People send me stuff. This comes from a Washington insider.
Not for attribution but a relative of mine of some seniority at State [Department] indicated to me an understanding within that institution that ‘climate’ was being teed up for a big comeback this year.
I take from that it’s viewed as a vehicle or hook for various initiatives.
[This] could be anything, committing to a Kyoto II, some replacement, an EU free trade agreement with some ‘carbon’ provisions bootstrapped in, filling the climate fund kitty (which almost necessitates the carbon tax), as well as the oft-rumored pivot by Obama offering various domestic, related [climate] initiatives.
This came about the time of the pre-Kerry announcement. But, having a mutli-mansioned hand-wringer as the messenger also doesn’t hurt the opposition to this.
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Grid operators and environmental organizations team up to promote modernization of electricity grids
http://renewables-grid.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/Files_RGI/RGI_European_Grid_Report_Press_Release_051212-1.pdf
To support a successful implementation of the European Grid Declaration, signed by a coalition of Europe’s 29 largest environmental NGOs and grid operators in 2011, the Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI) launches the European Grid Report. The report publishes over 80 selected practical experiences by different RGI members across Europe. Today at the 2nd European Grid Conference in Brussels, jointly organised by RGI and Smart Energy for Europe Platform (SEFEP), the report and the extended European Grid Declaration on Transparency and Public Participation were presented to European Commissioner for Energy Günther H. Oettinger and to European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik.
john from DB
What is an ‘obamaphone’? Where are they used for?
Pokerguy,
Even if the “fiscal Cliff” is averted, everyone’s taxes are going up Jan 1st thanks to Obamacare. There is a 0.9% increase in each tax rate for everybody as well as an additional 3.9% on Dividends and Cap Gains on anyone who has them, no limit to income or tax rate.
@DirkH:
Except that we are on the wrong side of the Laffer Curve. Raising tax rates or adding more taxing schemes can only result in lower revenues from here on out. In California, we’re already at 11% (and rising as of last vote) income tax and 9+% (and rising) sales tax. That’s 20%. Add in Federal at about 30% and it’s 1/2 or more. At that point, folks stop working to make more and spend time working to be taxed less…
Keynes won’t help either as “making stuff” has already run off to China. So print and spend an added $Trillion and IF if stimulates consumption, that consumption comes from China who get an economic stimulus, not the USA.
We are simply in the end game, financially, and there are only 2 exits. CUT tax rates and the size of government and scope of regulations until the economy is again competitive for manufactures ( I don’t think that will happen) or proceed onward to a Greek Style collapse (which will happen).
Add in that there’s an unknown but gigantic “entitlements gap” off budget (i.e. more pensions and such than can ever hope to be paid if you taxed everyone to zero – as we are making very few new tax payers are the rest of us, the large ‘rat in the snake’ of Baby Boomers, retire) and it’s just not possible no matter what is done to “pay the promises”.
Nobody will accept that. Nobody will admit it. So we crash into it head long foot on the gas pedal all the way…
Europe too, BTW…
So I expect we’ll see a full court press on “Global Warming” (and we ought to all continue to call it that, especially as things get colder) and even open admission that the taxes on “Carbon” will be the magic wand to fix the budget.
But it won’t, and it can’t. For any tax increase, there will be a greater reduction in economic production, and so lower levels of total revenue. (That’s what the Laffer Curve means… once past the top of the curve…)
I heard a quote once, and can’t find the reference, but it was:
“No country long survives once taxes exceed 50%.” For folks in California, the total State&Fed is now over 50% and rising. So watch California implode first. (Is imploding now, IMHO). The rest of you ‘shortly after’… See Detroit as the model / example.
As just ONE example of what folks do:
A loaf of bread runs about $3 here. It can be $4. (At cheap places for poor bread you can get it at $2). I can make a loaf at home for about 25 cents. As of this year, we no longer buy bread.
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/bread-potato-flour-millet-amaranth/
I set up a little ‘assembly line’ and make ‘jars of bread’. Each is a one pint jar ( about 500 ml) with sugar, salt, flour in the jar. To ‘make a loaf’, I mix dry yeast with warm water, then put it all in the bread maker with a Tbls of oil (about 15 ml). As of this Christmas, I’ve gotten a KitchenAid mixer, and will be using it to make the dough instead.
