Cap-and-trade traded away?

posted at 10:51 am on March 21, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

George Stephanopolous reported yesterday that Senate Democrats forced Barack Obama to choose between two break-the-bank policies for this year.  The White House apparently surrendered on cap-and-trade in order to get started on a massive overhaul of the nation’s health-care delivery system.  Stephanopolous refers to the dilemma as a classic “scorpion in the bottle” problem:

When the White House released its budget, I said the president’s effort to reform health care and cap carbon emissions were “scorpions in a bottle” — only one could make it through Congress this year.

This week, the White House and House Democrats made their choice: health care is the survivor.

As the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have reported, House Democrats (backed by the White House) plan to write a budget resolution that allows health care to be passed by a simple majority (through the so-called “reconciliation” process) if a bipartisan compromise isn’t reached by September.

Cap and trade will not get the same budget protection, and there are nowhere  near 60 votes for it.  Keeping it out of the reconciliation process recognizes reality: Congress can’t pass it in the middle of a recession.

Stephanopolous notes that Democrats in the House made this choice, but it’s really all about the Senate.  Obama thinks he can get a few moderate Republicans to go along on health care reform, probably more than just the Porkulus 3, if he steers a centrist course.  Cap-and-trade has problems even among Democrats, especially in the Rust Belt and in coal-producing areas, and its impact on the economy makes it a non-starter in this session of Congress.

Even the health-care effort will get curtailed, likely as a result of the massive government spending already undertaken by Democrats this year.  Instead of moving forward with a comprehensive plan to socialize the health sector, Obama wants to work around the edges this year. Obama has apparently learned that lesson from Hillary Clinton’s abortive attempt to nationalize the health sector in 1993-4.

That may put off the rest of his reforms until 2011, though.  Obama will not want to impose a nationalized system in an election year, especially if he’s performing as badly then as he has in the last two months.  Republicans are already licking their chops for the midterms, and a major socialist initiatitve will be exactly what they need to compete for control of the House.  That probably pushes cap-and-trade to 2011, too.

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Keep in mind, the attacks are coming from big oil who are making huge profits along with the ones you call the enemy.

These greedy people can hold our economy hostage too like the big banks.

Again, you are on the wrong side of the people and should be thinking about your jobs not the greedy.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:04 PM

NOT BEING A C0MMIE FUCK I DON’T HAVE PROBLEM WITH A COMPANY THAT PROVIDES A SERVICE MAKING A PROFIT. I SURE HOPE YOU DIDN’T BREED!

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:16 PM

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:16 PM

I am guessing you work for big oil.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:18 PM

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:16 PM

I am guessing you work for big oil.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:18 PM

Nope, self employed

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:22 PM

getalife, it may or may not create millions of jobs. But will it be a net gain or kill just as many if not more jobs? I’m all for creating green jobs and I’m a heretic non-believer in man-made global warming. But not this way. It will happen when it’s RIGHT. Forcing it will only make millions suffer losing jobs and upheaval and destroy the economy.

One of the few things Obama said duri g the campaign that I thought was inspiring was challenging the country to get off forien oil in ten years. Joke JFK and the moon mission. But this is the wrong way to do it.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 1:23 PM

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:16 PM

Nothing wrong with competition and free market for alternative energy big oil lover.

It is American and we are very good at science.

Lets use it shall we?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:23 PM

But this is the wrong way to do it.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 1:23 PM

And your counter proposal?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:25 PM

tomasaur,

Please don’t feed the Trolls.

Thank you.

Weebork on March 21, 2009 at 1:25 PM

That’s right, big oil is the problem, not. Here’s a partial list of petroleum products. I work in R&D for a pharmaceutical company, and nearly all the consumables, i.e., tissue culture plates, tubes, etc. are all made from plastics. Many of the solvents used in our chemistry labs are manufactured by big oil.

getalife, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Without big oil and their products, most of the scienific advances in research wouldn’t even be possible.

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:27 PM

Weebork on March 21, 2009 at 1:25 PM

Thanks for talking me down, I was losing it.

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:27 PM

Weebork on March 21, 2009 at 1:25 PM

Back to the echo chamber eh?

Scared of debate?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:27 PM

*Like JFK

Stupid iPhone. Heh

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 1:28 PM

Great, we will put the waste in your back yard.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:15 PM

We are going to put the waste In Yucca, which has been scientifically proven to be a safe place for it.

