Moonbeam Brown Unhinged: 'Existence of humanity rests on extending California's cap and tax law'

Guest essay by Larry Hamlin,

Existence of humanity rests on extending Governor Brown’s cap and tax law. Just watch Jerry Brown in his rant over the issue on July 14th:

 

California Governor Brown presented testimony in hearings where he demanded that the California’s cap and tax law which is the centerpiece of the state’s carbon fighting schemes and which expires in 2020 be extended to year 2030.

Brown proclaimed that:

“America is facing not just a climate crisis with the rest of the world, we are facing a political crisis,” Brown told lawmakers at the first public hearing on his proposal to reduce the state’s carbon emissions. “Can democracy actually work? Is there a sufficient consensus that we can govern ourselves? That, I submit to you, is an open question.”

An L. A. Times article discussing Brown’s testimony indicated that “he warned of mass migration, forest fires, floods, disease and other pestilence should lawmakers not act.”

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Brown admonished lawmakers that California’s cap and tax law serves as a model for carbon-reduction efforts across the world, from China to neighboring Oregon.

Brown failed to address the lawmakers regarding how the extension of the California cap and tax law will stop the building by China of more than 700 new coal plants in the next ten years.

An article in The Wall Street Journal regarding the challenges Governor Brown is facing to extend the cap and tax law noted:

“Manufacturers, oil refiners and food processors—major employers in low-income areas—will have to buy permits or expensive new equipment to comply with the state’s emissions cap. Cap and trade has raised the cost of gas by about 12 cents a gallon and this surcharge will increase as emissions controls tighten. Californians already pay about 65 cents more per gallon than the national average.”

Additionally the Wall Street Journal further noted:

“This year the state Senate passed legislation doubling the renewable mandate to 100% by 2045—and, by the way, California is producing so much solar power on some days that it has to pay other states to unload it. Senate Democrats have also proposed jacking up the price of emissions permits and imposing a border carbon fee to tax out-of-state imports.”

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It is difficult to comprehend how “the existence of humanity” rests on California extending its cap and tax law to year 2030. But this is California – what else needs to be said.

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Old44
July 15, 2017 10:10 am

I. AM. LORD. OF. THE. WORLD

Auto
Reply to  Old44
July 15, 2017 2:41 pm

Old44
AND. OF. EXCESSIVE. PUNCTUATION. I. SUGGEST.
Auto

MarkW
Reply to  Auto
July 17, 2017 8:03 am

And of excessive capitalization

William Astley
July 15, 2017 10:16 am

Jerry needs to understand that it is absolutely critical before throwing money at a ‘problem’ to very, very, carefully determine what is or is not a problem.
One thing for sure, spending money that you do not have ends badly (See Illinois who are fighting to be the first state to declare bankruptcy.)
Churchill: When we run out of money, then we really need to think.
The idiotic cap and trade programs to address a problem which is not a problem by forced spending on green scams that do not work will force companies to leave California and will force people who work (as opposed to those who are reliant on state, handouts) to leave the state. Less jobs, less tax revenue starts a downward spiral.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-illinois-be-the-first-state-to-file-for-bankruptcy/
The apogee of the madness, the highest frigging point, is fittingly Steven Hawkins’ assertion that perhaps anthropogenic CO2 could turn the earth into Venus which is as likely as alchemists turning lead into gold or ships reaching the end of a flat earth.

drednicolson
Reply to  William Astley
July 15, 2017 1:06 pm

Our modern alchemists, nuclear physicists, can turn lead (or just about any other material) into gold in a particle accelerator. Of course, such gold would cost around a half-million dollars an ounce, so it’s not going to be an economical replacement for mined gold any time soon.

george e. smith
Reply to  William Astley
July 16, 2017 11:31 pm

When did Churchill say what you say he said about money and thinking.
There is a very similar but different saying by Lord Rutherford: Essentially ” We haven’t the money, so we have to think better. ”
Well I have a photograph of his exact words, but that is close enough. and I’m sure Churchill would not be quoting Lord Rutherford, without citing his source.
G

Bill Vancouver
July 15, 2017 10:28 am

We don’t live in a democracy. The USA is Representive Republic.

nn
Reply to  Bill Vancouver
July 15, 2017 10:40 am

Our nation is not a democracy with majority rule. But rather a Republic with a constitution that limits government power and recognizes individual (“endowed by their Creator”) rights. It’s the last point so prominent in our nation’s charter that gives fits and repulses mortal gods and their acolytes.

