Innovative Environmental Program Launched Today‏

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under Chicago, Congress, Energy, Environment, GOP, House of Representatives, Illinois, Peter Roskam, Republicans, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

From Congressman Peter Roskam’s office (R, DuPage County, IL)…

I wanted to let you know about a new environmental initiative my campaign is launching today. We’re launching a household battery recycling program that will make it easier for constituents to personally be good stewards of our planet. It’s the latest in a long line of innovative energy and environmentally helpful ideas and initiatives we’ve created for the community.

The battery recycling program will be a chance for private citizens to work together in a spirit of environmental stewardship that protects basic needs like our air and water supply. By providing a place where household batteries with hazardous waste material can be properly disposed, we are doing a small part to leave our planet in better shape for our kids and our grandkids.
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Time to Turn Up the Heat on the Warmists

February 26, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Democrats/Leftists, Energy, Environment, Free Trade, Global Warming, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Media Bias, Science, Selwyn Duke, Taxes | No Comments

-By Selwyn Duke

At one time some would call them “deniers.” The more generous called them “skeptics.” But now, increasingly, it appears that they can be called something else: sane. Yes, the climate has certainly changed.

Even in the mainstream media, the less liberal organs are waking up. There is now a never-ending barrage of articles on the climate scam, with The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post firing some recent salvos. And these inconvenient truths are just adding to a case against the Climateers that has become dizzying.

Really, those issuing Chicken Little warnings had a tough sell from the get-go. We’re told that our world has seen at least five major ice ages, but, then again, I’ve also heard four. It has experienced numerous minor ones, although I’m not sure anyone knows precisely how many. In fact, we hear that the pattern is to have 100,000-year glacial periods followed by 12,000-year interglacials, with1500-year cycles of warming and cooling embedded within them. We’re told that during part of the Cryogenian Period — otherwise known as “Snowball Earth” — the world was completely blanketed with snow and ice and that during another period, glaciers were almost or completely gone. Furthermore, we’re informed that during the latter there was still, believe it or not, dry land and creatures to tread upon it.
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What James Madison said about Hope and Change

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Communism, Congress, Constitution, Dan Scott, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Federalism, Free Trade, Freedom, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Oil, Senate, Socialism, Taxes | No Comments

-By Dan Scott

What would the Founding Fathers say about our handling of the country if they were able to comment on the current state of affairs? It is easy to put words in their mouths but fortunately, we have for posterity recorded their words and intents to refer to for clarity in times of need. Some may say that this is a new day and age, therefore what the Founding Fathers had to say is simply not relevant to our current circumstances. Those who say this do so in ignorance of human nature and for self-serving reasons. Humans over the past 5000 years of recorded history may have advanced in terms of knowledge; however, their motivations and emotions are still no different now then they were in the past. It is motivation and emotion that govern human character, not knowledge and the Founding Fathers knew well the passions that influence those in power.

We were warned 200+ years ago against fickle governments. In fact, we were warned that the point of fickleness in government was for the few to gain an advantage at the expense of the many. Here is what James Madison had to say about Hope and Change as espoused by Barack Obama when he said he wanted to remake our society:
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$135 Million of Your Money Wasted on ‘Green Wall’ In Oregon

February 16, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Oregon, Stimulus, Warner Todd Huston | 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

About $135 million of our tax dollars in federal stimulus is being wasted on an upgrade for the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in Portland, Oregon, one aspect of which is the so-called “green wall.” Why wasted? Because no one even knows if this “green wall” will even work and no engineering solutions have been found to make it work. Many say the whole thing is impracticable.

The Associated Press starts its report on this project with a skeptical tone and if Obama’s stimulus project has lost the AP, he’s in deep trouble. “They haven’t figured out yet how to get the pruning done,” the AP begins, “but architects and federal officials plan one of the world’s most extensive vertical gardens in downtown Portland — what amounts to a series of 250-foot-tall trellises designed to shade the west side of an 18-story office building.”

The idea is to have the entire western wall of this building affixed with a trellis that will have planters for greenery in them. These “vegetated fins” are supposed to help the building better regulate its internal environment and use less energy to heat and cool.