You like science, right. And believe everything science finds, right.

Besides, I live in a hippie city which has declared itseld Nuke free. There are big signs all around proclaiming this silliness. A girl like you would fit right in.

myrenovations on March 21, 2009 at 1:29 PM

getalife, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Without big oil and their products, most of the scienific advances in research wouldn’t even be possible.

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:27 PM

Nobody is talking about doing away with big oil. Oil will be used too.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:29 PM

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 11:49 AM

First, you destroyed the economy and do not want to fix it.

Nonsense. What destroyed this economy was 15 years of too easy credit, and too much government spending, brought about by too loose of a money supply.

So what does the Commander-in-Chimp propose. He proposes to fix problems brought on by too much spending by… more spending. Too loose a money supply by… printing more money.

A sage bit of advice was given to me once… when you find yourself heading the wrong direction on a road, the first thing you need to do is stop and turn around.

Then, the planet and do not want to fix it.

It creates green jobs .

Millions of jobs.

Nonsense.

The idea that government can create more jobs then the private sector is foolish. The best government can do is create an equal amount of jobs. What is far more likely is they will destroy jobs by employing capital inefficiently, using political criteria, rather than economic criteria.

These “millions of green jobs” will necessarily be created by destroying millions of other non-green jobs through excess taxation. And they will, by definition, be less productive jobs, as their purpose is not to create economic goods, but to prevent the creation of externalities, e.g pollution.

The economic problem this mode of thinking faces is that nobody really knows how these “green jobs” are going to fit into the macroeconomy. The non-green jobs that you are prepared to destroy to make way for the green jobs have been fit into the economy through years of trial and error, unencumbered by political considerations. Those government “green jobs” you worship will never be free of political considerations, and thus will always provide suboptimal output.

The political problem that this mode of thinking faces is that while suboptimal economic outcomes may be acceptable at a time of high economic output, in times of a recession, people demand jobs and goods, externalities be damned. IOW, when times are lean, people will put up with pollution, so long as it is theor job that doesn’t geet cut. Try selling “green jobs” to coal miners, lumberjacks, and auto workers that are the heart and soul of the Democratic Party.

JohnGalt23 on March 21, 2009 at 1:30 PM

Weebork on March 21, 2009 at 1:25 PM

Its ok,we love the smell of hypocrisy in the afternoon. Watch what Getalife says-force cap and trade to create new jobs-not allow the freemarket to explore new energy, but force it on everyone without having the science to create a total replacement ready to go. Rationing energy and creating exhorbant costs to everyone.

canditaylor68 on March 21, 2009 at 1:31 PM

myrenovations on March 21, 2009 at 1:29 PM

Great, how your back yard since it is safe?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:31 PM

thomasaur,

You’re welcome. That is their entire point; to upset you. They are not interested in debate, only coming up with clever things to get attention and upset the people in the threads. I ran into these types when I chatted in yahoo way back in my high school days. They never change.

Weebork on March 21, 2009 at 1:32 PM

Nothing wrong with competition and free market for alternative energy big oil lover.

Than why does it need to be subsidized by the government if alternative energy is competitive in the free market?

You do know that the enviro-nitwits are suing companies trying to construct transmission lines required to carry the electricity from the solar and wind farms to the communities that’ll use it, right?

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:32 PM

I’m assuming they picked the one they feel best about getting passed. I hope that is because they know the cap-n-trade thing is total b.s.

rockhead on March 21, 2009 at 1:33 PM

Weebork on March 21, 2009 at 1:32 PM

Or perhaps an American with a different opinion and not scared of debate or change.

Man up.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:34 PM

Great, how your back yard since it is safe?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:31 PM

Yucca is safe. Science says so.

myrenovations on March 21, 2009 at 1:34 PM

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:32 PM

Absolutely. We are not even sure we can transmit that energy yet.

canditaylor68 on March 21, 2009 at 1:35 PM

It is okay cons. We will move forward without you if Tim’s plan works.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM

You do know that the enviro-nitwits are suing companies trying to construct transmission lines required to carry the electricity from the solar and wind farms to the communities that’ll use it, right?

