Bush's Energy Bill

http://www.nrdc.org/news/newsDetails.asp?nID=1177
http://www.nirs.org/energybillpressrelease111703.htm
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-18/s_10502.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/18/opinion/18TUE1.html

There's this large energy bill that is going to be debated (and possibly passed) this week, and I can't find a single redeeming aspect to it - it seems to contain about $100 billion worth of corporate energy hand-outs. It's fucking terrible.

It's a shit way to create jobs. It's not like the bill actually gets rid of any of the environmental restrictions that ought to be removed. It doesn't help the environment. We don't need energy bills to ward off future power scarcity issues, but this doesn't even do that.

It's anti-capitalist, flat-out stupid, and poorly timed - who needs to give protesters another reason (a valid one, this time) to attack this administration.

It's a bill Democrats would pass if energy companies contributed to their campaigns.

Nasty stuff.

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Originally Posted by Stone

It's not like the bill actually gets rid of any of the environmental restrictions that ought to be removed.

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No they oughtn't

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It doesn't help the environment.

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You're right there, it shoud put more restriction in place to replace the ones Bush removed earlier.

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Originally Posted by ShineAqua

No they oughtn'tYou're right there, it shoud put more restriction in place to replace the ones Bush removed earlier.

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http://angry-economist.russnelson.co...aningless.html

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Originally Posted by ShineAqua

No they oughtn'tYou're right there, it shoud put more restriction in place to replace the ones Bush removed earlier.

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The term environment is meaningless

Yeah, this bill is bad news. Especially the way it lets the gasoline companies off the hook for lawsuits caused by groundwater contamination.

Quite a few Dems are unhappy about it, but no one's threatened a filibuster. Looks pretty bad at this point.

I hope they get off the damn judges and filibuster something worthwhile, like this bill.

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Originally Posted by Stone

I hope they get off the damn judges and filibuster something worthwhile, like this bill.

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It'll give Ted Kennedy the chance to use a few more slurs, so I figure he would be all for the filibuster.

I'm not trying to be a smartass or anything, but didn't those companies getting the breaks contribute the most money to his campaign? I'm just wondering, because if they didn't do so, then I don't understand what would motivate the administration to do this.

Well, they're all campaign contributors. This is basically a gigantic handout camoflauged...well, it's not really camoflauged at all.

The bill comes with a huge payment to Democrat-supporting corn farmers, and their ethanol interests (paging Tom Daschle).

The Republicans are basically greasing the Democrats to get the bill across.

Let's see if Daschle has the balls to go against this bill, knowing how much money it would bring to his state - if he does, I'll be impressed.

As will I. But you know he won't go against it. :)

I've already faxed my senators via Defenders of Wildlife (and heavily modified their standard letter so it stood out). Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to actually call Fritz Hollings' office today to request that he try to block this. I doubt he would, since he rarely does anything of worth.

It's amazing that right before an election year, the usual contrarian partisan politics aren't coming into play with this bill. Like Stone said, the Dem's hands are being greased. I hate this damned 2 party system.

On a unrelated note, I heard a Republican rep from Minnesota talking about the Medicare bill 2 nights ago on CSPAN. He made some excellent points about the fact that the prescription drug benefit doesn't address the fact that we, as Americans, are overpaying for ourr meds, and how the FDA is blocking the import of prescription drugs from overseas due to terrorist and health concerns, but they don't give a damn that our orange juice supply (60% of which comes from outside the country) isn't regualted or protected really either. He brought up some really good points. It' gave me hope that their are still decent people in office somewhere, even if it's not around here or in the White House.

Someone please, PLEASE get McCain to run against Bush again. Please.

I have my own reasons for wanting Bush re-elected but I don't think I would mind Lieberman too much (even though he wants to put restrictions on video game violence), but as a US Marine I don't want a President who is in close league with the UN, the UN seems to be great at getting US Marines killed and into bad situations and in addition making their deaths in vain.

Yeah, Bush is doing a fine job of that by himself...:rolleyes:

I would rather get sent to Iraq and get shot then get killed somewhere because I wasn't allowed to engage and have my dead body dragged through the street and not let anyone do anything about it. And in addition having the reason for me being there suddenly revoked and everyone sent home without the objective being finished. Don't kid yourself, the UN has plenty of blood on its hands as well. I'm sick of everyone saying "US soldiers are dying because Bush is an idiot and whatnot", any US soldiers who join the military and cry about getting sent to war are naive and pussies! I was good and ready to die when I signed those papers and I'm certainly not gonna bitch when I get sent to a place like Iraq/Korea to fight.