The big problem is, though, no one has any idea if the concept will actually work as advertised. Not only that, but no one knows if all this vegetation will even stay alive. On top of it all, there is no real certainty that building operators will be able to even water all these thousands of yards of plants.
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Green Jobs Stupidity

February 16, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Democrats/Leftists, Energy, Global Warming, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Thomas Brewton | No Comments

-By Thomas E. Brewton

The president’s smug assertion that the “science” of global warming is settled turns out to be anther example of liberal-progressive dogmatic closed-mindedness. His continuing devotion to “green” jobs can only be described as willful stupidity.

Tom Emerson forwarded the Wall Street Journal’s European editorial opinion, which recounts the readily available information regarding the wasteful and feckless efforts of the Spanish and German governments to create green jobs.

No matter how one fudges the numbers or rationalizes about environmental benefits, green jobs require enormous government subsidies. The extra money for those subsidies is forcibly taken via taxes from businesses that would have been able to to use the money for more productive purposes. Thereby is an economy diminished. Green jobs, for example, in production of ethanol have raised food prices for the world’s poor and used more petroleum energy in production of ethanol than would have been used without ethanol.
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A Sneak Peek At Barry Obama’s Year End Grade School Report Card

January 22, 2010 | Filed Under Ann "Babe" Huggett, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Communism, Congress, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Foreign Policy, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Islam, Islamofascism, Liberals, President, Society/Culture, Taxes | No Comments

-By Ann “Babe” Huggett

Punahou School Report Card - 1979 Name: Barry Obama	Performance	Effort
Reading: Daydreams in class and affects strange cadence when reading out loud.	D	D-
English: Absolutely hopeless as a writer and needs constant help in stringing together even the most basic of sentences. Failed the Public Speaking section for being too dependent on notes, refusing to make eye contact or to engage the audience in a genuine and meaningful way.	D-	F
Mathematics: Good on basic concepts but hopelessly uninterested in applying that information to real world economics or budgetary principles.	C-	D-
Geography: Interested in anywhere but the United States of America.	C-	D
History: Has regrettable tendency to rewrite American and English history to reflect personal bias but shows remarkable grasp of the French and Russian Revolutions.	D	D-
Civics: Shows little interest in US Constitution or understanding of the 3 branches of government.	F	F
Sports: Excels at basketball and is very aggressive on the court.	A	A
Social Skills: Although outwardly friendly, is secretive, oddly manipulative and does not let people know the ìrealî Barry Obama. Has a tendency to run from problems. Expects other people to clean up after him.	D-	D-
Secondary Language: Excels in Indonesian.	A	A
Elective Language: Excels in Arabic	A	A
Grade Average	D	D

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Environmentalism Not About the Earth But About Control, Part 1

January 21, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Frederick Meekins, Free Trade, Freedom, Global Warming, Government, Corruption, Jobs, Journalism, Liberals, Media Bias, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes | No Comments

-By Frederick Meekins

For decades, American motorists have been subjected to propaganda insisting that they either need to drive less or give up safe, comfortable automobiles in favor of what amount to motorized coffins in order to preserve natural resources and environmental quality. Now that this policy goal is pretty much on the road to being implemented, the elites running our lives are not content to sit back in the glow of their accomplishment but are rather laying the groundwork for the next phase in their grand dream of limiting the free movement of the American people.

One would think the increasing popularity of electric and hybrid automobiles would please transportation planners and social engineers. However, as most realize somewhere along life’s journey, getting what you want is not always what you expected.

For while hybrid cars might cut back on emissions and fuel consumption, they also take a bite out of gas tax revenues. But instead of tightening their belts and learning to make due with less as they counsel you when you complain about rising fuel costs, government planners are now conniving to pass the hardship on to you by altering the way transportation taxes are assessed.
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Who’s Next Under The Bus?

December 1, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Congress, Dan Scott, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Global Warming, Government, Corruption, Liberals, President, Science, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes, Technology | No Comments

-By Dan Scott

Since the Climategate story has been broken over a week ago, we have begun to see the cracks in the AGW edifice. George Monbiot, an AGW proponent has called for the resignation of Phil Jones from the IPCC. Source The emails implicated Phil Jones, Michael Mann and Stefan Rahmstorf in a scheme to rig the Peer Review process to only allow pro-AGW papers through while banning anything remotely unfavorable regardless of any inconvenient facts. Both Messrs. Monbiot’s and Zorita’s desire to toss the high profile offenders under the bus are purely self serving, since the sacrifice of Jones, Mann and Rahmstorf is merely a means to claim isolated individual overzealousness in an attempt to distract the public from the real issue regarding the wholesale scientific fraud of AGW.

