that," he said, "California producing jobs, their economy keeping pace with the rest of the country and yet they've been able to maintain their energy usage in a much lower level than the rest of the country."
Obama might want to rethink his choice of a model state because it is easy to understand how California has curbed its energy use. Between 2000 and 2007, before the current recession, the state shed nearly 21 percent of its manufacturing jobs, driving down its industrial electrical consumption by 21 percent. California's industrial users pay electric rates twice as high as their Midwestern counterparts — which helps explain why so much heavy industry has fled the state. In addition to alienating its industry, California has also curbed energy use through exorbitant residential electric rates (50 percent higher than the national average) and massive net out-migration. Between 2005 and 2007, 2.14 million Californians moved to other states, while only 1.44 million people from elsewhere moved to the Golden State, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Don't be surprised when the 2010 Census finds even more people leaving to escape California's 11.5 percent unemployment. And, as jobs and residents fled California, its tax revenues have declined, while its politicians went on a spending binge, creating a severe budget crisis.
If Cap and Tax makes it through the Senate, Comrade Obama will sign it triumphantly, imposing California-style eco-insanity on the entire nation.
It will work a little differently on the national level. Instead of jobs leaving the state, they will leave the country. The Heritage Foundation forecasts 1.15 million jobs lost per year if the Dems push it through.
On the positive side, there will be more jobs in China, India, and Mexico. Since these countries can't afford the luxury of making environmentalism a priority, the result will be more pollution than if the jobs had stayed here — defeating the supposed purpose of the entire bill. But if the real purpose is to put millions of Americans out of work, increasing their dependence on Big Government, Cap and Tax ought to succeed spectacularly.
On a tip from Gregory of Yardale.
Posted by Van Helsing at July 1, 2009 8:48 AM
Comments
The Freeze and Starve in the Dark folks strike bigtime with this Cap and Tax bill. No one but liberals will be able to afford heat in the winter and AC in the summer, and it will be rice and beans on the tables of America. Thus we will achieve Third World status and the Greens will be oh so happy.
Posted by: Jamie Shafer at July 1, 2009 9:03 AM
I think the Democrats are deliberately trying to bring the economy down because they think it will be more "fair" if the USA doesn't consume its "fair share" of the Earth's resources. We constantly hear the lament that "Americans are only 5% of the Earth's population, but consume 25% of its resources."
Translation: The Democrats want your lifestyle reduced by 80% (Imagine your lifestyle on 20% of your current income). What kind of lifestyle would that mean for most Americans? Well, Mexico's per capita GDP is 21% of the USA's, and, in general, not a lot of Americans want to live like the average Mexican. In fact, the average Mexican doesn't want to live like the average Mexican, which is why they're all over here.
Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at July 1, 2009 9:16 AM
but of all we have to eat is rice & beans won't our farts pollute???
Posted by: blue at July 1, 2009 9:59 AM
You would think that someone up there would realize that all those jobs lost are beloved tax revenues lost. What then??? Huh, Ghost? What say you?
Posted by: Karin at July 1, 2009 10:29 AM
Speaking of farts and carbon emissions, why don't the eco-pious leftists and Democrats just start inserting plugs up their butts to prevent flatulation? Not only will they be doing their fair share to reduce their carbon footprint, they'll also be doing humanity a favor in curbing the transmission of AIDS.
Posted by: Clingtomyguns at July 1, 2009 10:49 AM
It seems that Obama forgot about all those fuggin rolling blackouts us Californians experienced in the late 90s due to the incompetent state govt. Dufus.
Posted by: Nathaniel M at July 1, 2009 11:07 AM
They should just call this bill 'directive 10-289'. (from Atlas Shrugged)
Posted by: Eric at July 1, 2009 11:19 AM
C'mon Karin, Wellstone won't answer THAT question. He knows his ideas are historicly proven to fail, besides "the rich" will pick up the slack as always right Welstone?
So what if we lose millions of job's, business', wipe out billions in invesment's, and collapse the economy. Those evil "rich" guys will just do their patriotic duty and pay MORE!
Hey Wellstone be sure to let us ALL know how much you enjoy being unemployed....
It's only "fair" ya'know!
Posted by: Michelle at July 1, 2009 11:40 AM
Wellstoned doesn't answer challenges. He just comes round to spout the party line, as his masters supposedly pay him to do.
Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at July 1, 2009 11:43 AM
The Cap and Trade Bill is missing a section of text where the legislation will be written in after the Bill gets passed.
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/07/01/here-is-the-cap-and-tax-placeholder-wheres-the-fine-print/
But don't worry, Barney Frank says everything is okay.
Thank goodness for Michelle Malkin.
Posted by: Kevin R at July 1, 2009 11:46 AM
Cap & Trade = Moonbattery's "Crap & Charade" (also on Sweetness and Light) = Mark Levin's "Tax & Kill" -- whatever you want to call it, it means the end of America as we have always known it.
Coming soon to a country near you: Miserable, mud-hut dwelling, filthy denizens who crap in dirt pits and piss in the same water they drink, freeze in the winter and suffocate in the heat and humidity of summer, scrape a bare subsistence from roots, berries and tubers, who walk everywhere (unless you can possibly afford an ox or, glory be!, a horse, in which case Obama will tax you out of existence and take your transportation "for the common good"), go to sleep on their straw-mats at dusk (no lights, no electricity - that's right!), who die at 35 from rotten teeth, the common cold, or some other antibiotic-treatable disease (but not anymore), if not from outright clinical depression and suicide), child-birth deaths up through the roof, young children dying of dysentery and diphtheria, plus various mosquito-borne diseases, just like during the early 20th Century (Yeah! Let's bring back those "good 'ol days"!). So long, America; we hardly knew ye . . .
Posted by: jc14 at July 1, 2009 12:00 PM
jc14, if we were the only country in the world what you write would be true. The thing is, once we are sufficiently weakened, other countries will move in, take over. But still, it is "so long America; we hardly knew ye ..." - just as you say.
Posted by: Kevin R at July 1, 2009 12:07 PM
Just remember folks, there are LOTS of advantages to the lifestyle liberals want US to live.
I have no idea what they are ofcourse but I'm sure someone like Brandon or Welstone can tell us how fabulous life will be when we return to the stone age.
Besides why would'nt anyone want to eagerly give up those evil devices like computers, cell phones, microwaves, air conditioning, heaters, cars, planes, power tools and all those other evil devices that are harming the planet.
Posted by: Michelle at July 1, 2009 12:56 PM
Kevin R at July 1, 2009 11:46 AM- "The Cap and Trade Bill is missing a section of text where the legislation will be written in after the Bill gets passed. But don't worry, Barney Frank says everything is okay."
Self-amending legislation is all the rage in the EUSSR. Why wouldn't Place Holder text be okay for the American Politburo?
Posted by: chairman soetoro's oprichniki at July 1, 2009 7:08 PM
We here in NORTHERN CALIFORNIA have always been wanting to create the STATE OF JEFFERSON and become the 51st state
Posted by: SPURWING PLOVER at July 1, 2009 9:12 PM
Posted by: chairman soetoro's oprichniki at July 1, 2009 7:08 PM
: ), I didn't know that about the EUSSR. Everything's okay then. Rubber-stamp that sucker and put it through the hopper!
Posted by: Kevin R at July 2, 2009 12:18 AM
