Friday, September 25, 2009

"Either the scientists are wrong, or Texas is wrong."

" ...and we all know that Texans just aren’t wrong.”

No, not Rick Perry. Not John Cornyn. Not even Michelle Bachmann or Glenn Beck.

Nope. It was Todd Staples (speaking right after the governor blew his own stupid, however):

The governor’s harsh remarks opened a daylong joint meeting of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to discuss the potential impact of the climate bill. Texas, the second-most populous state, leads the nation in carbon emissions, with 676 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion in 2007. The state also leads the nation in oil and natural gas production, petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing. All are heavy emitters of carbon dioxide.

Perry’s denunciation of the Waxman-Markey bill seemed timed to coincide with a conference at the United Nations today in which President Obama and President Hu Jintao of China pledged action on reducing carbon emissions. Perry’s talk underscored the uphill battle the legislation faces in the Senate.

Under Waxman-Markey, industries will ultimately be required to pay a fee for carbon emissions, under a regime similar to that currently in place for other airborne pollutants. Opponents of the bill contend that such a policy is tantamount to a new energy tax.

“This misguided piece of legislation would essentially be the single largest tax in the history of our nation,” Perry said. “These energy taxes will cause every product that uses energy to become more expensive.”

“If the United States Senate were to take leave of its senses and pass this bill, it would precipitate an economic disaster in the state of Texas.”


But leave it to the state's commissioner to agriculture to top that.

Just when you think you've had your last breath taken away by the arrogant ignorance of a Texas Republican, another one comes along and says, in his best Darwin-Award-winning challenge, "Hey! Watch this!"

Everything is bigger here and that goes for fools too. Look for more of this nonsense as Waxman-Markey takes center stage in right-wing nuttery Fauxtrage.

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