We have corroborating proof regarding the rigged Peer Review process from the personal account of Vincent Gray, PhD. His experience shows any paper with unfriendly AGW leanings were sent to file 13. It should be noted that another famous hurricane researcher by the same last name, Professor William Gray lost his funding for Hurricane research because of his stance against AGW. There is no denying the obvious when it comes to being politically incorrect regarding AGW. Science was supposed to be a debate of theories, not the suppression of facts to support the theory du jour.
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Sarah IS serious, Salena

November 8, 2009 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Conservatives, Economy/Finances, Energy, Health, Josh Painter, News | No Comments

- By Josh Painter

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Salena Zito has a Sunday opinion piece that left us scratching our heads after we read it. Don’t get us wrong. Ms. Zito has been more than fair to Sarah Palin in a number of her columns. And in this, her latest, it’s just the title and a single paragraph that lead us to wonder if the writer is keeping up with the Palin news. This column certainly starts off on the right foot:

First of all, Palin will not leave the Republican Party.

“As independent-minded and anti-establishment as she is,” says Villanova University political science professor Lara Brown, “she seems to understand well one of my favorite quotes from political scientist John Aldrich from Duke University: ‘The standard line that anyone can grow up to be president may be true, but it is true only if one grows up to be a major party nominee.’”

Palin is positioning herself to become the Republican presidential nominee, and getting involved in NY-23 was merely the first step. Her book and her “Oprah” interview later this month are her next major steps.

And we certainly have no disagreement with Ms. Zito and Professor Brown when they acknowledge that all politics is local, and Governor Palin’s support of Doug Hoffman in New York’s 23rd Congressional District helped the Republican running with the backing of the Conservative Party more than it hurt him.

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Last Thoughts on SPN 2009

November 5, 2009 | Filed Under Capitalism, Congress, Conservatives, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Free Speech, Free Trade, GOP, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Republicans, Society/Culture, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Some final thoughts on the State Policy Network’s 17th Annual Conference.

It was invigorating to be able to share a conference with so many folks of like mind, a conservative, free market, liberty-minded mien. And with nearly 500 participants, the biggest conference they’ve yet had, it was something very worth attending if you are interested in furthering these sorts of policies among the various states.

But I have to say one thing that this conference proved and it is something that is, in the end, detrimental for the country. This was a 500 person conference where each participant spent no less than $1,000 to attend, many spent far more. There we saw free market think tanks from every state all trying to find ways to defeat the extreme Obama left. We have all this effort, all this money, all this time spent to defeat liberalism all in evidence at the conference. While that is good because it needs to be done, the sad thing is that it has to be done in the first place. The fact that this conference gets bigger every year and that more and more people from across the country have created state policy organizations to fight the un-American left is sad, when you get right down to it.
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Kirk Suddenly a “No” on Cap and Tax?

September 16, 2009 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Congress, Conservatives, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, Energy, GOP, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Liberals, Republicans, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Rep. Mark Kirk (R, IL) has been getting hammered by conservatives and moderate Republicans alike for his “yes” vote on the Cap and Trade bill. But at a recent appearance Kirk suddenly said he now intends to vote against the disastrous bill.

The Obama administration admits that the Cap and Trade legislation will cost every American family and additional $1,761 a year and likely that is on the low side. Conservatives have slammed Kirk for supporting this economy killing carbon emissions capping legislation.

On the 5th at a suburban rally, Kirk announced his switcheroo amidst many loud boos and catcalls. “About cap and trade: I voted for it because it was in the narrow interests of my congressional district. But as your representative, representing the entire state of Illinois, I will vote ‘No’ on that bill coming up.”

Well, this sure seems like an opportunistic flip flop, doesn’t it? Now that he’s running for Senate he’s found that his cap and tax “yes” vote is proving to be an impediment to his campaign and suddenly he finds his principles again?

I guess Kirk should be congratulated for finally coming to his senses and actually representing his constituents’ desires, but the fact that he thought he could make a dash for the cash (he voted cap and tax because of donations by enviro-nazi groups) without bothering with principle or representing his constituents in the first place marks him as an opportunist of the worst sort.