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:32 PM

That’s because nonbody wants this stuff in or around their backyards.

myrenovations on March 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM

One of those “cool cars” getalife speaks of.

rockhead on March 21, 2009 at 1:39 PM

It is okay cons. We will move forward without you if Tim’s plan works.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM

Don’t worry guys, she is counting on Tim to get this done. That means it will be put off until after 2010, at least.

myrenovations on March 21, 2009 at 1:40 PM

Why do any of you try to use reason when replying to getalife? It doesn’t have the ability to think – only spew communist dogma issued by the Democrat Party. Stop feeding the monkey.

Sporty1946 on March 21, 2009 at 1:41 PM

It is okay cons. We will move forward without you if Tim’s plan works.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM

I see you put a big “if” Timmys plan works in your post.

Since you get your talking points straight out of White House, could you ask TOTUS when we’ll be seeing that so called “plan”?

Knucklehead on March 21, 2009 at 1:42 PM

Some federal money. Some tax breaks. The company that can come up with viable green energy will make billions and create those millions of jobs. It will happen. This issue is one of this very few that both sides can agree upon if for completely different reasons. Green and national security interests are both served by it. The ten years the President laid out seems like a good schedule. I mean look what our country did in ten years after JFK challenged us to go to the moon. The Earth’s climate can handle us weening ourselves off. We don’t need to destroy economies going cold turkey with no patch to comfort us.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 1:42 PM

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM

Have fun dealing with the backlash from this headline –”Obama will call for increased oversight of ‘executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms and possibly other companies‘ as part of sweeping plan to ‘overhaul financial regulation’, NY TIMES reporting Sunday,”

What do you call this move? Communist? Socialist? or Fascist?

canditaylor68 on March 21, 2009 at 1:43 PM

Crap, like I said if Tim’s plan works:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/despair-over-financial-policy/

If not, you will get your chance to destroy what is left of the economy with tax cuts and deregulation.

Failed Reaganomics and your only economic idea.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:44 PM

That’s because nonbody wants this stuff in or around their backyards.

myrenovations on March 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM

Some environmental lawyer will tie up grid construction in court for decades by using the Endangered Species Act for asian box turtles, delta smelt, or some other rare critter. Meanwhile, we’ll continue our dependency on importing foreign oil, and be at the mercy of OPEC’s crude production.

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:47 PM

homasaur on March 21, 2009 at 1:16 PM

I am guessing you work for big oil.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:18 PM

dear getabrain

I’m guessing you’re stupid. My gas bill says consumption is up this year because it’s 7% colder than last year. But I didn’t need them to tell me what every sentient being knows. We have entered a period of global cooling.

Basilsbest on March 21, 2009 at 1:48 PM

What do you call this move? Communist? Socialist? or Fascist?

canditaylor68 on March 21, 2009 at 1:43 PM

I call it caving to public outrage.

If public outrage causes term limits and fixing our corrupt system that cause this economic disaster, count me in.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:48 PM

getalife has those witty retorts about Reagan down pat. How’s your goose stepping – been practicing hard lately. When do ya’ll start wearing those nice little brown shirt?

Repat after me –
There’s no such thing as man-made global warming and there is nothing we, as humans, can do to change the climate.
There’s no such thing as man-made global warming and there is nothing we, as humans, can do to change the climate.
There’s no such thing as man-made global warming and there is nothing we, as humans, can do to change the climate.

Deprogramming will continue in 5 minutes.

Sporty1946 on March 21, 2009 at 1:50 PM

Here’s a car for you, getalife!

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 1:53 PM

Basilsbest on March 21, 2009 at 1:48 PM

Ding! Ding! Ding! You win a cigar!

Sporty1946 on March 21, 2009 at 1:53 PM

Sporty1946 on March 21, 2009 at 1:50 PM

There is data for both sides of the argument.

Russia had an unusually warm winter but some parts of the Earth was usually normal.

I don’t care about the argument, my point is creating green jobs.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:53 PM

Crap, like I said if Tim’s plan works:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/despair-over-financial-policy/

If not, you will get your chance to destroy what is left of the economy with tax cuts and deregulation.

Failed Reaganomics and your only economic idea.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:44 PM

Obviously you never read that article, getaclue.

Krugman is another moonbat lib just like you, and he’s even trashing Turbo Timmy and his not so great plan.

Get off the computer and go get some fresh air. Your bullshit is stinking up your mommies basement.

