Sitting near the top of the Left’s ambitious agenda is the tempering of alleged man-made global warming. The Democrat-controlled Congress and Obama administration hope to achieve this goal through a variety of tactics which include green energy incentives, stricter environmental regulations and the absolutely ludicrous concept of cap and trade.
Simply put, cap and trade is a means of taxation and control in which the federal government — further exceeding its intended bounds — would put limits on the amount of greenhouse gases that manufacturers, energy producers and the like could put into the atmosphere and then charge them for anything over and above their individual caps.
This user’s fee for the atmosphere would add significantly to the cost of living, which, in turn, would severely decrease the quality of the human existence (the polar opposite of what cap and trade’s proponents trumpet as their ultimate goal). The tax will show up in every single thing we buy, for it will be applied to the energy we use to heat and power our homes or take ourselves to work and it will be affixed to the activity that produces the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the products we utilize. Its impact will be staggering, without a doubt.
But, how bad will it be? No one seems to know for sure, but any way you slice it, it stinks.
On the low end of the scale, estimates were released by the Environmental Protection Agency just over a week ago that pegged the impact at no more than $100 per year in added energy costs to the typical household. That number is obviously too small and it should not be believed because of its bias. The EPA is only looking out for its own interests (its job security and power) by minimizing the estimation of the financial impact of the bill.
The Congressional Budget Office, which typically underestimates the financial burden of all things government, said back in June that cap and trade would cost the average household only $175 per year. Theirs was a flawed study, looking only at the costs to manage the program, ignoring the impact that energy restrictions would have on the greater economy and all it produces.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has been saying since May that the program would cost American families some $1,500 per year in direct energy expenses alone. This large value doesn’t even include cap and trade’s costs hidden in any of the products they purchase.
The Heritage Foundation seems to be quite close in its estimates for formerly-secret internal documents released by the Department of Treasury this September said it would cost American taxpayers $200 billion per year — or $1,761 per family. One must assume the Treasury would know best of its impact as it would be that agency that manages the revenues reaped by such a program.
Whether you’re talking about $100 or $1,761 (the latter being the most likely result), no family can afford cap and trade. Taxpaying Americans already pay more than their fair share for local, state and federal government programs through income, sales and property taxes, whether directly or indirectly in the value of the goods and services they purchase.
In a recession where jobs are scarce and incomes have dropped, breadwinners will be unable to support themselves and each other under this new, massive theft from our citizens.
Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.
Bob Confer
Related Photos
CONFER: The cost of cap and trade: part one
- Bob Confer
-
-
CONFER: Time to end the NFL’s blackout rule
Long ago, in a much simpler time, ticket sales accounted for the majority of revenues for professional football teams.
-
CONFER: Federal spending derailed by Amtrak
We’ve been inundated with news reports about the fiscal woes of the U.S. Postal Service. Why is it that we never hear anything about another federal enterprise facing ongoing losses -- Amtrak?
-
CONFER: Sifting through fracking propaganda
Hydrofracking ranks among the most contentious issues in New York.
-
CONFER: Unexpected sights in the wilds of Niagara
In recent years, local residents have had the chance to witness some interesting animals within our borders.
-
CONFER: Observations on the Social Security situation
In the days leading up to Christmas, the White House unleashed a huge social media marketing campaign to get people involved in the political discourse surrounding the extension of the payroll (Social Security) tax cut for another 2 months.
-
CONFER: The chains of inflation will bind us all
We have a federal government that has a spending problem and because of that it has a revenue problem, too.
-
CONFER: All for the love of the game
In my younger years I was, like any red-blooded American, an avid fan of professional sports.
-
CONFER: A tax cap with no teeth
Earlier this year, the tax cap was instituted by the state Legislature at the behest of Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a means to curtail the ongoing decline of New York state by limiting the growth of property taxes, which are already 79 percent higher than the national
average. -
CONFER: Wage Theft Act: More paperwork for NY businesses
Business owners and managers like to spend their time doing productive things that make them, their company, their co-workers and their clients better.
-
CONFER: Libya no better off — maybe worse
All of the major news outlets, and therefore most U.S. citizens, were downright giddy over the uprising — and NATO intervention — in Libya.
- More Bob Confer Headlines
-
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire
Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe
Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