Kirk’s reversal is at the three minute, ten second mark in the video:

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Illinois Business Groups Schedule Anti-Cap and Trade Rally, Sept. 1st

September 1, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Communism, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Socialism, Society/Culture, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A group called Energy Citizens made up of 23 Illinois business associations have scheduled a September 1st rally in order to protest the seriously damaging policies of the Cap and Trade bill. The rally will be held near the State Capitol in Springfield.

The event will start a noon and will be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3000 Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, Illinois.

A notice was posted at the Illinois Farm Bureau website.

A lunch will follow the roughly 45-minute event, one of 22 rallies nationwide sponsored by the group Energy Citizens to oppose House-approved legislation. IFB members are encouraged to attend, and may contact their county Farm Bureau for additional details.

The Illinois members of Energy Citizens includes the Southwestern Illinois Employers Association and Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative, the Illinois Association of Convenience Stores, Associated Builder and Contractors of Illinois (ABC), Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, Grain & Feed Association of Illinois, Growmark, Home Builders Association of Illinois, Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers, Illinois Coal Associations, Illinois Energy Forum, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois manufacturers Association, Illinois Petroleum Council, Illinois Pork Producers, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Trucking Association, MidAmerica Energy, Mid-West Truckers Association, Illinois Oil & Gas Association, National Federation of Independent Business, Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative and the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association.
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Column 666, about President Obama

August 16, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Communism, Congress, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Free Trade, Freedom, Global Warming, Government, Corruption, Health, John Armor, Journalism, Liberals, Media Bias, President, Science, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes | No Comments

-By John Armor

This is the 666th column in this weekly series. It had to be spent on an overarching subject. So it is.

President Barack Obama is the most accomplished liar I have ever encountered, and that includes several pathological liars I faced in court. The best of those I could not rattle even with a well-prepared and vigorous cross-examination. Only the weight of solid facts from other sources served to expose and defeat those people.

Pathological liars can give the impression that they are telling the truth because they are smooth, accomplished, and effective. But the most important reason is that they have learned to lie to themselves. When they tell a bald-faced lie, right to your face, they actually believe what they are saying.

I’ll use exactly one example. On the campaign trail, Obama repeatedly said that “no one earning less than $250,000 a year will pay any additional taxes.” This was his definition of the middle class, in his universal mantra of no new taxes for the bulk of Americans.
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Charlie Cook: Another Out of Touch Liberal

July 16, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Budget, Business, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Government, Corruption, Journalism, Liberals, Media Bias, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

You know when a liberal has lost any capability to understand the common American when they completely miss the pain that liberal tax hikers cause the average citizen in this country. Charlie Cook recently showed this elitist attitude in a National Journal column on the outrageous costs of the Cap and Trade bill – better called the Cap and Tax bill. Of course, to him, the tax hike on the average American is not a big deal and he doesn’t understand how anyone could be upset over it all.

Cook is perplexed why Washington pols were “getting an earful” from constituents over the energy tax hikes that the Cap and Trade bill will force on the nation. He just couldn’t figure why adding “only” an additional $175 a year to the average citizen’s electric bill was such a big deal.

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‘Adios Chavez,’ Gas Station Owner Dumps Chavez Citgo Brand

June 28, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Foreign Policy, Liberals, Socialism, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A smart gas station owner from Wadsworth, Illinois has given up his Citgo franchise and re-opened as a Shell station. To celebrate he posted a sign that gives Hugo Chavez a wonderful sendoff. “Adios Chavez,” it reads.

For the last five years I have personally boycotted any Citgo gas station. Citgo, you see, is wholly owned by Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., which itself is wholly owned by Venezuela’s despotic President Hugo Chavez and his puppet government. I have written several times in the past about this fact (here, and here) and have wondered why more Americans haven’t talked about boycotting this foreign hatemonger’s gas stations?

After all, Hugo Chavez has called the U.S. any manner of names and has centered the U.S. as the chief villain of his paranoid delusions of persecution anyway, so why not let him stew by refusing to do business with this half-witted, half-pint dictator?

So, today I am happy to report that Randy Whitmore’s gas station at Delany and York House roads in Wadsworth, Illinois has done just that. He’s flipped the tin-potted Chavez the bird and gone back to being a Shell man.

