Right Minded Online

Congressman Henry Waxman says the GOP is rooting against the USA by opposing the Democrats’ job-killing, economy-wrecking legislation. No, we’re actually rooting FOR America, which is why we’re rooting AGAINST Obama. If there’s a party that rooted against its own country, it was the Democrats during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has had an eventful couple of weeks to say the least, believes House Republican opposition to climate change legislation and the stimulus indicates they’re cheering against the good ol’ US of A.

“It appears that the Republican Party leadership in the Congress has made a decision that they want to deny President Obama success, which means, in my mind, they are rooting against the country, as well,” the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman told WAMU radio host Diane Rehm on Tuesday morning, promoting his new book, “The Waxman Report.”

Henry Waxman: GOP “rooting against” USA – Glenn Thrush – POLITICO.com

This reminds me of 1994, when Democrats were trying to push through HillaryCare. Ultimately, the bill died under a lack of full Democrat support, and was part of the reason for the GOP sweep in the midterm elections later that year. Let’s hope for similar results this time all the way around.

The emerging bill “lacks a number of elements essential to preserving what works and fixing what is broken,” 40 members of the Blue Dog Coalition of moderate to conservative Democrats wrote in a letter to party leaders. To win their support, they said, any legislation would need to be much more aggressive in reining in the growth of health care.

Health care overhaul bill suffers another setback – Yahoo! News.

Senate Democrats are obviously feeling pressure from the public, and have put off cap-and-tax until after their August recess.

Michelle Malkin » Pressure’s on: Senate Dems put cap-and-tax on ice

Michelle Malkin quotes senate.gov:

During a hearing today in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, EPA Administrator Jackson confirmed an EPA analysis showing that unilateral U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would have no effect on climate. Moreover, when presented with an EPA chart depicting that outcome, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he disagreed with EPA’s analysis.

Ahem. As I (and others) have always said, global warming has nothing to do with climate. It has everything to do with growing government and raising taxes. That’s all it is.

Michelle Malkin » The farce of cap-and-tax revealed

I love it how the facts on cap-and-tax are only now filtering out AFTER the House passed it. Here’s another item described by Rush Limbaugh during last Tuesday’s show. Again, this is something the mainstream press would never have printed or aired.

Home sales are critical. So why put these provisions in the cap-and-trade bill? Listen to this. “Homebuyers Beware. Trying to save up for a new home? You may have to save up a little longer for your purchase. The Democrats’ bill would dramatically increase new home costs by mandating California’s expensive new building codes for the entire nation. Immediately upon enactment, the Democrats’ bill would demand a 30 percent increase in energy efficiency for new construction. A couple of years later, the Democrats’ bill would require an additional 50 percent improvement. These numbers were chosen with no concern for cost to consumers or feasibility in implementation,” and most people voting on it didn’t even know these provisions were in the bill ’cause there was not a bill. So this is going to stifle the American economic recovery because it’s going to stifle home sales. That’s just one of two or three items I want to tell you about.

All the Latest on Cap and Trade.

Democrats are not sold on the idea of taxing health care benefits as a means for making health care more available. (Go figure.) This is heartwarming, because it signals that Democrats in Congress are no longer willing to rubberstamp every piece of job-killing, freedom-squashing legislation with Obama’s name on it.

Nowhere were the challenges of passing legislation more evident than in the Senate. There, several Democratic officials said the party’s leadership told Baucus, D-Mont., that they were unhappy with any tax on health care benefits — a key component of bipartisan negotiations — and expressed fears it could lose more votes on their side of the aisle than it gained among Republicans.

“It’s clearly a very difficult issue. … You go to the public to ask them what they think and they don’t like it,” Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who did not attend the meeting, told reporters later in the day. A compilation of four recent polls reviewed at the session showed at least 59 percent of the public opposed to taxing health care benefits to “pay for reform.” The opposition went as high as 70 percent.

As a result, Conrad said, “we’re looking at other options” to help finance a bill whose price tag is expected to reach $1 trillion or slightly more. He did not identify any.

Additionally, there was general sentiment among Democratic leaders that health care legislation must contain an option for the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies, according to these officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to disclose details of private talks.

Tax on health benefits causing second thoughts – Yahoo! News.

Thank goodness for alternative media, because the mainstream press wasn’t going to tell us about this, and you know the Democrats aren’t going to tell us what’s in their cap-and-tax bill. Heck, Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN) is out there telling us that the cap-and-tax bill is about creating jobs. It looks like Congressman Gordon either a) didn’t read the bill, b) has no concept of economics, c) takes the average voter for an idiot, or d) is just plain lying.