It takes me about 2 minutes to “make a loaf” with the machinery doing most of it. Fresh bread daily. Gotta love it. Oh, and I cut slices into cubes and make my own croûtons. C’est tres French 😉 But the turkey stuffing this year was great! (And not paying $3 for store stale cubes… it takes less time to make my own than to go to the store to buy them, and at near zero cost as we have so much bread…)
So now I’m getting much more quality in the loaf, and at a far lower price. AND without the burden of taxes, government transfer payments, nor “Bakers Union” retirement costs built in to every loaf….
We now rarely go out to dinner. (During the ‘tech boom’ we had dinner out about 2 or 3 times a week and at middle-higher end places too). When we go out, it’s more likely to be a fast food place. So no 15% tips (and no tax-take off of them) and no $40 to $60 / person bill (and no 9% sales tax on them). Instead, I cook more at home. About $1 to $4 / person and the food is just as good. AND without the burden of taxes, government transfer payments, nor Service Workers Union and government retirement costs built in to the meal…
I’m in the process of making my own ‘next computer’ (for a variety of reasons, but cost is one of them). So no $600 laptop. The ‘card’ costs $35 and the OS is free. (It also can have a “Tallbloke and the Constable” moment and I won’t care as the data lives in an encrypted store and there is no disk…) No 9% sales tax on that $600 and no ongoing payments to Micro$oft so no taxes on them, either.
Oh, and I make the “work lunch” at home too. Got a set of Corning ceramic bowls with plastic lids. I fill each with a protein, starch, and vegetable (or sometimes just a casserole) from various dinners and put them in the freezer. At work, they hit the microwave. “Homemade lunch”, and not paying $5 to $10 for each lunch either… Most are in the $1 or less range. With no sales tax, etc. etc.
In short, just not much reason to buy stuff any more… Not going to buy a new home (why? Just raises the property tax base. If I stay where I am, it doesn’t rise.) nor a new car (why? Just gets me electronically monitored by a black box I don’t want.) etc. etc. etc.
Now take folks with even less ‘means’, and they will be doing even more of that kind of thing. Just “not seeing the percentage’ in working for a wage nor buying more stuff with less money.
Which means the ‘tax take’ will drop on any increases in attempt to suck in more. Some folks may pay more, but in aggregate, the Laffer Curve wins as others pay less.
Then as unemployment continues / increases, tax revenues go even lower. The end game of that being The Great Depression (as we saw the last time the Progressives tried the full court press.) One can only hope we avoid the ‘solution’ from then. W.W.II was bad enough… the next one will be worse.
The only really sad thing is that the fools in office are too dumb and blind to see this coming.
john robertson says:
“The media in North America is an abomination.”
I am sorry to say but people who consistently elect the likes of Sheila Jackson Lee, Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz can’t be expected to think for themselves and deserve everything they get.
The war on the economy and personal freedom will continue until everything and everyone is perfect.
Surrenders will not be accepted.
Own it America, you voted for it..
No Carbon tax was ever voted in through a referendum, always imposed through the back door…
Golly, gosh. I can just see the whole of China taking a second glance at what any US administration cares to say or do about “climate”. Not.
All it can achieve is a faster changing-of-the-guard in world power and politics. In the short run, I don’t see how that will work to the benefit of the English-speaking peoples.
pokerguy says:
“You’re making things up. There will be no tax hike for the middle-class, unless the extremists on the right blow things up…”
Wrong, pokerguy. Obama owns the fiscal cliff. When Boehner agreed to discuss a tax hike on the wealthiest Americans, and asked what Obama would give in return, Obama replied: “You get nothing. I get that for free.” Verbatim.
That is negotiating in bad faith. Now Obama owns the ‘fiscal cliff’, and all the pain that comes with it.
Skyrocketing energy costs are a tax on productivity. Obama lied, as he always does:
Lies spray from Obama’s mouth like water from a high pressure fire hose. And as usual, the Administration could not care less about the impact on the poorest among us. They will be hurt more than anyone by these new taxes. They are going to be heavily taxed, good and hard. They had better get used to it.
E.M.Smith says: The only really sad thing is that the fools in office are too dumb and blind to see this coming.
