Cap and Trade - a License to Steal

House bill on Cap and Trade to stem greenhouse gases. Wonderful; an energy bill that does nothing to help our energy needs. All this 1,201 page bill (which Obama wants voted on by Friday - forget anyone reading it) does is trash capitalism, continue a scam (known as global warming) and, oh yeah, raise the energy cost of everyone in America.

This bill, which is being labeled "climate control" legislation, is pre-supposed on the fallacy that carbon dioxide is a pollutant. It creates carbon offsets which will be sold and traded from one industry to another. And will result in energy companies raising their rates to "offset" the offsets.

With the cost of oil in the past two years fluctuating wildly and going sky high last year during the election campaign, much time was spent on the need to dramatically change our energy policies. Some said "drill here, drill now" and others said "cap and trade." The latter group won the election.

So here we are in the summer of 2009 being presented with an energy bill that does nothing but introduce a way to raise taxes and steal money from hard working Americans.

So what are some alternatives, you might sarcastically huff? Well, basically anything that will reduce our need for foreign oil, begin research into alternative energy and utilize more efficiently the alternatives we have now.

Where will we get such alternatives? Anything we begin now won't have any effect for twenty years.

Not only is that statement a ridiculous one (we could be there now if they had continued the alternative energy drive in the 70's - which was thirty years ago), but there are new technologies that are in the works now that we could hasten with a little support (private or governmental).

Yet2.com Marketplace has inventions it offers for license at their website. One of these is an oil additive (ZDDP - or Zinc Diakyl Dithiophosphate) that has been in use for over 75 years and enhances it (adding a fluorine to its chemical backbone). The resultant technology improves fuel economy by 3%, reduces engine wear and prolongs the life of the catalytic converter. Big whoop you might say. But 3% improvement in fuel economy is better than zero, which is what we have now. And it is technology that is available NOW. It is a more realistic choice for car manufacturers to attempt to meet improved efficiency guidelines imposed by the government without massive (and expensive) retooling and using technology that doesn't even exist yet.

Another advancement in alternative sources can be found at Ballard Power Systems in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. They have designed, developed, and manufactured zero-emission proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. These fuel cells are clean, quiet electromechanical devices that convert hydrogen into electricity with zero emissions. Although the technology is not adapted yet for automobiles (it will take a little more research and development, but it will happen), it is currently in use in power plant, forklifts and residential cogeneration systems.

These are but two examples I found with little effort. I am sure there are smarter more dedicated people (who have nothing better to do than look for this stuff) that can find more examples of emerging technologies.

Where can we find these amazing examples of technology, you ask? How can the government even know of their existence, you might offer as an excuse.

These are companies that have been working with NASA.

Yes, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Yes, that NASA.

So why all the rush to push this energy bill that does nothing but destroy capitalism and dig deeper and deeper into our pockets? Well, that is a really good question, and one you might want to seriously pursue with your elected representatives in Congress. My own personal belief is that it has nothing to do with energy and everything to do with the real agenda of this administration.

Get on the phone, send an email, write a snail mail (but send it next day) and let your Congressman know that you want real energy legislation, not just a tax increase. Tell them you want real technology to deal with the challenges we face and not some politically motivated ideologically based piece of law making that will only take money from your pocket and put it in theirs.

(note - go to the Library of Congress site and search the word "climate" and you will find no less than 90 bills floating around Congress that deal with greenhouse gases, global warming or cap & trade in one way or another.)

Sources:

Ballard Case Studies

http://www.protomold.com/Case_Studies/UnitedStates/PM_Ballard.pdf

yet2.com - TechPak

http://www.yet2.com/app/list/techpak?id=52652&sid=90&abc=0