Obama/Waxman Fast Track Carbon Tax

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CLICK TO LISTEN TO GRASSFIRE AUDIO REPORT ON CARBON TAX VOTE
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UPDATE 5/22 -- Committee Passes Cap and Trade Tax, 33-25
Waxman's 934-page Cap and Trade Carbon Tax bill was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee 33-25. Thirty two (of 36) Democrats and one Republican voted in favor of the bill. Four Democrats identified by Grassfire as key targets voted "NO."

Breakdown of the Vote
The Committee does not formally publish the actual Roll Call Vote for the H.R. 2454, but our sources on the Hill confirm the following list of "yea" votes in favor of imposing the cap and trade Carbon Tax:

Democrats Voting YES:

Henry A. Waxman, CA, Chair,
John D. Dingell, MI, Chair Emeritus
Edward J. Markey, MA ,
Rick Boucher, VA
Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ
Bart Gordon, TN
Bobby L. Rush, IL
Anna G. Eshoo, CA
Bart Stupak, MI
Eliot L. Engel, NY
Gene Green, TX
Diana DeGette, CO
Lois Capps, CA
Mike Doyle, PA
Jane Harman, CA
Jan Schakowsky, IL
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX
Jay Inslee, WA
Tammy Baldwin, WI
Anthony D. Weiner, NY
G.K. Butterfield, NC
Baron P. Hill, IN
Doris O. Matsui, CA
Donna M. Christensen, VI
Kathy Castor, FL
John P. Sarbanes, MD
Christopher S. Murphy, CT
Zachary T. Space, OH
Jerry McNerney, CA
Betty Sutton, OH
Bruce L. Braley, IA
Peter Welch, VT

Lone Republican Voting "YES"
Mary Bono Mack, CA

These Democrats voted “No”: Charlie Melancon, LA , Mike Ross, AR, Jim Mtheson, UT, John Barrow, GA

Next Steps
Thanks to the efforts of grassroots citizens across the country, the bill leaves the committee weakened. News reports indicate that Democrats in the House are still very divided. One faction, led by Charles Rangel, prefers the direct carbon tax over the cap-and-trade carbon tax. Rangel is threatening to hold the bill up. Collin Peterson (D-MN) heads up another faction of midwestern and
Ag state Democrats who disapprove of the bill. Peterson said after the vote, “They can do whatever they want with this, but I can tell you, there is no way this is going to pass.” Peterson claims he has 40 Democrats who will vote "No" if this is taken to the floor.

Idaho Democrat Walt Minnick, who formerly supported the cap and trade tax, now says the tax “will spawn a big bureaucracy and is susceptive to manipulation and misuse."

The Senate is another significant hurdle.

We expect Waxman's bill to slowly work its way through the House toward a floor vote in late June or early July. So, in our assessment, with the bill limping out of committee grassroots citizens win Round One of this very important battle.

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UPDATE 5/19 -- 12 Key Democrats
Grassfire has identified 12 key Democrats on the committee who will decide the fate of the cap-and-trade Carbon Tax. Here is the list:
Rep. Michael Ross (AR) 202-225-3772
Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA) 202-225-4031
Rep. G. Butterfield (NC) 202-225-3101
Rep. Zack Space (OH) 202-225-6265
Rep. Michael Doyle (PA) 202-225-2135
Rep. Bart Gordon (TN) 202-225-4231
Rep. Charles Gonzalez (TX) 202-225-3236
Rep. Gene Green (TX) 202-225-1688
Rep. James Matheson (TX) 202-225-3011
Rep. Rick Boucher (VA) 202-225-3861
Rep. Peter Welch (VT) 202-225-4115
Rep. Jay Inslee (WA) 202-225-6311

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UPDATE 5/19--"Smoking Gun"
Here is the "smoking gun" memo from Obama's OMB that directly criticizes the economic impact of the Carbon Tax as well as the validity of the entire climate alarmism scheme-- Full document here (.pdf), and two key excerpts:

"SERIOUS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES"
"Making the decision to regulate CO2 ... for the first time is likely to have serious economic consequences for regulated entities throughout the U.S. economy, including small businesses and small communities."