steve mcdonald
Reply to  Bill Vancouver
July 15, 2017 11:08 am

Imagine if the U.S. had a system that crowned the winner of the popular vote.
Hillary won California by 3.8 million by popular vote.
Trump won the other 49 states by 1.5 million by the popular vote.
Hillary and Brown would have a dual dictatorship despite being routed in govenorships, ko’d in Congress and having a minority in the senate.
What a ungovernable hideous nightmare for U.S. citizens.

george e. smith
Reply to  steve mcdonald
July 16, 2017 11:42 pm

There are 435 electors, named by the States, who choose who should be President; one for each Seat in the House of representatives.
Each State can choose exactly how it wants to select its electors. There is NO Popular vote for President.
And if you want to enforce a one person one vote totally representative system, and eliminate the Electoral College, then you also MUST ELIMINATE the US Senate, which also is not a one person one vote thing.
The State of Rhode Island can fit in 20 different non-overlapping places in just the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and Delaware can fir in 12 non overlapping places there. Yet both of those States have the same number of Senators as Do California, New York, and Texas.
What is representative about that ??
Delaware can also fit in between downtown Anchorage, Alaska, and Wasilla out in the Anchorage suburbs; so Sarah Palin can see all the way across Delaware from North to south, all the way to down town Anchorage.
G

markl
Reply to  george e. smith
July 17, 2017 8:52 am

“What is representative about that ??” It represents the states and keeps mob rule from winning. California and New York can foster welfare states with no international borders but it keeps the remaining states free to make their own choices.

MarkW
Reply to  steve mcdonald
July 17, 2017 8:05 am

There are 535 electors. One for each seat in the House plus the two Senate seats.

The Reverend Badger
July 15, 2017 10:29 am

Would it be possible for a new political party which had a “it’s not CO2” philosophy to be started in California or the USA. In France Macron rose to be leader with a new party he started. Can this happen elsewhere?

John F. Hultquist
Reply to  The Reverend Badger
July 15, 2017 10:50 am

In the USA:
Legal? Yes.
Expensive? Yes.
Happen? No.

philincalifornia
Reply to  The Reverend Badger
July 15, 2017 11:40 am

Not a chance around here (SF Bay Area) the electorate is made of, by my WAG, people who still believe it (~50%) and any others who have their doubts, virtue-signalling that they believe it (~30%). Plus the economy is booming with the IT, and IoT industries, not to mention biotechnology, so no reason not to feel the guilt.

Bob boder
July 15, 2017 10:33 am

the governor is concerned with whether we can govern ourselves? As apposed to what?
There was time in this country when people believed that freedom and liberty was parimount. To think that someone just because they were in power was some how better or more capable then oneself was ridiculous. To bend knee to someone else would be unthinkable and anyone expecting such would be reviled. Now the “Elites” have become so bold that they openly call themselves elite and have somehow convinced billions that they are better and know what’s best for everyone. How utterly weak and pathetic the once great and proud common American has become. Once we were kings and queens of our own lives now we wait for others to dole out our rights and needs like serfs. Our fore fathers weep for what we have become.

Reply to  Bob boder
July 15, 2017 10:49 am

+ many +’s

R. Shearer
July 15, 2017 10:55 am

It’s like the anti-Easter Bunny or anti-Santa Claus that will bring you a forest fire if you don’t pay up.

JON R SALMI
July 15, 2017 10:56 am

With apologies to Grace Slick, the Brown Rabbit is trying to chase us all down an Energy Hole, “where logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead”.

July 15, 2017 11:08 am

And then there’s this …
California Considers a $3 Billion Electric-Car Push
Lawmakers consider $3 billion in rebates to help meet state rules for cuts to greenhouse gas emissions
https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-pushes-new-incentives-for-zero-emissions-vehicles-1500116400

Svend Ferdinandsen
July 15, 2017 11:12 am

I believe the condition has a name: Megalomania.

July 15, 2017 11:35 am

Jerry thinks that he is Jesus, saving us from the secular apocalypse..

Jaakko Kateenkorva
Reply to  denniswingo
July 15, 2017 12:05 pm

And tragically ends up more like Sinestro.

July 15, 2017 11:46 am

democracy is a horrible form of governance NOBODY has one ounce of liberty under it, mob rule = any majority can vote to do anything they desire to any minority………

July 15, 2017 12:20 pm

Tighten up on the control of marijuana usage in the State. The Governor’s cognitive abilities are becoming impaired. Or his advisors need to be replaced. Or both.

Reply to  Tom Bjorklund
July 15, 2017 12:29 pm

There was a story last year about abandoned vehicles being left on Washington Ferries. People were forgetting their vehicles and walking off, which is a big deal, because an unclaimed vehicle leads to a search and rescue mission to find someone who may have fallen overboard.
Someone posted in the comments something to the effect of: And they said legalization wouldn’t cause problems.