Knucklehead on March 21, 2009 at 1:53 PM

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:53 PM

There is data on one side of the argument – the one against global warming. And then there is made-up ‘facts’ and ‘data’ coming out of Algore’s minions of control freak ‘scientists’.

Sporty1946 on March 21, 2009 at 1:56 PM

Yeah knucklehead.

He was one of the very few that predicted this mess.

He has credibility.

And a liberal attacking the President?

You should love that.

It is what this blog is all about.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:58 PM

If you are willing to at least toy with the idea that global warming may or may not be happening why would you risk our economy FORCING green jobs out of thin air. Cap and Trade won’t make the technology work better. Science will. And there’s nothing for those millions of jobs to be doing until the science gets there. You want to potentially destroy the economy over ifs about the climate? Cap and Trade won’t spontaniously invent something cheaper than what we have now. It forces what we have now to be more expensive so that the so called ‘green tech’ can compete in a totally fake marketplace. A house of cards not unlike the housing one that just collapsed.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:01 PM

There is data for both sides of the argument.

Then why won’t your buddy Al Bore debate anyone regarding his data?

Russia had an unusually warm winter but some parts of the Earth was usually normal.

Every year parts of the Earth have “unusually” warm or cold weather—now known as “climate change.” You’ll have to explain what you mean by “usually normal.”

I don’t care about the argument, my point is creating green jobs.

You’re not arguing, you’re lecturing others regarding a subject you know next to nothing about, unless you consider repeating talking points knowledge.

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 2:04 PM

You’re not arguing, you’re lecturing others regarding a subject you know next to nothing about, unless you consider repeating talking points knowledge.

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 2:04 PM

My argument is the President’s main agenda of creating jobs.

Your counter agument is Al Bore?

You are missing my point.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:07 PM

And getalife, see my previous post about the heatwave in Europe in 2003. Are those green jobs getting forced worth thousands of lives? Just curious or are they as expendable as our economy?

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:07 PM

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:07 PM

Europe is ahead of us on creating green jobs.

They are making wind tunnels.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:09 PM

I ask again getalife. Will it be a net gain of million of jobs or flat because of the losses elsewhere caused by raising energy prices and putting all kinds of company out of business.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:12 PM

There is no one solution but the only thing holding nukes back is the waste.

I think it is solvable and part of the solution.

Can we put the waste in your back yard?

Coal sludge too?

Look up ‘pebble bed nuclear reactors’ and call me.

The Chinese are already building them.

We, for some reason, seem to have a desire to destroy the landscape of the country with hideous windmills and tinfoil.

mylegsareswollen on March 21, 2009 at 2:13 PM

My argument is the President’s main agenda of creating jobs.

Your counter agument is Al Bore?

You are missing my point.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:07 PM

I don’t want anyone creating jobs with my money but me. If he wants to invest his money in green jobs he’s more than welcome, but keep his Marxist hand out of my pocket. And if you took off the Dunce cap your ‘Point’ would be more visible to us.

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 2:16 PM

No, you just misrepresented what I said. The Al Bore comment was regarding your assertion that there is data supporting both sides of “climate change.”

And no, I didn’t miss your point. As was stated in several comments, cap and trade will cost jobs to “try and create” jobs with unproven scalable technologies.

mossberg500 on March 21, 2009 at 2:18 PM

The goal is to put people back to work. Solar panels decrease energy costs. The original cost is high but long term is much lower.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:19 PM

Europe is ahead of us in green jobs but the tech isn’t being bought here because it’s still not cheap enough to keep those jobs you keep talking avoid viable. Those jobs will only exist if people buy what they make. Which is how cap and trade creates those jobs. By preventing the ones that work now from staying cheap. Which means we have millions of jobs like you talk about and crazy high energy prices which hurts every single other industry in the world. So why are those millions of jobs worth of again?

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:21 PM

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:21 PM

They offshore, hire illegals, cut wages for jobs to stay cheap.

These are well paying American jobs.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:26 PM

Can you see the glaring holes in your arguments? Do you put ANY energy in what possible unintended consequenses may be?

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:27 PM

The goal is to put people back to work. Solar panels decrease energy costs. The original cost is high but long term is much lower.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:19 PM

Record oil profit= record tax revenues
lower energy costs=lower tax revenues=higher taxes

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 2:27 PM

Don’t you people realize yet that common sense and logic mean nothing at all to ‘getalife’? It’s a wasted effort on a useless P.O.S. troll.

