The Democratic representatives for Missouri have once again show their blind loyalty to party and their complete disregard for common sense. The four Democrats, Russ Carnahan, Lacy Clay, Emmanuel Cleaver, and Ike Skelton provided the margin of victory for the Potemkin climate change bill just passed by the US House. The bill passed 219-212. Those four Missouri votes were the difference.
The sadly named American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) cap and trade bill, which even its proponents admit will have a negligible affect on global temperature (nine hundredths of one degree by 2050), is designed to send a strong signal to the rest of the world that the US Congress is willing to engage in sophistry of the highest order to pretend they are saving the planet, even though everyone involved knows this is yet another giant grab of money and power from taxpayers to the politically connected.
Listen carefully to any defense these Congressman put out in the next few days. Every word out of their mouth about the benefits of the bill is a total and abject lie. Do you know how we know? None of them read it, again. The bill was finished this morning at 3 a.m., and during the incredibly short debate period (3 hours), the only copy of the bill was located at the Speaker's desk. This included a 300 page amendment to the bill, which only the writers saw, and was included at the last moment with no open hearings and no public response.
This is exactly what happened in the stimulus bill. The Democrats finished writing the thing at 11:00 p.m at night, and they voted on it the next day with no one taking the time to read it.
This is what your congressional representatives think of you. You voters are not worth the time it takes to actually read a bill and discuss its merits in a democratic fashion. Your elected leaders don't think it's worth their time to actually read things they vote on. For goodness sake, they have one job. Vote on bills. How can they vote on bills neither they, nor any of their staff read? Most voters assume incorrectly that Congress has people who are paid to read the bills for them. This isn't true. That staff doesn't read bills. They voted themselves another $100,000 in expenses in this year, but still can't be bothered to find a reader. The Democrats are so contemptuous of you, they've hired a speed reader whose job it is to read the bill in the House Chamber, to fulfill the letter of the law, but clearly not to actually have anyone understand it. Welcome to Democracy, Nancy Pelosi style.
The boy-child at FiredUp is all over a CBO report that claims the bill only costs $175 per family. How does he know? One, the CBO numbers are transactional costs - not economic costs. They state clearly in the report that the effect of the bill is not taken into account. That's like me saying it only costs $1 to write a check out of my business account, while ignoring the cost of the check itself. At the same time, with 300 pages added to the bill that no one has read, the bill could have anything it, and the CBO wouldn't know.
What we do know is this.
The Carnahan family stands to benefit financially from any cap and trade bill passed.
Emmanuel Cleaver probably finaly got some of his 2.7 billion dollars in requested earmarks funded.
Lacy Clay, who was making noises against the bill when the National Black Chamber of Commerce came out in opposition to the bill, got something to change his mind (maybe ACORN mortgage help for Mayor Slay?).
Ike Skelton, who might have voted against the bill because he represents a conservative section of Missouri, figures he is safe for re-election, seeing as the bill also has heavy farm subsidies.
There you go folks. Your Congressman have decided they could be bought. If your electricity and gas and heat bills go up this winter, or if your food costs rise, or if you lose your job as more companies move their business offshore, you know to blame - your four Missouri Congressman who coudn't be bothered to even read the bill.
The Four ACES and their abominable Act. On to the Senate, where Claire McCaskill will vote no, unless she has the chance to be the 60th vote.
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