RUSH: Well, now, look. I know that they got no support in the news, but you shouldn’t expect that to happen. I’m not trying to depress you. We gotta face reality and we’re dealing with an Obama State-Run Media here. Of course they’re not going to give Boehner any support or even any coverage or any publicity. But she’s right, sell your house, before you can do that, you have to pass an environmental test that some government person is going to come in and make sure you have proper storm windows and if you live in a hurricane area the inspection is even more Draconian. You have to have modern appliances, a kitchen and that sort of thing, energy efficient TVs and this sort of stuff and until you replace all that stuff you can’t sell it. Now, normally that would be up to seller and buyer. If the buyer wants to accept some old TVs and a kitchen that’s not stainless steel, fine, you negotiate that on price. But now it’s not going to be a matter of negotiation. Before you can be approved in selling your house, some government regulator is to come in and give you an examination.

Waxman Bill Forces Environmental Inspection to Sell Your Own Home.

After being out for several days, I’m way behind on my Rush Limbaugh podcasts, and am just now listening to last Friday’s show. During the second hour, the Maha Rushie did a fantastic analysis of the job-killing effects of cap-and-tax, which, oddly, the Democrats are pitching as a job-creation bill. Yeah, the same way the economic stimulus package was supposed to create jobs.

“But on second thought, cap and trade is much more than that. It kills jobs.” The Heritage people have analyzed this. “Over the 2012-2035 timeline, job losses average over 1.1 million. By 2035, a projected 2.5 million jobs are lost below the baseline (without a cap and trade bill). Particularly hard-hit are sectors of the economy that are very energy-intensive: Manufacturers, farmers, construction, machinery, electrical equipment and appliances, transportation, textiles, paper products, chemicals, plastics and rubbers and retail trade would face staggering employment losses as a result of Waxman-Markey,” this bill. “It’s worth noting the job losses come after accounting for the green jobs policymakers are so adamant about creating. But don’t worry, because the architects of the bill built in unemployment insurance,” too.

You want to hear how that works? They know that the bill is going to cream you! Listen to this. Section 432, Energy Refund Program For Low Income Consumers: “(1) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, or the agency designated by the Administrator shall formulate and administer the ‘Energy Refund Program’. (2) At the request of the State agency, eligible low-income households within the State shall receive a monthly cash energy refund equal to the estimated loss in purchasing power resulting from this Act.” Now, this is just for the poor. Pay attention. This is a part where the poor get direct deposit transfers of your money. They know your “purchasing power” will be lost resulting from this act! I’m reading from the act.

Waxman-Markey-Madoff Directly Redistributes Wealth to the “Poor”

John Griffing writing at American Thinker, exposes cap-and-tax for what it is: a con job. I’ve always said, and will continue to assert, that global warming is nothing more than a vehicle employed by the left to grow government and raise taxes. Human beings haven’t warmed the planet, and passing legislation won’t cool it back off. Liberals exist to take away our freedoms and limit our economic choices. Global warming is simply the vehicle they have chosen to take them to that destination.

But global warming is finally coming under the scrutiny it deserves. Not only are NASA satellites showing a cooling trend, but 700 scientists-to the UN’s 50-have come out in opposition to the patently false claims of the global warming lobby.

Most damning, Harvard meteorologists have been unable to replicate the findings of the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) without the use of a technique called “data-padding.” The IPCC actually admitted to engaging in this deceptive practice. Without this padding, the infamous warming trend falls by several degrees. In essence, the IPCC and its primary source manipulated data (dare we say “lied”?) to produce a desired result.

If global warming is a scientific hoax, a fact that now seems incontrovertible, then why have President Obama and Congress advanced such drastic and costly legislation to address this nonexistent crisis? One might conclude that HR 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act, exists for no other purpose than to destroy the American economy as we know it and bring it all under government control.

American Thinker: Cap and Trade: The Big Con.

Colin Powell, a Republican-in-name-only who endorsed Barack Obama last fall, is now “concerned” over President Obama’s explosive growth of government. Gee, Mr. Powell, what did you expect when you endorsed this guy, Ronald Reagan? Might want to put a little more thought into those endorsements next time.

Colin Powell, one of President Obama’s most prominent Republican supporters, expressed concern Friday that the president’s ambitious blitz of costly initiatives may be enlarging the size of government and the federal debt too much.

“I’m concerned at the number of programs that are being presented, the bills associated with these programs and the additional government that will be needed to execute them,” Mr. Powell said in an excerpt of an interview with CNN’s John King, released by the network Friday morning.

Powell airs doubts on Obama agenda – Washington Times.

