Clap and Fade?

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Yesterday was historic.  The California Air Resources Board passed  comprehensive Cap & Trade Regulations.  Without trying to be too dramatic, it is guaranteed to kill thousands and thousands of California jobs, guaranteed to raise energy rates for every renter and home owner in the state, guaranteed to  raise the cost of gasoline by as much as another dollar, guaranteed to prove that a National Cap and Trade policy will surely kill our global competiveness for the foreseeable future.  Mary Nichols, Chairman of the California Air Resources Board look up after the vote and said: “We have done something important!”

There is little doubt that the whole Cap and Trade concept has been terribly flawed from the beginning…..starting seriously during the Bush the Elder and Clinton years.  It goes quickly something like this:  If you are a huge energy producer or broker…..you don’t have to fix anything that is considered pollution, because you simply raise your rates, but you buy so-called “pollution credits” from small producers that are actually efficient – and then go merrily right down the same old pollution road.  The physical results are that eventually (months or years later)  companies like Exxon, Union, Standard Oil, Shell and others simply close down any physical ownership or relationships with Fuel Cracking Plants, Chemical Plants or any other related sources that actually cause pollution in the State of California.  Those manufacturing facilities and new tech jobs eventually get sent first out of state then overseas along with millions of old American jobs.  It is like closing the door to the den when Grampa passes too much gas during the football game.  The area stays polluted, but no one smells it until someone mistakenly opens the door.

Where are those Tea Party folks that want Government to stay out of our business?  Where are all those Republican Candidates for President on this issue that they can’t wait to debate with President Obama?  Where are all the Union folks, the 99% people and others that are going to be affected beyond their wildest dreams?  The California Air Resources Board should rather be on the job – identifying the gross polluters today and having those folks develop a “corrective action plan” over the next five years.  Leave those small companies that are not polluting alone.  No phony buy, trade, hedge, derivative, liar loan Pollution Credits to be bought and sold strictly through the CARB!  What a nightmare of bureaucratic malfunctionality!  Where are the State Legislators that are there to protect our State and retain our job base?

Hey, just when you thought we were actually getting a handle on new jobs for our economy….along comes The California Robespierre – CARB…that is!  CARB seems willing you see to cut off the heads of consumers, businesses and our entire economy – metaphorically of course.  Their answer is:  We are going to do this slowly.  What that means is that the “Consumers will be put into a pot of water and the heat will be slowly turned up to a boil.”

Let’s all join hands now…….write a quick note to Governor Brown and tell him –  “Major Screw Up on the horizon sir!”  Clap and Fade is coming and we should not just sit by and let it slowly destroy what is left of our California economy!  This single move….may indeed raise a gallon of gas way passed $5 dollars a gallon by years end. This stupidity will certainly raise the cost of electricity, natural gas, transportation and the loss of thousands of well paying jobs – just for starters!  Yes Mary Nichols….”you have done something important”….and it ain’t pretty!