BallBounces
July 15, 2017 12:21 pm

No, it rests on MAGA caps 😉

Retired Kit P
July 15, 2017 12:52 pm

The ‘Golden State’ is now the ‘No State’. Every fifty yards along the Pacific Coast Highway there is a no parking sign.
I do not have a problem with people who want to live in big cities.
I have a problem with folks who live in big cities thinking they are smarter than those who choose to live closer to the natural environment and telling us how to live.
California, Oregon, Washington State, Nevada, and Virginia are places where politics are controlled by voters is a very small part of the state. Away from the big cities we have clean air, low taxes, good schools, and no crime. If fact tourist from cities come to see how we make wine. How quaint, grapes grow on vines and apples on trees. Who knew!
My theory is that many things have become unfamiliar to city folks. Nuke plants, coal plants, hydroelectric dams for example. I just talked to a bass fisherman who works at the windfarm miles down the road.
My point is that we enjoy and protect the environment 24/7/365. The planet is doing fine except for a few cities.

Björn
July 15, 2017 1:00 pm

Possibly Mr. Brown is suffering fram a brain-evaporation caused by the frightening CAGW that is threatening the continued existence of humanity.

July 15, 2017 1:14 pm

“imposing a border carbon fee to tax out-of-state imports.””
Ummm… that’s not constitutional. Only the US government has the ability to regulate interstate commerce.

hunter
Reply to  kcrucible
July 15, 2017 2:33 pm

Bingo. This creep of a Governor thinks his crisis is more important than the law, the Constitution or our liberty. Eff him.

MDS
July 15, 2017 1:38 pm

No one really knows how much of this drivel Jerry Brown believes. For sure, he wants more money—that’s the real objective of politicians, especially “progressives” (what a misnomer). American progressives will not rest until they’ve achieved political control of 100% of the nation’s resources, and even ten they will be moaning as those resources decline. Just look at Venezuela.That’s where collectivism leads.

dodgy geezer
July 15, 2017 2:06 pm

Unless I get a grant to pursue my ground-breaking research into surf in the Bahamas, the ENTIRE Solar System is in jeapordy…

hunter
July 15, 2017 2:31 pm

If the corrupt bloviating fear mongers succeed, then democracy will have failed. Gov. Brown is the poster boy of corrupt bloviating fear mongers.

July 15, 2017 2:44 pm

If you remove/throw-out the total vote count just from California, Trump would have won the popular vote in the USA by 1,401,287 votes:
California totals:
Clinton……………………..Trump
8,753,788…. 61.73% 4,483,810…31.62%
Difference in CA: 4,269,978 votes
Difference in US: 2,868,691 votes
Subtract and you get 1,401,287 votes:
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2016
Just sayin…

siamiam
Reply to  J. Philip Peterson
July 15, 2017 3:28 pm

Take out New York City and La- Trump wins the pop. vote.
Clinton flipped 17 counties Rep to Dem
Trump flipped over 200 Dem to Rep
Trump won (Holy Smokes) 84% of counties!

Reply to  J. Philip Peterson
July 15, 2017 4:13 pm

Hmm… did the math a different way and got 1,401,015??? Forgot to subtract the total California votes from their respective US totals…

MarkW
July 15, 2017 3:12 pm

California taxing imports to the state violates the constitution.
Not that leftists give a hoot about the constitution.

hunter
Reply to  MarkW
July 15, 2017 3:20 pm

The Interstate Commerce Clause is quite powerful. It was wisely designed to prevent large states or extremist states…California in this issue is both…from imposing taxes or trade restrictions on commerce from other states. Reality sux if you are an extremist kook like Brown.

Tom Halla
Reply to  MarkW
July 15, 2017 3:28 pm

California tried something similar, if I recall correctly, during Gov Brown’s first term, of taxing cars that were imported from out of state that did not meet California new car emission standards when first sold. It was eventually found unconstitutional.

TCE
July 15, 2017 3:27 pm

It is abundantly clear: President Trump did the right thing when he rejected the Paris accord. Governor Brown and his democrats in Sacramento are either clueless or in collusion with China.
Probably in collusion with China.

Roger Knights
July 15, 2017 3:31 pm

The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.
—H.L. Mencken

Reply to  Roger Knights
July 15, 2017 7:52 pm

Palpably…great word!

KT
July 15, 2017 3:57 pm

He embarrasses this state so much. I’ve never seen a bigger puppet.

July 15, 2017 3:58 pm

Brown is mentally ill.