Less than two weeks ago, the 1,500-page American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (aka the “Cap-and-Trade Tax Bill”) was rammed through the House of Representatives. Funny thing is, it passed without anyone even reading it. This legislation will drive millions of American jobs overseas, and hurt hard-working Americans at a time when we can least afford it.

Why would they bury this vote on a Friday, just before getting out of Washington for a week? It could be because earth’s temperatures have flat-lined since 2001 — despite an increase in CO2 emissions (why, that’s an inconvenient stat), helping to swell the number of skeptical scientists to over 700, or 13 times the number of scientists who wrote the supposed consensus.

According to the Heritage Foundation, the massive “national energy tax” will cost the average family “nearly $3,000 per household per year.” Even President Barrack Obama admitted that under “cap-and-trade” legislation, “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”

Why, in the middle of a global economic crisis, would we even consider a bill that the Wall Street Journal says would be “the biggest tax in American history”?

Because it’s not about saving the cute, fuzzy, man-eating polar bears, the spotted owl, the cumulus clouds or the caribou. The science is not settled on this at all. Not even close!

This is about power, money and control. But America is caught up with “Hey, did you hear? Michael Jackson is dead!”

This bill is a gateway; it will be used as justification to regulate every industry or product the government can get their grimy little fingers on. Politicians get rich. Government gets more power and control. Businesses just pass on the cost — so there is only one loser: you, the consumer.

The worst part is that we aren’t breaking new ground here. While we’re busy marching towards more socialism, the rest of the world is running away from it because they’ve tried it.

Australia is killing their carbon tax proposals, and it’s already a complete failure in Spain, where it’s resulted in an 18.1 percent unemployment rate (more than double Europe’s average) and they are losing 2.2 jobs per every one “green job” created.

The New York Times quote on the European Union’s cap-and-trade program (that started in 2005) says it all: “Their plan unleashed a lobbying free-for-all that led politicians to dole out favors to various industries, undermining the environmental goals. Four years later, it is becoming clear that system has so far produced little noticeable benefit to the climate, but generated a multi-billion dollar windfall for some of the continent’s biggest polluters.”

The Senate is taking up discussion on cap and trade. Time to call your senator!

David Edinger

Peachtree City, Ga.

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