He’s too busy lubing up for sock puppets rectal invasion to pay attention anyway.

Spiritk9 on March 21, 2009 at 2:28 PM

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:27 PM

Change scares you because of unintewnded consequences but you fail to recognize our number one problem is the loss of jobs.

You can’t stay the course with not creating jobs.

We have to create jobs.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:29 PM

On the matter of nuclear waste, everyone should read this book and digest a few of these facts:

* Uranium is more energy-dense than any other fuel. If you got all of your electricity for your lifetime solely from nuclear power, your share of the waste would fit in a single soda can. If you got all your electricity from coal, your share would come to 146 tons: 69 tons of solid waste that would fit into six rail cars and 77 tons of carbon dioxide that would contribute to accelerated global warming.

* A person living within 50 miles of a nuclear plant receives less radiation from it in a year than you get from eating one banana. Someone working in the U.S. Capitol Building is exposed to more radioactivity than a uranium miner.

* Spent nuclear fuel is always shielded and isolated from the public. Annual waste from one typical reactor could fit in the bed of a standard pickup. The retired fuel from 50 years of U.S. reactor operation could fit in a single football field; it amounts to 77,000 tons. A large coal-fired plant produces ten times as much solid waste in one day, much of it hazardous to health. We discard 179,000 tons of batteries annually–they contain toxic heavy metals.

And people are afraid of this, primarily because of hysterical propaganda and that stupid China Syndrome movie thirty years ago.

Nuclear power is the answer, and nuclear waste is safely manageable to the point of being a non-issue.

Go ahead and put it in my back yard.

Kensington on March 21, 2009 at 2:31 PM

Don’t you people realize yet that common sense and logic mean nothing at all to ‘getalife’? It’s a wasted effort on a useless P.O.S. troll.

He’s too busy lubing up for sock puppets rectal invasion to pay attention anyway.

Spiritk9 on March 21, 2009 at 2:28 PM

I find it to be helpful to type responses to this idiocy when making verbal responses to people that think the same way as our trolls.

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 2:31 PM

The goal is to put people back to work. Solar panels decrease energy costs. The original cost is high but long term is much lower.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:19 PM

Putting people to work in China and Europe you mean. From everything I’ve read and seen reported lately, those solar panels and wind turbines are all being manufactured by the Chinese and other European countries.

Once again, you’ve proven yourself to be truly clueless and get your talking points directly from Axelrod and the White House.

Knucklehead on March 21, 2009 at 2:32 PM

Go ahead and put it in my back yard.

Kensington on March 21, 2009 at 2:31 PM

Great, you will make money and the people of Nevada will support you.

Send in your poposal.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:33 PM

LOL at thye Eco folks…

This week alone…

A new study came out that Windmill power plants were destorying the Hearing of Bats, due to overpressuization.

So, no more wind farms…

And… a Feinstein, the Demo Senator from Califormia, now says we can’t build Solar Panels in the Desert, because it destorys the ecology there…

So… no wind… no solar… and we don’t have the water for biodiesel…

Eco Nuts? What do you expect us to do now?

Romeo13 on March 21, 2009 at 2:33 PM

We have to create jobs.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:29 PM

You’re on the dole, you don’t create jobs and government can’t create jobs without confiscating wealth from earners.

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 2:36 PM

Yeah and addiction to oil never brings unintended consequences.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:36 PM

Liberals today have their heads so far up their rear ends they can’t see the sun. Socialism is SLAVERY. Capitalism is FREEDOM. Duh. Grow our way out of this mess with a massive campaign to build nuke plants, oil refineries and drill drill drill for oil and natural gas. Energy is a national security issue, and would create a massive job and economic boom. Like I said, Duh. They don’t get it cuz it doesn’t fit the Enemedia’s template they swallowed hook line and sinker. I’m mad as hell, and I want my country back.

davecatbone on March 21, 2009 at 2:36 PM

lower energy costs=lower tax revenues higher investment=higher taxes higher revenue

sesquipedalian on March 21, 2009 at 2:38 PM

And if someone doesn’t want to take the time to read the book I linked, listen to the author being interviewed by Dennis Prager last month. It’s fascinating.

Kensington on March 21, 2009 at 2:39 PM

davecatbone on March 21, 2009 at 2:36 PM

Great, right now the bailed out institutions are holding our economy hostage. Jobs are being lost like in the depression.