I think you’re wrong. I think they not only see it coming but anxiously await it’s arrival. Never let a good crisis go to waste…
You mean “taxes,” not revenue. This administration has no clue how to increase revenue. Taxes aren’t the same thing as revenue, but people often incorrectly use them interchangeably. This is why tax rates can go down and tax revenues go up shortly thereafter.
This administration is interested in redistribution, aka the fairy tale of “fairness.”
@Other Andy 1:51 says Sorry to say but …
Not long ago Canada was electing creatures of a similar nature, prior to 2006 they ran the country. They seem to be the insane spawn of high density dwellers, when mice numbers exceed a certain level in a limited space, they go nuts, cannibalism and infanticide. But our cities they be civilized, smarter than mice, so they just elect leaders who represent them?
Given that major banks are ready to profit off of carbon, I never thought for a moment that climate change was dead.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this “fiscal cliff” ‘crisis’ leads to some kind of carbon tax or cap-and-trade or whatever.
pokerguy says:
December 26, 2012 at 10:41 am
MIke Bentley,
You’re making things up. There will be no tax hike for the middle-class, unless the extremists on the right blow things up, and automatic hikes kick in. BUt that would be Obama’s fault how?
———–
cause POTUS will not compromise with congress.
he will not cut spending
and btw inflation is a tax hike.
cn
“‘climate’ being teed up for a big comeback this year by Obama administration”
Never let a faux crisis go to waste.
Kerry sponsored a cap and trade bill. Ergo, cap and trade would be the number one suspect.
However, as cap and trade necessitates discussion of who benefits from it, major wall street traders and energy industries, big contributors to Obama, discussion must be avoided as it will upset many loud right wing American business fetishists who cannot believe their idolized entities would sponsor cap and trade and make money off it. It must be the government and the greens! They cannot follow the money.
It is a dark time to be a right wing economic lunatic in America (I am not talking about social conservatives). The world wants to invest in America, and they are buying up the dollar in anticipation we fall over the “cliff,” which is actually a good thing, or that con man Obama and crank Boehner can cut a deal that will reduce deficits. The fact that the dollar is going up and prices, gasoline especially, are going down or going to, is a traumatic event for the righties because deficits are not supposed to matter. That is an article of their new faith which overthrew the old faith of fiscal responsibility, i.e., normal thinking. For you foreigners, that is why they sound especially shrill and diverting these recent weeks.
Here is one way to smoke out the hardest core wackos. Find one obsessing on “entitlement” spending rather than “discretionary” spending. Ask them something like, “Since entitlement revenues in America, for example social security taxes, have subsidized discretionary spending for decades, is not fair to say discretionary spending, not entitlement spending, is the unsustainable sector of U.S. government expenditures?”
Beware for fire! They will point to things supposed to happen 30 years from now (like catastrophic warmists do) resort to cranky authority (Laffer, etc., like warmists do) wildly point at lines on charts (like warmists do) and otherwise pontificate why Bushes tax cuts without spending cuts could not have caused the deficits and contributed to the bad economy.
They are very much like the warmistas, which is ironic here.
E.M.Smith says: “CUT tax rates and the size of government and scope of regulations until the economy is again competitive for manufactures …”
I believe America would recover without cutting Tax rates – If we cut the size of government, cut government spending, and number of business regulations by 10% every year for five years.
To reduce government, business, and private expenditures on Health Care, we absolutely must enact Tort reform, which would put 1/4 Trillion dollars back in American’s pockets.
give us your money:
21 Dec: UK Independent: Assaad W. Razzouk: Doha was all hot air. It’s high time for a new central body to take action on climate change
We need a rival to the World Bank to address rising temperatures
Assaad W. Razzouk is the CEO of Sindicatum Sustainable Resources.
Let’s face it. The 18th annual climate change talks in Doha achieved nothing…
Meanwhile, the world continues to warm and the weather grows increasingly extreme…
In the same way that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were established at Bretton Woods in 1944 after World War II – giving rise to a new rules-based system of international finance, restoring confidence and leading to an extraordinary post-war economic boom – the time has come for the establishment of a new multilateral institution: the Climate Change Action Bank (CCAB).
