“The last thing American families need is for our nation’s lawmakers to put our economy in reverse by enacting a national carbon tax.”
“A ‘carbon dividend’ is simply wealth redistribution by another name. And history is littered with the economic casualties wrought by heavy-handed government interference in the marketplace.”
Yesterday, a group of free-market, classical-liberal/libertarian, conservative groups sent a letter to The Honorable Paul Ryan (Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives) and The Honorable Kevin McCarthy (Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives) asking for consideration on H.Con.Res. 119, “express[ing] the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.”
The letter follows (in red), with inserted comments by me.
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A carbon tax is a policy with one definable goal: to raise the cost of traditional, reliable, affordable sources of energy. …
“A carbon tax is not simple either, especially when you start talking about how the revenue will be distributed. … Yes, there would be a food fight over the revenue….”
– Antonia Herzog, Natural Resources Defense Council
“I wish I could tell you that Republican offices have approached us and said, ‘Thank you for doing this, we are ready to talk about it’…. [F]rankly Senators Schatz and Whitehouse are two of the more liberal members of the Senate.”
“There is also concern from the left that those conversations [with Republicans] could lead to eradication of EPA authority or at least a moratorium on EPA authority, which leaves some folks nervous….”
– Michael Obetter, Office of Sen. Brian Schatz
“I find these meetings extremely productive and helpful. They have influenced my thinking in how best to go about what I want to accomplish in the House and Senate with the GOP.…
“Over the last year or so, I have tried to advise the progressive community that we should be open-minded about a carbon tax.”
– Greg Dotson, Center for American Progress
“The bottom line here is that the distributional effect of a carbon tax could really be anything you want, depending on how you use the revenues. We think it is shortsighted to only think of the direct effect of the tax.”
– Eric Toder, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center
“[Trump] … is going to be utterly decimated in November…. Then the question is, what does that do to the Tea Party? …. Is the Tea Party really something to fear now, after a decimation in November?
– Jerry Taylor, Niskanen Center
It is rare that one gets to follow the talk and reasoning of climate/energy alarmists/activists.…