Your capitalism is economic terrorism.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:40 PM

Yes yes. We know that’s the goal. I’m not scared of change. I just want smart change. If you create millions of jobs that are green and destroy millions that aren’t yet raise energy prices, what positive have you done. Which brings us back to the green question. Are you willing to raise energy prices to prevent climate change that may or may not be affected by man at all?

Like I said green tech is supported by both sides. I’m all for it. But it has to be smart. Your way isn’t.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:41 PM

sesquipedalian on March 21, 2009 at 2:38 PM

But my example is how socialist government thinks. Yours is an intelligent capitalist model.

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 2:41 PM

But the country is doomed right now because 52% of us have the intellectual capacity of getalife. Idiocracy!

Kensington on March 21, 2009 at 2:42 PM

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:41 PM

I must have missed your smart proposal.

I am all ears.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Change scares you because of unintewnded consequences but you fail to recognize our number one problem is the loss of jobs.

You can’t stay the course with not creating jobs.

We have to create jobs.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:29 PM

And you moonbats fail to realize that the government can’t create jobs and the good jobs that we had in this country have moved out of this country because they’ve been taxed into a corner. The U.S. used to proudly hold the title for being the the No.1 manufacturer of steel. Where did they go and why?

And your Messiah wants more taxes on those evil corporations. Get your head out of your ass getaclue.

Knucklehead on March 21, 2009 at 2:45 PM

“Capitalism is economic terrorism” — when will someone ban this odious nitwit?

Edouard on March 21, 2009 at 2:45 PM

Edouard on March 21, 2009 at 2:45 PM

What would you call this economic disaster?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:49 PM

“Capitalism is economic terrorism.” There you have it folks. Getalife just folded and threw her cards on the table.

And raising energy prices on everyone, even the poor and those on fixed incomes isn’t economic terrorism?

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:49 PM

What would you call this economic disaster?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:49 PM

I’d call it a manufactured crisis orchestrated by George Soros.

Disturb the Universe on March 21, 2009 at 2:51 PM

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:49 PM

I guess typing your smart proposal is too much to ask but I will go with the President’s idea.

Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Lets put the millions back to work.

Later.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:51 PM

Solar farms in the deserts, wind farms on the coasts, cool cars, new energy grids, this is the future to create millions of jobs and stop giving billions overseas.

Move forward cons.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 12:41 PM

Great idea! No…….not really. The fact of the matter is that you know very little to nothing about electricity production and transmission. You know nothing about “Base Load” plants vs. “Peak Load” plants and how your so-called “Green” methods of energy production are quite in-efficient at supporting either.

What do you do when the wind stops or is too strong? (Yes, the wind can be too strong for windmills to function.)

What do you do when the sun does not shine? (Like up your Ass!)

You need coal, nuclear, trash burning and gas turbine plants to handle the demand ON DEMAND!

There is no one solution but the only thing holding nukes back is the waste.

I think it is solvable and part of the solution.

Can we put the waste in your back yard?

Coal sludge too?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:14 PM

Typical liberal doublespeak bullshit! You say nuclear is part of the solution but then you throw in the waste argument to prove you are really against it.

Do you even know what “nuclear waste” is?

What is your solution for the waste if YUCCA is not the answer?

Your Savior is trying to kill the Nuclear Industry by killing Yucca.

You and eco-idiots are against everything in one way or another.

BTW, I have worked in the nuclear industry for over TWENTY years. So, if you would like to debate your stupidity/ignorance any further……then MAN-UP or BITCH-UP. Whatever you are troll?

74SeventeenSeventySix on March 21, 2009 at 2:52 PM

I am all ears.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Mr. President?

Disturb the Universe on March 21, 2009 at 2:54 PM

Scroll up. You’ll see it. It’s Obama’a plan pre-cap and trade.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:54 PM

Congratulations, getaclue. You have successfully hijacked a thread from the subject of Nationalized Healthcare to the discredited theory of Global Warming. Meanwhile, you have just called capitalism terrorism. Newsflash: Capitalism provides jobs and grows an economy. Communism/Socialism grows government and oppresses the general population. If that is what you want, move to Russia.

kingsjester on March 21, 2009 at 2:55 PM

Solar farms in the deserts, wind farms on the coasts, cool cars, new energy grids, this is the future to create millions of jobs and stop giving billions overseas.

