If AB 32 does not completely kill the economy of California, the EPA

Stephen Frank's California


Political News and Views




If AB 32 does not completely kill the economy of California, the EPA will. It has already determined that AB 32 was not strong enough for the Central Valley, now the EPA will make rues that close down the Valley.




"It sounds innocuous enough. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new guidelines Thursday requiring state and local authorities that issue pollution permits based on federal standards to use the "Best Available Control Technology," or BACT. The stated goal is to achieve a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020. Most of the facilities affected by the new guidelines will likely be power plants, refineries and cement production operations. What the BACT guidelines simply mean, according to the agency, is this: "After taking into account technical feasibility, cost and other economic, environmental and energy considerations, permitting authorities should narrow the options and select the best one. EPA anticipates that, in most cases, this process will show that the most cost effective way for industry to reduce GHG emissions will be through energy efficiency."



This should be enough to kill the national economy and keep it in a Depression for years to come.



2. Obama's commission misdiagnoses Medicare cost crisis, By: Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Washington Examiner11/12/10



Obama is cutting payments to doctors for care for the elderly. In the real world, this is called rationing. doctors will now stop taking these patients.



"Yet, while encouraging seniors to shop around by proposing to expand the amount they pay for Medicare services, the commission wants to preserve the basic structure of cost controls that haven't worked before and are unlikely to work in future.



The commission's report is especially relevant because on Dec. 1 all Medicare physicians will face a 23 percent cut in rates, postponed from June. Reimbursements will decline an additional 2 percent in January.



The commission wants to fund the cuts by "asking doctors and other health care providers, lawyers, and individuals to take responsibility for slowing health care costs," in other words, by paying doctors less.



Want to kill off the elderly as Paul Krugman of the NY Times wants, stop giving them health care. That is the Obama way.