The Cap And Trade Market Is The New Wallstreet

The word on the street is that the Carbon Pollution (still only a theory and disproved more and more everyday by observed non-anomilic science) “Cap and Trade” is poised to make certain folks into quick billionaires. GE is one of those companies. There are many others. Here is how this will work.

For some time now a number of companies organized as a group called “USCAP” have teamed up to recommend how cap and trade works. The gist is, based on recommended levels for carbon pollution, companies in the US would be awarded credits. If you are beating the cap then you get credits and if you are exceeding the cap then you need to go out and buy credits due to your credit deficit. Over the course of the next 50 years those credits would be progressively reduced lower carbon pollution numbers (wait for it.) Here is the problem.

1. Carbon pollution is not science nor are the standards. They are manufactured "Caps" (I will explain how these Caps came to be in the next point.)
   
2. The USCAP group is recommending standards that stack the deck in their favor. If the government adopts their recommendation, then since those companies have a head start on adhering to the standard they would be awarded an inequitable number of credits.

As a result many other companies would have to go to them to buy credits. And companies like GE are then awarded in the billions of dollars. Years later after politicians are willing to agree with the current science debunking AGW and proving we are on a new cooling trend, rather than returning all of our money they will only claim we've now solved AGW at a globally and ecologically infeasible speed and now we can stop doing Cap and Trade and energy taxes... wait a minute, WHO AM I KIDDING?

If the government can crank up personal energy taxes, why would they EVER STOP? And if companies can OWN the Cap and Trade system before it even gets going, how hard will they lobby Congress to keep that cashcow alive long after Anthropogenic Global Warming pseudo-science is debunked publicly?

Well, the answer is, they won't stop. This is a new industry they are creating. And we are not talking about companies trading billions based on carbon credit trading alone. Here is where you are I come in.

Carbon Cap and Trade laws would very quickly affect the average American household at the rate of over $3,000 per year. This is already all over the news based on the plan being proposed. If you think you have a tight budget now, imagine finding another $3,000 per year to handle trickle down Cap and Trade economics. If you are single with a roommate renting a home, well then it will only be $1,500+ for you, but I am sure you are now doing the math. As energy costs go up, also due specifically to energy taxes, it is being estimated that people will retire older electronic devices and from who will they purchase those new devices? Two letters: G.E.

This also affects companies and communities. G.E. is not only a major participant in crafting the Cap and Trade recommendations to the US Government but it is the largest manufacturer of the purported consumer AND company AND community level “solutions”. Where will people buy windmills from? New generator? Updated "low polution" arcraft engines? G.E. And this is only one company in the mix.

Let's talk about oil. Since the beginning of AGW theories ExxonMobil has been quit public about disputing the science behind the claims. And while they have not publicly changed their position, they are surprisingly getting involved in USCAP to help shape those policies before they become laws. So they aren't debating the fact that they don't believe in AGW anymore today than they did yesterday. They are only reading the writing on the wall and grabbing a seat at the big table so they can be one of the key families in the new enviro-mafia.

So (like usual) let’s do the math:

Cap and Trade doesn’t solve any problems, it creates a new trade market.

Moreover it creates or IMPLEMENTS a scheduled problem for average Americans to which that same group “creating” the problem will then be the very group providing the solution. The last time I heard a storyline like this I think I was watching the movie “The Godfather.” I am just starting to really understand those funny new “Tea Parties” in the news these days. You know? Those blips in the news where the media tells you that a few people got together to complain about taxes? Well, historically, people got pretty pissed because England wanted to get more money out of the colonies, so while England controlled the tea being exported to the colonies, they saw an opportunity in controlling the taxes associated with them. To be fair, Cap and Trade is just a new Tea Tax. But in this case it isn't tea they are taxing, it is carbon - the most prevelant element in the known universe. Said another way, if America could tax you for breathing, comparitively they couldn't raise as much funding as the AGW carbon "polution" taxation market will be able to do.

So, am I nuts? Where do I get the guts to call Cap and Trade a planned ploy to create a problem and then pimp the only solution? Well, just follow the story for yourself…

OK, be a good American and read these two articles:

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em: Industry owns Cap and Trade rather than really being about Green Legislation

…and…

Cap and Trade Slumlords: If going green is so altruistic, how did Al Gore go from a net worth of $2 million at the end of his vice presidency to over $100 million in only eight years due to the new green market?

...and if you prefer to watch video instead then check out...

Selling the Jeep (Part III: Final Chapter) -- Driving is Fun again

Three quick pictures for you: Driving is fun again! Just about the time I was ready to finally sell the Jeep, gas prices were beginning to rise. In New Jersey, we were at around $3.70 for a gallon of regular. While my motivation wasn't completely fuel related, selling the Jeep almost assured that my miles per gallon situation was going to improve. Now, understanding that Jeeps typically make just into the double digets when it comes to MPG, you can see how the first picture here makes driving fun again!

That's right! An average of 42.9 miles per gallon. This number changes, as you can imagine (it is based on the trip, meaning from the moment I start the car to the moment I shut the engine off.) So, for example, driving one route to work everyday yeilds about 43 MPG for me. While at the same time another route gets me about 38 MPG (still good.) I did notice the other day that driving around Princeton (it is fairly flat around there) yeilded around 45 MPG! That is awesome. It isn't PRIUS awesome... but it is pretty cool, since this car is about half the price (not quite) of the PRIUS.

Picture #2: George Washington Bridge into New York at around Columbia University and "the Cotton Club."

I really like this bridge. While the traffic can be backed up getting on the bridge (not to mention that you might have the pleasure of seeing an entire car on fire!), once you are on the bridge it is fairly smooth sailing and delivers a nice view of the city. Again, not having to wory about the Jeep breaking down, or getting warm because the air conditioning can't keep up with the city heat makes driving fun again.

Picture #3: And while we are on the topics of bridges, I was driving to a friends place the other weekend and had to ride over this lift bridge. Now, I have driven this route a couple of times now, so I got my camera out quickly! The thing about lift bridges is that there are (or at least I was told there are) not many in the world. In fact, an old friend used to swear that the Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN, was only one of three on the planet. Well, unless the other two are in New Jersey (I've driven over two different lift bridges) then that dude was sorely misinformed! Here is the proof of one, equally as large if not larger than the one in Duluth, and in a fairly obscure and simple two lane road.