Move forward cons.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 12:41 PM

Great idea! No…….not really. The fact of the matter is that you know very little to nothing about electricity production and transmission. You know nothing about “Base Load” plants vs. “Peak Load” plants and how your so-called “Green” methods of energy production are quite in-efficient at supporting either.

What do you do when the wind stops or is too strong? (Yes, the wind can be too strong for windmills to function.)

What do you do when the sun does not shine? (Like up your Ass!)

You need coal, nuclear, trash burning and gas turbine plants to handle the demand ON DEMAND!

There is no one solution but the only thing holding nukes back is the waste.

I think it is solvable and part of the solution.

Can we put the waste in your back yard?

Coal sludge too?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 1:14 PM

Typical liberal doublespeak bullshit! You say nuclear is part of the solution but then you throw in the waste argument to prove you are really against it.

Do you even know what “nuclear waste” is?

What is your solution for the waste if YUCCA is not the answer?

Your Savior is trying to kill the Nuclear Industry by killing Yucca.

You and eco-idiots are against everything in one way or another.

BTW, I have worked in the nuclear industry for over TWENTY years. So, if you would like to debate your stupidity/ignorance any further……then MAN-UP or BI&(H-UP. Whatever you are troll?

74SeventeenSeventySix on March 21, 2009 at 2:57 PM

What would you call this economic disaster?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:49 PM

I would call it an Administration, a Congress, a Treasury Secretary and President who doesn’t have clue (just like you) who made a bunch of promises they can’t implement and the average Joe on the street saving their money instead spending waiting for someone to come up with a way to fix the banking system to loosen up credit so we can get things rolling again.

Suspend capital gains taxes (or lower them) temporarily and get rid of that stupid mark to market crap, and things would start rolling.

But until then we have Barry playing pattycake with Jay Leno and bowling for dollars in the White House.

Knucklehead on March 21, 2009 at 2:58 PM

I’m on am iPhone at work. It takes a while to type and post. Heh.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:58 PM

But wasn’t a carbon tax supposed to provide significant revenues to offset some of the monster spending in the budget? Without that revenue, the budget numbers become even more ridiculous?

I’m glad he’s trashing the carbon tax, but somebody needs to rerun the numbers and find out what the new deficit figures are really going to be.

blue13326 on March 21, 2009 at 3:01 PM

I’m on am iPhone at work. It takes a while to type and post. Heh.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 2:58 PM

Get back to work slacker! Heh

thomasaur on March 21, 2009 at 3:02 PM

Edouard on March 21, 2009 at 2:45 PM

What would you call this economic disaster?

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 2:49 PM

Look, you’re a troll. Period. You’re not worth as much time and energy as people use up to respond to you. So I will only say this once.

You clearly spend hours a day provoking people with your one-liners, not persuading them because you don’t know how to do that.

You also have clearly no experience in the real “capitalist” world, which is full of people solving problems, providing solutions, and creating value that Americans benefit from. If you have a job, it is likely to come either from a government payroll or from your mommy or daddy.

God knows how many hours a day you spend on hotair, so unproductively, hijacking threads and figuring out which one-liners will best irritate others. Every time you turn around, you are rapid-fire parrying with people, which accomplishes not a thing. You are clearly incapable of making one well-detailed post Like I said, no one is persuaded. Irritation does not persuade.

A word of friendly advice: push your keyboard away, get a job in the private sector and learn what real capitalism (i.e. real prosperity creation) really is and figure out something useful to do with your life than persisting in pissing your life away jabbing away at people you don’t know with your 10,000 silly little 8-word responses.

Edouard on March 21, 2009 at 3:02 PM

* A person living within 50 miles of a nuclear plant receives less radiation from it in a year than you get from eating one banana. Someone working in the U.S. Capitol Building is exposed to more radioactivity than a uranium miner.

And people are afraid of this, primarily because of hysterical propaganda and that stupid China Syndrome movie thirty years ago.

Nuclear power is the answer, and nuclear waste is safely manageable to the point of being a non-issue.

Go ahead and put it in my back yard.

Kensington on March 21, 2009 at 2:31 PM

Great post!

After twenty years in the nuclear field, I have .257 REM(254 mREM) of occupational exposure. A fraction of the exposure I have received from the naturally occurring RADON in my basement or from my TV.