If given the necessary tools, expertise and standing, the CCAB could take charge and ensure that valuable international resources are channelled towards low carbon solutions across the globe. As we have seen with both the World Bank and the IMF, the CCAB could have potentially far greater and more consequential success than the endless rounds of negotiations that we are witnessing today. There would be someone clearly in charge acting as a central channel to mobilize finance and expertise, tirelessly pushing the climate agenda in every member state, and acting rather than talking…
If this urgent global challenge is to be decisively addressed, the CCAB should be based in Washington, D.C. (just like the World Bank and the IMF) with a private sector subsidiary (just like the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank unit) based in Beijing. It would be essential that a strong leader be appointed as Chair of the new bank — a global political figure with the influence and gravitas to push through changes that are urgently needed to secure the future of the low carbon economy, someone with a track record of solving problems on a global scale…
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/doha-was-all-hot-air-its-high-time-for-a-new-central-body-to-take-action-on-climate-change-8428890.html
Wikipedia: Assaad W. Razzouk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assaad_W._Razzouk
… ‘climate’ being teed up for a big comeback this year by Obama administration
… And you have to wonder why!
Carbon dioxide emissions in the US have effectively reduced, haven’t they? Any climate action will have no impact because of the other big emitters.
So what will Obama be trying to accomplish? I would suggest an opportunity for his powerful friends to make piles more money from government green subsidies and loans and from bum green technology investment opportunities. Al Gore will be smiling all the way to the bank!
Is it possible to use a microwave set at 10% or 20% as a bread maker?
Is it possible to use a food processor as a dough mixer?
RS says:
December 26, 2012 at 1:51 pm
….. Own it America, you voted for it..
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
But did we???
There are a lot of rumors swirling about voting machines switching votes and 100+% voter turn-out.
Good old Chicago style politics taken nationally.
Power grab, pure and simple. ‘Impending disaster’ has long been used by governments to justify aggregation of power from the unwary.
“RS says:
December 26, 2012 at 1:51 pm
….. Own it America, you voted for it..”
Trust me, wavering voters for Obama now feel sure they made the right “choice” watching whack job right wingers panic over the fiscal cliff.
Another person wrote:
“Wrong, pokerguy. Obama owns the fiscal cliff. When Boehner agreed to discuss a tax hike on the wealthiest Americans, and asked what Obama would give in return, Obama replied: “You get nothing. I get that for free.” Verbatim.”
Oooh, Obama told a truth for once? Boehner owns it. He set it up. Remember last time his dirty little deal to raise the spending cap? This “cliff”, which the world sees as a blessing, is a Boehner invention. Remember the “Tea Party” disgust with it? Now it seems Boehner had tactily meant the “cliff” was just b.s. to calm the markets–from him.
The “cliff” here is invention by and for the right wing economic crazies. It’s like a crisis in Marxism where the adherents discover various laws of their economic religion are proven wrong.
The fiscal “cliff”, is not a cliff, it is a helpful ascent. The “cliff” is the fall for Bushonomics and crank stuff that Ayn Randists spout, but I am sure if she were alive today she would be abhored over the magical economic thinking regarding deficits her acolytes proclaim. Many of them should crop the Rand label and call themselves “Norquists.”
Rumors or no rumors, Gail… let’s face it:
Popular Democracy + Technology = Welfare State (self-perpetuating majority of parasites).
The only cure for it is a real Republic (where the right to vote must be earned, and earned hard) — or a Corporate State, where votes are weighted proportionally to taxes paid. But this won’t happen until we [trimmed].
Follow the Money says:
“Obama told a truth for once?” Yes, and probably for the first time ever.
Now, let’s follow the money: $7 – $8 BILLION wasted every year on ‘climate studies’. Your foaming at the mouth political rant ignores the fact that the Obama Administration is 100% responsible for doubling the nation’s indebtedness. And what did we get for it?? Where are the new roads and bridges? Why has NASA been re-directed to “Muslim Outreach” instead of going to the Moon, Mars, etc.? Why are we in the worst recession since the Great Depression, with no real end in sight, and true U-6 unemployment at a staggering 14%?
The only thing Obama is really good at is blaming others for his own incompetence. But the fact remains that Obama OWNS the ‘fiscal cliff’. He owns it. That whole issue could be resolved in a New York minute… if Obama wanted to put the country on the path to prosperity. But he does not want that, because it would require, among other things, a smaller, less intrusive federal government.
So we go over the fiscal cliff, because that’s what Obama wants.