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Obama: Nuclear Power OK For Enemies but Not For US?

June 2, 2009 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Environment, Foreign Policy, Global Warming, Government, Corruption, Islam, Islamofascism, Liberals, Media Bias, Nuclear Power, President, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Nuclear power is the most environmentally friendly power of all, low on emissions, does not require destructive mining or drilling efforts to feed it, and is also one that creates a lot of jobs both in initial construction as well as to sustain its ongoing operation. Nuclear power is also a mainstay power source for such countries as France. It’s clean, safe, and extremely desirable. Its only drawback is what to do with its waste.

But to the U.S. enviro-racket, nuclear power is a bugabear that needs to be deep sixed forever and Barack Obama is a chief bugger of that bugabear. Unless, that is, you happen to be an enemy of the USA. If you are, say, Iran, why, nuclear power is a vital national interest that he is willing to stand behind in principle.

Outrageously the “president of the world” is willing to agree with Iran, one of our biggest international enemies, a nation that has sent its soldiers and trainers into combat against our own troops, a nation that exports acts of terror across the globe, a nation that claims it needs nuclear power for domestic energy… and Barack Obama is on their side.

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That Coal-Fired Furnace in the Sky

May 23, 2009 | Filed Under Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Environment, Government, Corruption, Jobs, John Armor, Liberals, Media Bias, Socialism, Society/Culture | No Comments

-By John Armor

Did anybody else notice that the phrase “global warming” has largely disappeared from public discourse? All but the slowest environmentalists have dropped that phrase because for the last three years the globe as been cooling off. So, the new phrase is “climate change.”

As a public service, I’d like to explain this phrase by reference to a pair of coal-fired furnaces, one in Birmingham, Alabama, the other one in Baltimore, Maryland. My mother grew up in Birmingham almost a century ago, in a rambling, wood-framed house on Warsaw Street. It had sleeping porches for summer heat, and a coal furnace for winter cold.
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Harry Reid Proposes Power Grid Take Over By Feds

March 7, 2009 | Filed Under Business, Congress, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Government, Corruption, Liberals, News, Society/Culture, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) has just proposed that the federal government should take over the power grid in the country so that it might string power lines all across the land. At least that would be the outcome if his new proposal comes to fruition.

Reid wants created by federal fiat new “special power lines to carry renewable energy.” Further, he proposes that these “special power lines” be placed where the federal government says they should be placed. He says that to do this the Federal government would “be able override states” in the placement of these power lines.

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The Greenpocrisy of Congress: Canceling ‘Carbon Offset’ Buys for Congress’ Power Plant

March 3, 2009 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Liberals, News, Science, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Go “green” or go out of business. That is the message Congress wants to send to America’s power plants run by coal — and any and every other power facility for that matter. Congressmen after Congressmen have waddled forth onto TV and into print to wag a green finger at our power grid scolding it for being “too dirty” and not environmentally friendly. These politicians, you see, know better and they must be listened to. After all, they are trying to save the planet!

And to show how the folks walking the marbled halls of the nation’s capitol care about the environment they are canceling the buying of so-called “carbon offsets” and announcing that they are abandoning efforts to further “green” the aging coal powered power plant that keeps the lights on, cools its halls, and heats Congress in the summer.

Yes, while they are attempting to force the lowly, great-unwashed people of the country to “go green,” they themselves are abandoning their own efforts to do so. The folks of the Democrat controlled Congress are nothing short of green hypocrites, see them at their greenpocrisy.

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Stop Illinois from Adopting California’s Destructive Fuel Standards

March 1, 2009 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, News, Science, Society/Culture, State Government, Taxes, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

California has always been a destructive force in American politics. All too often the worst ideas from the farthest Euro-left spectrum have leaked out of the Golden State to blight the rest of America. Just one of those currently destructive ideas is the absurdly stringent fuel economy standards that California has foolishly enacted. Several western states have pegged their standards to California’s and many other states are attempting to do the same. The current effort in Illinois is one of those attempts.

Illinois H.B. 422 (see .pdf of legislation), sponsored by Karen May (D, Highland Park) creates the Illinois Clean Air Act establishing new motor vehicle emission standards based on California’s Low Emission Vehicle Program requirements.

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