74SeventeenSeventySix on March 21, 2009 at 3:04 PM

257mREM

Typo.

74SeventeenSeventySix on March 21, 2009 at 3:06 PM

But but but… How does cap and trade specifically create jobsss… Aw she left. Oh well.

I think she got confused on the difference between “creating green jobs” vs. “creating jobs to put people back to work”. Cap and Trade only does one by design. If you want people to be put back to work you REALLY don’t want cap and trade.

oddjob1138 on March 21, 2009 at 3:11 PM

After twenty years in the nuclear field, I have .257 REM(254 mREM) of occupational exposure. A fraction of the exposure I have received from the naturally occurring RADON in my basement or from my TV.

And yet real, true energy independence is held up by the imbecilic obstinacy of people like getalife and Barack Obama (who, for all his much vaunted intellect, is surely no better informed on this issue).

Kensington on March 21, 2009 at 3:14 PM

Allah, Ed, Michelle,

Seeing as how the “bundling of assets” is the new age craze for hiding or distorting the truth & assets, can you folks see it in your hearts to bundle getalife’s comments and release them at the end of the day? This way every thread isn’t filled with tripe like “Boooosh”, unsubstantiated “yeah buts”, and other moronic one liners that offer nothing to the conversation or debate. While I’m all for freedom of speech, allowing one misanthropist to waste bandwidth with ad hominem and mostly child-like responses far too many times in almost every post is not only annoying, it’s insulting to many here who use their valuable time contributing solid information and opinions based on events determined by evidence at hand. If it is Hot Air’s policy to allow continual Kos-like commentary, (unlike Tom Shipley, Rywall, Ernesto, DeathtomediaHacks, and yes even obtuse BennyS), that only distorts and disrupts interesting debate and conversation, then, (I believe), you folks will see a diminishing contribution by some very talented and informative commenter’s, (who actually contribute to the conversation), that will go elsewhere for their daily dose of common sense dialogue where an exchange of ideas and opinions are more constructive.

(cc Hot Air email)

Rovin on March 21, 2009 at 3:42 PM

74SeventeenSeventySix on March 21, 2009 at 3:04 PM

Wow you don’t even approach 5xN-18 for lifetime. Of course I think they use different terms now. TEDE and CEDE and some other terms that I no longer have to know. My Lifetime was less than 3 rem and I thought I was doing good. What kind of plant did you work at and which department?

Oldnuke on March 21, 2009 at 3:49 PM

Rovin on March 21, 2009 at 3:42 PM

I’m with you on this. We have enough variety in our sane HA commenter community to have debates without these hateful trolls. If I wanted stomach curdling vitriol and hatred I’d hang out at Daily Kos. I know very well that commenting is inhibited by the inability to interact with sane folks because of the poo-flinging trolls.

Ed, you’re the grown-up here, can you restore some sanity?

Maquis on March 21, 2009 at 3:49 PM

Rovin on March 21, 2009 at 3:42 PM

Yes the echo chamber is so informative and the silly one liners attacking the President is kos like but intellectually stimulating. Geez.

Feel free to scroll down from my words but will never ask for you to be silenced. That rovin is cowardly.

Man up.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 3:53 PM

While I’m with Rovin in spirit, I don’t mind getalife’s comments. s/he never substantiates anything, so it’s just spam, which means that I can skip those comments because they’re just nothing. But maybe what you could do is color those comments – pink perhaps – to make it easier to identify and skip.

beatcanvas on March 21, 2009 at 3:53 PM

I thought ya’ll believe in freedom.

Not.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 3:55 PM

which means that I can skip those comments because they’re just nothing.

Yeah, I think most of us do that already, but enough don’t that worthwhile commenters engage the trolls and the thread ends up hijacked, you can’t read the non-troll comments without reading responses to the trolls. It’s tiresome.

Maquis on March 21, 2009 at 3:57 PM

While I’m with Rovin in spirit, I don’t mind getalife’s comments. s/he never substantiates anything, so it’s just spam, which means that I can skip those comments because they’re just nothing. But maybe what you could do is color those comments – pink perhaps – to make it easier to identify and skip.

beatcanvas on March 21, 2009 at 3:53 PM

Thank you but many here choose to engage me for some reason.

getalife on March 21, 2009 at 3:57 PM

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