Presidential candidate Barack Obama signaled clearly to the world that he intended on following the "lead" of Britain and Spain in advocating a system of 'cap and trade' in order to curtail carbon emissions in the US. Obama bluntly informed us that the intent was to "bankrupt" operators of coal-fired power plants despite the fact that over half of our electricity is coal-generated. In a rare moment of candid honesty, Obama divulged that under his administration electricity prices would "necessarily skyrocket". With no viable source of energy developed that could even remotely replace coal for the generation of electricity, it is tough to determine what candidate Obama was trying to tell us. The one message he delivered loud and clear was that fossil fuels would have no friends in an Obama administration regardless of what a transition to alternate energy sources would cost us both individually and as a nation. 
  For alarmists who have unilaterally ended debate on anthropogenic global warming, Obama's stance was comforting. America would develop new sources of energy, cut greenhouse gases and pave the way for the rest of the world to follow suit. In typical fashion, every facet of the plan was painted in the rosiest of hues. Wind and solar will handle the bulk of the supply, creating huge new industries in which the US will lead. Of course, all other nations will clamor to give their business to sage American entrepreneurs who jump at the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. The transition will be a painless job creator that spawns a massive new industry in which America leads the world and all the while we'll actually be 'saving the planet'. How nice!

  Despite a rising tide of scientific opinion that AGW theory may well have been overstated and is based on suspect, if not junk, science, the left continues to trumpet impending disaster if this change isn't made- and made right now. So, in suicidal lockstep worthy of a scene in an Orwell novel, the House voted for the Waxman-Markey climate change bill. In the midst of a deep recession, our representatives saw fit to saddle us with a massive increase in energy costs. As we all learned in the summer of 2008, steep run-ups in gasoline prices drove up the cost of nearly all consumer goods. Waxman-Markey promises to do an even more thorough job of increasing the cost of every single thing we need or want. This de facto tax on everything will almost certainly spawn a new Great Depression but apparently, it is pointless to bring this to the attention of Congressional Democrats (and eight turncoat Republicans). According to them, the scientific debate is over and this move is necessary to save the human race from itself. "Deniers", as we're derisively called, are simply told to shut up.

  The one aspect of this sorry saga that seems to get little play in the media is the effect Waxman-Markey will have on developing nations, specifically China and India. The Chinese alone are bringing a new coal-fired power plant on line every week to ten days. There is no amount of carbon emissions we can cut that will offset Chinese production. We have elected to tank our economy in order to allow the Chinese to increase global carbon levels a little more slowly. Of course, the Obama administration, in its patented delusional manner, thinks that they can talk the Chinese into global agreements to curb their emissions, too. Obama may have demonstrated oddly effective powers of persuasion with the US electorate but when it comes to talking the Chinese into voluntarily ruining their economy, I'm afraid he'll have met his match.

  Coal is relatively cheap and plentiful and China isn't building dozens of new power plants so they can shut them down to placate Obama. Also, with the US attempting to make oil a forbidden fuel, the 25% of world consumption for which we account will drop precipitously. Of course, we and a handful of other Western countries bent on our own destruction will be the only ones who are not actively seeking to exploit domestic oil supplies. Hence, supply remains the same or actually increases just as demand drops considerably. Voila, lots and lots of cheap oil available on the world market to fuel the explosive growth of the Chinese and Indian economies just as we are intentionally destroying our own.

  Hu Jintao should at least send Comrade Obama a nice thank you card.