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Conservatives ignore climate-change costs

Sunday, November 1, 2009
(Updated 2:00 am)

The full-page ad from petroleum, business and conservative organizations (“Energy Citizens”) opposing current climate-change legislation showed a gas station pump with $4 in large type, then the word “truth.” In smaller type, they claim that we “could” be paying $4 per gallon if this effort to confront global warming passes.

 

This “truth,” based on a conservative Heritage Foundation study, offers no explanation as to how they reached these figures, nor is there mention of $4 gas. There is, however, the projection of a 58 percent rise in gasoline prices. When? 2035.

These are scare tactics. Never mind that other analyses do not draw such dire economic conclusions. Twenty-five-year forecasts are problematic, and this one cites a modest 3-4 percent annual increase.

 

Conservatives like to talk about what we will leave for our children and grandchildren, but they don’t do that with global warming. Instead, they speak of what it “may” cost. If they have their way, when asked by our descendants 50 years from now why we didn’t do something to confront global warming, we’ll say, “We weren’t sure, but we thought it might cost us a bit more at the pump.”

 

Leon Spencer

Greensboro

 

Comments

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Rufus_T.Firefly

November 1, 2009 - 4:23 am EST

The "TRUTH" is that we have paid $4.00 before and will again no matter what we do (short of finding an economical substitute).

"Conservatives", like all of us, like to pick and choose their "facts" (and make them up when necessary). I'm not a huge fan of cap & trade but the figures brought up by opponents on are average cost to individuals are just picked out of the air. The "fact" that "conservatives" can't have a reasoned debate on hardly anything is one reason they have become increasingly marginalized (that & an incredible streak of being wrong about almost everything).

This ideological war that people calling themselves conservatives have propagated in our country is bringing our country down. Our country is as polarized as any time since the 1850's because there is an industry dedicated to tearing down any Democrat that occupies the Oval Office and a unified Republic party in congress that would rather see the country go to h*ll than see a Democrat succeed. At some point politics has to be more than a game about winners & losers.

Beachwalk

November 1, 2009 - 11:07 am EST

"Our country is as polarized as any time since the 1850's because there is an industry dedicated to tearing down any Democrat that occupies the Oval Office"

The democRATs blamed EVERYTHING on GW Bush, from Katrina to the extinction of the gypsy moth. And you have the nerve to make such a stupid statement.

neocon

November 1, 2009 - 12:30 pm EST

You forget, Beachwalk: We are now in the post partisan/post racial era. A new day has dawned. Dissent is no longer being patriotic, in spite of what Hillary said during the Bush administration. Failure to swallow the kool-ade will now get you branded as 'polarizing'. Prior to Jan.09 it was patriotic... now it's 'polarizing'.(you may want to update your dictionary)

\di-ˈsent: polarizing. 1)To create unwarranted rift at town hall meetings. 2) To organize unpatriotic tea parties and tell your congressman/congresswoman what you really think of Zero's policies.

tonymo

November 1, 2009 - 1:14 pm EST

Hey Rufus, so Conservatives "pick and choose facts," unlike I guess, the Liar-in-Chief who told us recently that the cost of the Cap&Trade SCAM (which has worked NOWHERE it's been tried) would be about $150 per household. The Heritage Foundation estimated the cost to be about $1800. Since then we've found that the Liar-in-Chief's own Treasury Dept told him PRIOR TO HIS SPEECH that the true cost would be about $1780! So who was right, and who knew he was wrong when he told us the cost would be about $150?

I saw the CEO of AEP (American Electric Power) being interviewed on Fox News. AEP is one of the largest electricity providers in the South. He said it now costs 3-4 cents to produce a KWH. He said that under the Liar--n-Chief's SCAM it will cost about 7-8 cents to produce the same KWH. So if any of you liberal robots can do simple math, no arithmetic, you will see that your rates will DOUBLE. That is without any upgrades to the infrastructure.

Is one REQUIRED to be both ignorant and stupid to be a liberal, or has it just worked out to be that way!

Doug Johnson

November 1, 2009 - 4:31 am EST

Wonder were Brad Miller got his facts when I protested his vote on Crap and Tax.
According to his reply, my electric bill would only go up 50 cent a day.
50 x 30 comes out to $15.00 doll

Doug Johnson

November 1, 2009 - 4:57 am EST

My computer messed up. $15.00 a month more tax for what?
Lets see the democrats did not have in trouble ripping Bush, still do not.
Firefly, the democrats have been in charge of Raleigh for over 100 years.
If global warming was a major problem, why were the democrats so eager to rebuild New Orleans, that going to be under water anyway. So they say.
Remember the start of hurricane season, the global warming people said we would have many major hurricanes this year because of global warming.
We had none and guess what the same people hare saying we had none because of global warming.
They want it both ways and this paper, gives them the coverage both ways.
Is there global warming? I do not know and neither do you!
The earth has always gone many cycles.
Now if the person who wrote the letter was concerned, thy would demand a end to newspapers.Needless to cut down trees.
So lets see the letters demanding to stop newspapers, lets surround the NR demanding no more wasted trees.
Mr. Spencer, lets get rolling to stop the press, and save the trees.
John Robinson shut the paper down and save the planet.
Practice what you believe.
Yea Right,.

