A Letter to Congress on "Cap & Trade"

Congresswoman Myrick,

As a concerned citizen in your Congressional District, I implore you to stand firm and vote against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) that is currently pending in the House. ACES is a horrific piece of legislation, based upon science that is questionable at best, which will restrict the growth of the American economy like no law in our nation’s history.

As you are probably well aware, ACES will be a burden on all Americans. It amounts to the largest tax hike in US history and will affect rich and poor alike. A tax on carbon does not give preferential treatment based upon bank accounts; it pillages from everyone. Depending on the source of the numbers (and omitting the latest statistics from a faulty and incomplete CBO report that the Heritage foundation equates to an accounting analysis or cash-flow analysis), a family of four can expect to see energy costs increase up to 90% within the next two decades. This increase in energy bills is deliberate and meant to curb the use of carbon. These numbers also fail to consider the costs that will be imposed through the supply chain of everything manufactured and purchased in this country. It also fails to consider the lost production, lost jobs, and restricted growth of the economy which will place far greater burdens on everyone from single parents to small business owners to large international corporations. This is unfathomable, even more so when we are looking at tens of trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities and a national debt that is set to grow every single year for at least the next decade. Americans are hurting right now and are looking to save every penny they can. How is this tax bomb justified considering these factors?

The science behind this push to turn back the clock on American growth and industry makes the costs and the purpose behind ACES even more suspect. The EPA’s own numbers show that the effect on the environment will be about .2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. Two-tenths of one degree! Our global temperature fluctuates by that number or more on a yearly basis. The so-called benefits are more dubious when you consider that other nations will not be bound by such punitive restraints. American business and consumers will have a distinct disadvantage in the global economy. Even if the entire planet bought into this modern day mysticism, the UN reports that global temperatures would only change by .4 degrees Celsius. All of these numbers assume best-case scenarios which are highly unlikely to occur. It is bordering on insanity to decrease the standard of living of our society for such a nominal number.

I am well aware that the Democrats outnumber Republicans in the House by a significant margin and that at times it may seem like you are the proverbial lone voice in the wilderness. You are not alone. Millions of Americans will stand firmly behind you and unite once again for economic growth, job creation, prosperity, and the freedom to work and live free from oppressive government taxes. I also want to appeal to you as a mother and grandmother and ask you to fight not only for yourself but for your children and grandchildren. It is unfair, and I might add un-American, to saddle future generations with debts and burdens that we ourselves did not have to bear. Think of them when you speak out against this bill and think of the millions of American children just like them that will face the prospects of a world where they will be inhibited from achieving the level of success we were allowed to reach.

Please vote against ACES and rally your colleagues in what will be one of the most important political battles of our lifetime.

Respectfully,

PoliSpice
A Concerned 9th District Voter