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Minnesota Introduces World's First Carbon Tariff
hollywoodb writes "The first carbon tax to reduce the greenhouse gases from imports comes not between two nations, but between two states. Minnesota has passed a measure to stop carbon at its border with North Dakota. To encourage the switch to clean, renewable energy, Minnesota plans to add a carbon fee of between $4 and $34 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions to the cost of coal-fired electricity, to begin in 2012 ... Minnesota has been generally pushing for cleaner power within its borders, but the utility companies that operate in MN have, over the past decades, sited a lot of coal power plants on the relatively cheap and open land of North Dakota, which is preparing a legal battle against Minnesota over the tariff."
Are you intentionally being an idiot, or is this just by mistake? We are not talking about some super-elitist asshole, probably like yourself, who is getting charged tax on his luxurious wine collecting habits; we are talking about a junk tax, based on junk science, on good and services people need. You can avoid purchase alcohol, tobacco, and other good that, to the normal person, would be considered a luxury. Just how many people will survive without access to reasonably priced energy?
Did you know that it is a crime in many states for people with children to not have energy to run a unit to heat a home? What do you think is required to run a heating unit? Energy. Tax schemes, such as "Cap and Trade" and other schemes that are similar to it will end up ruining economies all over the world to offset less than five percent of the Carbon Dioxide emissions across the planet. Even then, CO2 emissions will not ever be reduced, as these tax schemes are really just a means to adjust more money from the hard-working middle class into the pockets of the elitist. From there, the money will be either given to the lazy entitlement crowd, or the proceeds will be kept by those that take it.
I cannot wait for 2010 and 2012, when we can, hopefully, replace the idiots in control and get a more sensible government in power. Democrats and Republicans alike are to blame for this mess and it is my hope that someone with sense and usefulness comes into power, but God help us if it were Sarah Palin. I agree with 99% of her views, but he is not fit to run a daycare, much less the United States. Perhaps a decent contender will come out that will show himself or herself to be a worthy opponent to Obama and Ralph Nader.
One last point: If there ICJ were looking for someone to bring into its "kangaroo court", then it should set its sights on Al Gore and the "Climate Change" crowd. They have perpetrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in the history of the world, the likes of which will make Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme look like a liquor store robbery.
As for you, I would suggest that you take(or retake, as the case may be) a college-level American Government class...hell, go take a high school level civics class, and you will see why this "carbon tax" is illegal. I am not paid to teach, so I will not put anymore effort in explaining the situation to you.
>AGW. Which appears to be up for debate
LOL
Climate Progress - Hell and High Water
The situations do not appear to be the same. But I understand how an idiot like you would miss that.
It's easy.
Dear Minnesota Consumer,
Your representatives wish to charge us tarriffs for the electricity we generate and send to your homes and businesses. After much analysis we have come to the conclusion that the cost of this tariff will make the cost providing reliable and inexpensive electricity to you, our consumers, prohibitive Therefore beginning 31 January 2010, we will no longer be providing electricity for any entity in Minnesota. We wish you luck with whatever power company in the future provides your energy.
I read Slashdot for the headlines, because the headlines, unlike the articles, are usually original and never duplicated
Marginally increase the cost of manufacturing? Electricity costs are about the most basic and pervasive costs you can have in any manufacturing process.
Of course now that almost everything is manufactured in China, I suppose that a tax on goods produced in Minnesota is mostly irrelevant. Look around to where Tonka Trucks are now made, which is an example of supposed American manufacturing prowess and ingenuity. This once famous Minnesota company is now nowhere to be found at all, and instead has been bought out by a huge international conglomerate and all of the manufacturing jobs that were once in Minnesota are now done by Chinese speakers in one form or another. It all started with some outsourcing to Mexico back elsewhen.
I could name other major Minnesota companies that have made a huge impact on the world and have faced similar kinds of very interesting ends. Some that are still around and others that have been absorbed and are good and dead. Minnesota was once the center of some significant manufacturing for America, but good bye to that kind of lifestyle.
The sad thing is that once a tax like this gets passed, it will almost never get repealed no matter how much the ordinary citizens hate the thing.
I wonder who, exactly, is the raving lunatic here?
A "pox" on the U.S. Constitution? Yeah, I'd like to see you live for more than a month without it... regardless of where you live in this world. Without that document and the governments created by it, this would would be a hellish place to live.
Further minor nit pick - It does give Congress authority to act and collect tariffs in the following sections:
(Art I, Sec. 8, clause 1)
(Art. I, Sec. 8, clause 3)
(Art. I, Sec. 9, clause 5)
Section 10 didn't need to explicitly give Congress the authority, because the earlier sections explicitly gave that authority to Congress.
It should be pointed out that importation duties were one of the very first significant sources of revenue for the federal government under the Washington administration, and still are a rather important source of revenue to this day. This is an exclusive authority restricted only to Congress, unless it is a part of a state compact... which also requires congressional authority.
You can't get away from federal authority on this matter, and a state can not unilaterally act in this manner.
Let me guess, you're the one who found this guy to be "insightful"?
Read the other posts by this guy, and then come back with your own conclusion. Most of them are just like this one, and full of ad hominem attacks.