Rufus_T.Firefly

November 1, 2009 - 5:14 am EST

Democrats worked with Bush on everything from No Child to Iraq. After 9/11 criticism of Bush was non-existent and he used this period to solidify power rather than unify the country.

I'll agree that Bush is widely vilified (most emotively by Republics and people calling themselves conservatives) but this built over years and was generally earned over time. Even considering his "controversial" path to the White House, Bush was generally accepted and worked with. Obama hasn't had any cooperation from the Reps from day 1. I say fire them & get some folks up there that want to work.

xeno10

November 1, 2009 - 5:52 am EST

Mr. Johnson, I must say you talk as if you are a charter member of the "tea party" crowd, and you come across like one of the barflies in "Star Wars!" Seriously.

neocon

November 1, 2009 - 7:03 am EST

Mr. Spencer, the 'liberals' (and I use that term loosely) have complete control in DC at this time and can pass a law making it illegal to break wind in a hurricane if they choose to do so. They don't need a single vote from a conservative to ram through cap&tax, healthkaya 'reform' or anything else they can dream up. Why do they keep telling their Obots that the 'conservatives' are blocking their initiatives?

"Twenty-five-year forecasts are problematic"...DUH!...

brian444

November 1, 2009 - 7:26 pm EST

But 50-year forecasts are utterly reliable. The letter says so.

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 7:54 am EST

"The "fact" that "conservatives" can't have a reasoned debate on hardly anything..."

Yeah I'm sure glad you guys have folks like Alan Grayson, Pelosi, Dirty Harry Bawney Fwank and global warm....errrrr...climate change expert extraordinaire algore to lead the way with lucid, reasoned debate.

rightwingnemesis

November 1, 2009 - 10:20 am EST

Mr. danagain,
Your memory is selectively short. It was the "conservatives" who urged people to go to Town Hall meetings and yell, interrupt and cause an organized disruption. Drowning out dialogue has done little to make things better. But one thing it did do, was to make a small group of people feel and appear powerful.

swerdna

November 1, 2009 - 11:13 am EST

And the liberals have never done this type thing, right?

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 2:11 pm EST

Never swerdna, never. Liberals are ALWAYS respectful. Oooppppss I forgot when a few liberals tried to hit Ann Coulter with a pie during a public speech. Oh and when liberals at UNC-CH shouted down David Horowitz so loudly he had to discontinue his speech. And my favorite are the Code Pinkers who commonly would interrupt congressional sessions with their anti-war rants. Hmmm, I don't believe they have done that since January, wonder why?

Meanwhile some housewives and veterans who attend townhall meetings to speak their concerns of unprecedented govt spending and debt are labeled racists and Nazis.

swerdna

November 1, 2009 - 9:28 pm EST

Oh danagain, you just don't understand! What those liberals did was different! That was freedom of speech!

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 9:46 pm EST

It was dissent, which was patriotic during the Bush years. Now dissent is considered racist, homophobic and reminiscent of Nazism in the post partisan post racial Obama era.

Rufus_T.Firefly

November 1, 2009 - 8:47 am EST

Dan,

I return to the "fact" that NCLB , Bush's primary domestic achievement, was sponsored by the evil Ted Kennedy, & the Iraq invasion was supported by many Democrats. Democrats were willing to work with Bush in ways that Reps so far haven't with Obama.

I saw much of the Committee hearing with Gore. He was very reasonable even as the Reps were demonizing him.

On Grayson the reason your folks have a problem with him has something to do with a nail & a head.

rightwingnemesis

November 1, 2009 - 10:24 am EST

Mr. Firefly,
Your wise words are so true. I am embarrassed for and by people who share my views but present them in shameful ways. That does not seem to be the case for those who now feel threatened because they see their status as single issue voters being diminished by the coalescing of many to pull the wagon in the same direction.

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 1:55 pm EST

Got it Sir Firefly, Republicans want sick people to die quickly. You have to admit this guy is a loon or would you prefer he be your representative?

ilvteaching

November 1, 2009 - 11:40 pm EST

NCLB was WRITTEN by Kennedy and was supported by Bush in the early days of office as a concession to the Democrats - not the other way around.
And yes, the Dems supposed the invasion of Iraq until the soldiers were there and then vocally withdrew their support and played politics on international tv -that is just wrong. It would have been far better to have opposed it BEFORE the fact.
As for algore, have you actually looked at him lately? you can look at the guy and tell he has lost it since the 2000 election, And where is his science degree from . . .oh wait, he doesn't have one.
The Republicans are not working with Obama because they believe in freedom and are absolutely opposed to what he is trying to do. And many more Republicans will be elected in 2010 to continue doing it.

swerdna

November 1, 2009 - 8:51 am EST

So, Mr. Spencer, the Conservatives are the problem, huh? I guess the following blatant examples that immediately come to mind don't, in any way, affect global warming?

