Joseph C. Phillips on The Breath Tax

The conservative Republican actor opines about cap-and-trade legislation in the United States: "The rationale for the 'Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009,' otherwise known as Cap and Trade, is that environmental catastrophe awaits us if we do not control the amount of carbon dioxide (co2) flowing into the atmosphere. This hysteria has been propelled by alarmists using computer models to predict (not to prove) that what-used-to-be-called-Global-Warming-before-it-became-clear-that-the-earth-is-cooling-so—it-is-now-called-Climate Change is caused by man made emissions of carbon dioxide. The scam – ur uhm - I mean the idea works like this: government will set a limit on the amount of co2 companies may produce. Companies will then be forced to purchase emissions permits for every ton of co2 produced. Companies that exceed their limits will be able to purchase or trade for additional permits with companies that emit less than their allotted cap. Waxman-Markey seeks an '80 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050? and a '100 percent auction to ensure every ton of carbon is paid for.' While supporters of Cap and Trade attempt to direct our attention to large scale carbon emitters in the coal and oil industries make no mistake; the repercussions from this tax will be felt in every American household."

Mr. Phillips continues his commentary: "The Congressional Budget Office noted that cutting carbon emissions just 15% would result in customers facing 'persistently higher prices for products such as electricity and gasoline. Those price increases would be regressive in that poorer households would bear a larger burden relative to their income than wealthier households would.' This conclusion is echoed by the Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis, which further determined that Waxman-Markey will reduce GDP by $9.6 trillion, increase the federal debt by 26%, kill 1.1 million jobs, increase peak year unemployment to 2.5 million workers and raise the energy bill paid by a typical family by about $1,500 annually. Of course what is a little economic hardship if it means saving the sky from falling?"

More: "There is an old joke that if the government could it would tax the very air that we breathe. As social commentary Waxman-Markey’s assumption that we can save the planet by taxing co2 – a substance every human being emits with every breath taken – is absurd indeed. It’s also an old joke that is not very funny."