Wine and Cheese Credits
Krayton Kerns
10.10.07
Let’s look at life using the logic of an environmental leftist. For the next ten minutes ignore the inconsistency that the exact thing that was claimed to cause global cooling in the ‘70s, western capitalism and economic growth, is now causing global warming. Their solution to cooling then and warming now is the same; stifle the economy with socialist regulation and taxes at every conceivable level. Interestingly, the preachers of today’s catastrophic climate change are more creative than their cooling predecessors, and they have created the slickest thing…carbon-credits.
If you are an evil producer of carbon dioxide and thus are threatening all life on mother earth your dastardly deed will be forgiven if you give money to someone who is a consumer of carbon dioxide. These magical carbon-credits absolve you of any wrongdoing. As a case in point, Senator Max Baucus has purchased a year’s worth of carbon credits for $1,152 so he may fly his private jet between Montana and Washington absolutely guilt free. The green crowd is fine with this and Jim Jensen of the Montana Environmental Information Center is quoted in the Gazette as calling this purchase “a good symbolic thing to do.” I started thinking; the mother-earth crowd might be on to something here so perhaps we should apply carbon-credit logic to other aspects of life. Here’s how:
I like beer. The boom of micro-brews has elevated us redneck beer drinkers to a higher societal class. Just like wine connoisseurs I can sit in high end restaurants and order a pint of Himmelberger knowing it goes equally well with beef, poultry, fish, or ice cream. It’s good stuff. Now, to keep things in balance, I will buy wine-and-cheese-credits from one of my non-drinking friends. Using environmental logic, this makes me alcohol neutral and the earth is happy.
Taken further, adultery-credits could be available for folks who have trouble remembering which bedroom is theirs. For the annual purchase of $1,152 in credits from a celibate friend, it wouldn’t matter whose socks you are wearing when you roll out of bed.
All kidding aside, if the environmental lunacy was limited to the foolishness of carbon credits, global-warming alarmists would present no threat to those of us who value freedom and free-market enterprise. Unfortunately their socialist agenda is more serious than that.
Rep. John Dingle (D), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is quoted by the AP in reference to climate change solutions as saying, “I’m trying to have everybody understand that this is going to cost and that it’s going to have a measure of pain that you’re not going to like.” Here are Rep. Dingle’s proposals:
*Add a 50 cent tax on gas and jet fuel on top of existing taxes.
*Add a $50 per ton carbon tax on carbon released from burning coal, petroleum and gas.
*Phase out the mortgage interest tax deduction on homes over 3000 square feet.
Think about the ramifications of Rep. Dingle’s sweeping proposals. Perhaps I am missing something, but exactly how does sending more tax dollars to Washington cool the earth? It doesn’t; it’s not about temperature, it’s about control. We must not allow the left to imprison us with higher taxes and greater regulation. Detroit voters have sent Mr. Dingle to Congress for 52 years and there’s not much Montana rednecks can do about him. However, who we send to Washington and Helena, can have a huge impact.
A quick review of the 60th Montana legislature shows the death of 8 bills or resolutions whose purpose was to expand the powers of the state government under the illusion of preventing global warming. Look at HB55, HB227, HB282, HB586, HB753, HJ60, SB218, and SJ20; in one aspect or another, all mandated or promoted nonsensical carbon sequestration. Here’s the bottom line: All these restrictive bills would have passed and become law had there been one less conservative vote in the House. My election is living proof that a single vote can either set you free or imprison you in socialism. Vote wisely.