* The number of very large, widely known gas-guzzling SUV's I see daily driving down W. Market Street with obama stickers on the back window.

* The very frequent use of large private jets used by pelosi, Gore, obama, et al for all of their "necessary" trips during which environmental impact and global warming are not even a remote concern. Oh yeah, that's right, our children will have to worry about that, won't they?

* And the ultimate living quarters of the ever-global-warming guru Al Gore. Ref: http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp

Mr. Spencer, congratulations! You've not only shown your hypocrisy with your statements but your ignorance with your stereotyping.

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 1:57 pm EST

swerdna, remember Barack & Michelle took separate very large planes to Copenhagen to sell the IOC on having the Olympics on arguably the most corrupt city in this nation.

swerdna

November 1, 2009 - 9:39 pm EST

danagain, you just don't understand! It's OKAY for liberals to ignore the environmental impact from the things THEY do because they are preaching about global warming and energy conservation, and all that stuff. THEY are TELLING all of us what WE should be doing to lessen the impact of our actions so they don't need to practice what they preach.

It's all those darn conservatives that are responsible for global warming, and it's those darn conservatives that are the problem!

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 9:44 pm EST

swerdna, in case you haven't read this book I recommend it, available on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Do-As-Say-Not-Hypocrisy/dp/0385513496

What is the origin of your name by the way?

J.M.W.

November 1, 2009 - 9:33 am EST

(A poem I read in Neo's trailer)

My fellow Americans: Most of my adult life I've heard my fellow citizens decry some outrage, and then pronounce disbelief at the incompetence of the appropriate watchdog. Now, with the mountain of financial misdeeds of recent years, liberals point their accusatory fingers at conservatives, tea partyers point at liberals, party loyalists of all stripes defend their own, and rant at those other, mindless loyalists. Realize, you fools, that we are all being played by the power elite. A gigantic transfer of wealth is taking place right under our noses, and we're wasting our patriotic calories, railing at the guy who lives across the street! We peons are guilty of being led into a false contest of ideologies. If we weren't being raped of our assets by the elite, with the full complicity of government insiders, elected and otherwise, we'd have enough money to either save up for our infirmities and our retirements, the Republican way, or pay taxes and let public programs take care of our infirmities and retirement needs. Robbed blind, we'll have the money for neither approach. The intellectual war we must wage should be between the honest and the dishonest. It's clear that welfare trained some people to be disfunctional and dependent for generations at a time. Make no mistake, however: we, the taxpaying middle class are being manipulated by the power elite in every way possible. We are being systematically stripped of all of our gains of the past two centuries. The system isn't screwed up, it's not broken; it's working beautifully, precisely according to plan. The plans of the robber barons, that is.

rightwingnemesis

November 1, 2009 - 10:30 am EST

Mr. J.M.W.,
While I feel that the one who calls himself/herself "neocon" is not a very open minded fellow, where he resides is of little importance. There are many first generation success stories who still share his feelings but no longer live in a mobile residence. Mr. neocon's problem is not in identifying problems, but in refusing to be open minded in ways of repair. We all have flaws, but where we reside is not of paramount importance. That said, if one chooses to live outside a city to avoid taxes, but admittedly enjoys the fruits of those who provide him with the great cultural opportunities, then that person is quite the pretender.

Beachwalk

November 1, 2009 - 11:14 am EST

"While I feel that the one who calls himself/herself "neocon" is not a very open minded fellow"

What a laugh! This coming from one who calls himself "rightwingnemesis". Oh there is bookoos of open mindedness there. What a hypocrite.

neocon

November 1, 2009 - 12:35 pm EST

One can't deny the wisdom of one who reads Yates and calls the dissenters of Obamaunism right wing "lunes". :]

danagain

November 1, 2009 - 2:03 pm EST

Hypocrite? Nah, smugelite doesn't mind if folks live in trailers, apparently as long as they aren't in Randolph or Davidson Counties.

rightwingnemesis
October 31, 2009 - 5:09 pm EDT

Mr. JDR,
You make great points. I'm sure Mr. danagain would change his tune if he were confronted with not being able to enjoy the great things available to him--paid for by those of us who are not quite so myopic in our worldview. I still believe Mr. danagain would be much happier if he were in Randolph or Davidson Counties, as the majority of folks there share his limited world view. Again, great post and I always enjoy your salt and pepper of reason, intellect and consistency.

ghost from white oak

November 1, 2009 - 10:12 am EST

First I will say I don't buy into this gobal warming BS as being something caused by man that man can address.
With that said, I would like to remind these rabbid supporters of the current clowns in charge of this one truth.

The only real difference between the democrats and republcans are the people they give your money to!

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