"NO DEMONSTRATED HEALTH EFFECTS"
In the absence of a strong statement of the standards being applied in this decision, there is a concern that EPA is making a finding based on (1) "harm" from substances that have no demonstrated direct health effects."

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UPDATE: Listen to Steve Elliott's interview with G. Gordon Liddy on the Carbon Tax.

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(Original Post)
All signs indicate that President Obama and Rep. Henry Waxman are pushing for a key vote on the Carbon Tax BEFORE Memorial Day -- a tax that studies show will cost each family $3,100 each and every year.

Last week, Obama met behind closed doors with House Democrats to pressure them to pass the Carbon Tax. Now, Waxman is even contemplating skipping the Subcommittee hearing on the $2 trillion Carbon Cap and Trade Tax (The Waxman-Markey bill; original draft here; summary here) and fast-tracking this new tax straight to his Energy and Commerce Committee.

Waxman wants this all done by the end of next week… and Team Obama is turning up the heat on key Democrats in the House to pressure quick passage of the Carbon Tax.

+ + +Why Obama and Waxman Are Fast-Tracking The CO2 Tax

There’s a reason Obama and Waxman are pulling out the stops to pressure Democrats to pass this tax through the Committee…

Obama, Waxman, Pelosi and the gang fear that any delays
could kill their precious plan to “save the planet” and give
the government the power to tax and control the air!

That’s because even some Democrats are now getting nervous about imposing such a large tax at a time when the economy is struggling. Reports indicate this new tax could cost the average American over $3,000 every year and result in 7 million lost jobs! (Go here to download a .pdf of the MIT report from which the $3,100 estimate is generated.

Here is the pertinent data from pages 24-25 which reports $366 billion it carbon tax revenues. The GOP is using this number, divided by 111 million households, to derive the roughly $3,100 cost per family.)

Dems -- especially the Blue Dog Dems -- are getting very squeamish. Many are particularly annoyed that Waxman is considering skipping the subcommittee hearing in order to rush the bill to the full committee and get his vote by the Memorial Day break. The New York Times reports that Waxman will produce a new version of the bill this week to appease the concerns of moderates.

+ +Americans Oppose this new Tax

Democrats and the White House try to claim that cap and trade is not a tax. But Warren Buffett recently admitted that cap and trade is a "regressive" tax that the utilities will "pass through" to consumers. And even Democrat John Dingell admitted recently that "Cap and Trade is a tax, and a great big one."

How big is this tax? Obama's shows "only" $600 billion for carbon tax revenues -- that alone would be the largest single tax increase in history. But the real, hidden number is closer to $2 trillion over 8 years. And the American people overwhelmingly do NOT want the Carbon Tax (by a 2-to-1 margin according to Pew Research).

+ + +Global “reset” of the economy under way!

If the cap-and-trade scheme passes, it will initiate the most radical restructuring of our economy toward socialism in American history. And don’t be fooled… Al Gore and “Big Environment” will get filthy rich in the process. In fact, as Timothy Carney of the Washington Examiner explains, companies like GE are lining up to profit from the global warming scheme. Carney points out that GE has invested millions in lobbying in favor of carbon tax related schemes. And GE's Chairman Jeffrey Immelt actually sees a global "reset" of capitalism under way:

"I believe we are going through more than a cycle. The global economy, and capitalism, will be “reset” in several important ways. The interaction between government and business will change forever. In a reset economy, the government will be a regulator; and also an industry policy champion, a financier, and a key partner."

Waxman wants to fly under the radar and push the Carbon Tax Scheme before the American people realize what is happening. As a result, the most crucial vote on the Carbon Tax cap-and-trade scheme may be taking place before Memorial Day.