Senator Jim Inhofe has pronounced cap-and-tax DOA in the Senate.

U.S. Jim Inhofe, who earlier said a criminal investigation “probably should be’’ conducted into allegations the EPA suppressed a climate change report, conceded Tuesday he is not qualified to make that determination.

“I have no way of knowing,’’ the Oklahoma Republican said.

Inhofe, however, stood by his prediction that a historic climate change bill narrowly approved by the House last week faces certain defeat in the Senate.

“It’s dead in the water,’’ he said.

Michelle Malkin » Cap-and-tax: Inhofe says it’s “dead in the water”.

Now refusing to buy medical coverage would be punishable by fines. What if someone doesn’t want to have health coverage? It doesn’t matter, because no matter what they tell you, Democrats are in no way pro-choice. They are pro-government and anti-individual liberty.

Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than $1,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines will raise around $36 billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about $1,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals.

Senate bill fines people refusing health coverage – Yahoo! News.

Michelle Malkin has a list of the 8 turncoat Republicans who voted for President Obama’s cap-and-tax legislation. Without their vote, cap-and-tax would have failed. Thanks, guys. Sheesh.

Michelle Malkin » The 8 cap-and-tax Republicans…and the 44 Democrats who voted no.

Speaker of State Nancy Pelosi has told Al Gore to stay home and not come to the capitol to pitch the cap-and-trade bill. Given the Gore Effect, where the weather suddenly turns colder whenever Al Gore visits, I guess the most powerful woman in America didn’t want the prospect of snow in June while trying to ride the global warming hoax. That wouldn’t look too good.

The cap-and-trade legislation that Democrats are trying to fast-track has grown to 1,201 pages. They want to vote on it as early as today. Beware any 1,201-page bill that Congress wants to fast-track. Chances are not a single congressman has read the entire bill, which means these people are going to vote on a $845 billion piece of legislation without knowing the details.

That’s the context in which the following story must be read:

President Barack Obama on Tuesday squared off with the insurance lobby over industry charges that a government health plan he backs would dismantle the employer coverage Americans have relied on for a half-century and overtake the system.

The harsh exchange came after months of polite White House photo-ops at which the administration and insurers emphasized their search for common ground. It happened just when Congress seems to be floundering in its attempt to move sweeping legislation embodying Obama’s top domestic priority, although leading lawmakers say they remain confident.

“If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care … then why is it that the government, which they say can’t run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business?” Obama said in response to a question at a White House news conference.

President Obama warns us of the need to reign in deficit spending, all the while giving us unprecedented budget deficits. He says he doesn’t want to run GM, all the while he’s running GM. He wants abortion to be safe, legal, and rare, all the while lifting the very restrictions that are aimed to make it safe, legal, and rare. I could go on, but you get the picture.

So when Obama scoffs at the notion that ObamaCare would replace private health care insurance, you can bet the bank that that’s exactly what he wants to happen.

Obama takes on insurers over gov’t plan – Yahoo! News.

I just have to shake my head at this:

Sen. John McCain says his opponent in last year’s presidential campaign, Barack Obama, has “done well” in his first five months in the White House.

The Arizona Republican says that using a legislative scorecard to judge the presidency so far, Obama has achieved all his legislative goals.

On the down side, McCain says that Obama’s successes in Congress have come with little or no Republican support.

I don’t know how anyone could look at the last five months and consider it anything other than a disastrous failure. President Obama has done everything in his power to destroy the economy, bankrupt the federal government, and is attempting to ruin the U.S. healthcare system by federalizing it. This is why it’s a good thing that Congressional Republicans don’t want their fingerprints anywhere near Obama’s agenda.

McCain: Obama has ‘done well’ as president so far – Yahoo! News.

Truer words have rarely been spoken:

At the 65th Annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner last night, President Barack Obama openly acknowledged that mainstream journalists are to be credited with making him a celebrity and even joked that an NBC news anchor is in bed with him.

“Why bother hanging out with celebrities when I can spend time with the people who made me one?” Obama asked the crowd of black tie journalists and media personalities gathered at the Washington Convention Center. “I know where my bread is buttered.”

Obama’s dinner joke: Press in bed with me.

American Thinker Blog: Obama net approval slips to negative for first time (updated).

The similarities between the Obama presidency and the Carter presidency are beginning to line up. President Obama defeated a weak GOP candidate in 2008, just as President Carter did in 1976. The economy is taking a sharp turn south, just as it did during the Carter presidency. And President Obama appears to have a big Iran problem on his hands, just as Carter did.

Michelle Malkin » They killed Neda, but not her voice.