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Comment by Deb and Joe of RI on May 25, 2009 at 12:50am: What an arrogant little dweeb to pull a speed reader out of his bag of tricks to laugh at us, like we can do anything we want and you cannot do anything about it! He too will have his day of reckoning sooner rather than later.

Comment by Grace Larson on May 24, 2009 at 10:17pm: My husband and I could not believe Waxman's INSOLENCE when he introduced the "Speed Reader. " AND his audience of congress people clapped; they thought his INSOLENCE so
funny ! The congress is supposed to be representing the people; not themselves. They need to read the bills that come before them ! That is what they are paid to do ! And Pelosi and bunch head for China to discuss this wonderful carbon tax ! She said the UN is quite pleased with the idea of a carbon tax. How much has her trip cost the taxpayers ? How much fuel has she burned ? How much polution as a result ? Pelosi and Obama ought to park their planes. That would do more to save the environment than anything else. This administration is sure pushing the United States to a third world status. And it sounds like they have UN help.

Comment by JANI on May 24, 2009 at 5:45pm: Keep sending out those e mails to your contacts, folks. The more citizens find out what's going on, the stronger traction we will have. I have sent out that youtube video of Waxman's committee laughing while they tax each family over $3000 extra dollars per year. And we haven't even considered the trickle-down tax that will go into products we buy, whose manufacturers will tax us again and again, in the way of higher prices. They have shut up the scientists who say this has no credibility, but they can't shut up the citizens. Enough!

Comment by maggieb on May 24, 2009 at 3:02pm: Much of this was caused by Idiot Al Gore and his Global warming Crap. He is in the news today again pushing his Money making Agenda.
Career politicians must go , they have To Much power and To many Lobbists in and special interest groups paying them. I wish some on would duct tape Gore's mouth and cage him up before he hurts himself or some one else

Comment by Dominick Farruggio on May 24, 2009 at 3:00pm: I don't believe that 35-25 is a great victory! What we are doing is kidding ourselves when push comes to shove Obama will get his way. So, we must take a stand against the Carbon Tax, that tax is going to be part of our utility bill, an additional $50 to the already bloated bill. I don't know how many people are going to be able to afford the additional $50? But I do know is that I am not going to pay it! I will deduct that $50 from my utility bill and frankly everyone of us should do the same.

You want to claim victory, then write to your reps and tell them that we are not going to pay it. Better yet draw up a petition and gather as many signatures that we can and send it to Congress and let them see first hand that We The People mean business and not just all talk and do nothing.

Comment by Lee Dey on May 24, 2009 at 2:35pm: This Cap and Trade bill is nothing but a conspiracy between GE, GM, the Green movement and Barak Obama. It is a plan to force us into sub-compact electric cars, starve out the coal and oil industry, and literally bring our country to its knees. There are billions of dollars to be made by anyone involved in this scam. These politicians think we're all stupid. This administration from Obama to the Congress is nothing but pure evil. They are all anti-American, hate this country, and are hell-bent on bringing it down. Every day they are passing laws that attack our way of life, attack religion, and attack our freedoms. Obama can't fool all the people all of the time......he is not a Christian, not a US citizen and is not our President (he's an imposter). That's why he's out to ruin the country that our forefathers fought and died for. He's using thug politics to intimadate Congress because they are all a bunch of spineless pansies.

Comment by Freetown Bill on May 23, 2009 at 10:56pm: When are we going to take action? The career politicians must go. Term Limits, I agree with Mike. we the people have let this happen. But we can change it. All incumbents must go in 2010. I hope our country is still intake by then. The government is out of control both at the state and especially the federal level. My concern is that we are still not being heard or believed.

Comment by Pamela Pearson on May 23, 2009 at 9:18pm: Mike, I agree with everything you said. It is our fault that things have gotten so out of hand. Our elected officials have been allowed to increase their power and control because we let them do it. I hope it's not too late to reign them in and put them out to pasture. I am sending e-mails to every committee member that was in that room. Taxing every home $3100 or more year after year for carbon dioxide isn't funny, it's outrageous. We need to get rid of them all.