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Originally Posted by Stone

It's a bill Democrats would pass if energy companies contributed to their campaigns.

Nasty stuff.

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Exactamundo.

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Originally Posted by Gohron

I have my own reasons for wanting Bush re-elected but I don't think I would mind Lieberman too much (even though he wants to put restrictions on video game violence), but as a US Marine I don't want a President who is in close league with the UN, the UN seems to be great at getting US Marines killed and into bad situations and in addition making their deaths in vain.

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Seriously, were you born this stupid?

Well lets bring up some examples here, this is for the military in total. Somolia, Lebanon, Bosnia, etc. I would like to know what makes you think the UN is so damn great, name a few good things that they've done for the world in total and I'll pay attention to what you have to say. Though to me it seems that they intervene in pointless situations and prevent countries from taking any real action. Their globalist politics have been responsible for a lot of bullshit world-wide. They were never supposed to have any military power but they have plenty of it now through the influence of mostly Western Europeon nations.

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Originally Posted by Almaci

Seriously, were you born this stupid?

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Good christ, you're an asshole, aren't you?

Actually, despite what the Gospel tells you, Christ wasn't good. He was a megalomaniacal freak.

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Originally Posted by Gohron

Well lets bring up some examples here, this is for the military in total. Somolia, Lebanon, Bosnia, etc. I would like to know what makes you think the UN is so damn great, name a few good things that they've done for the world in total and I'll pay attention to what you have to say. Though to me it seems that they intervene in pointless situations and prevent countries from taking any real action. Their globalist politics have been responsible for a lot of bullshit world-wide. They were never supposed to have any military power but they have plenty of it now through the influence of mostly Western Europeon nations.

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Gohron, dont mind him. Little shit countries like the one he inhabits needs the UN to have any shred of relevance.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

Gohron, dont mind him. Little shit countries like the one he inhabits needs the UN to have any shred of relevance.

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AGREED! LETS GET RID OF THE ELECTORIAL COLLEGE TOO! THOSE LITTLE STATES JUST NEED IT TO HAVE ANY SHRED OF RELEVANCE.

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Originally Posted by Tracer

AGREED! LETS GET RID OF THE ELECTORIAL COLLEGE TOO! THOSE LITTLE STATES JUST NEED IT TO HAVE ANY SHRED OF RELEVANCE.

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Woah, all caps there buddy.

yeah... the trick is: do I like the UN? Or do I not like the elctorial college or do I really mean what I say, in caps, and don't like either?

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Originally Posted by Gohron

Well lets bring up some examples here, this is for the military in total. Somolia, Lebanon, Bosnia, etc. I would like to know what makes you think the UN is so damn great, name a few good things that they've done for the world in total and I'll pay attention to what you have to say. Though to me it seems that they intervene in pointless situations and prevent countries from taking any real action. Their globalist politics have been responsible for a lot of bullshit world-wide. They were never supposed to have any military power but they have plenty of it now through the influence of mostly Western Europeon nations.

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Unicef, UNHRCA, UNMOVIC etcetera etcetera.
Al United Nations organisations responisble for feeding and vacinating children(helping eradicate several deadly diseases trough campaigns in the United States as well BTW), helping the displaced, making global waterplans so future generations will have potable water, taking care of refugees, mediating between nations in often succesfull efforts to avert war.

The UN is not just a building in NYc where a bunch of countries argue you fuckwit.

The UN troughout its existence has aided billions and saved the lives of several hunderd of millions of lives both present and future.

Do a simple google search for UN achievements before you spout yer stupid redneck shit again.

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Originally Posted by Stone

Good christ, you're an asshole, aren't you?

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I know you are, its pretty evident from youre posts lately.

Im just a good natured pacifist.

Okay...so there's a bill giving huge corporate handouts about to be passed by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed by a Republican President, and this is somehow Tom Daschle's fault?

I mean, really now.

I think what he's saying is that the bill would probably still pass through the Democrats. Tom Daschle is against the gay marriage thing and the bill would help his state out immensely, supposedly, so it makes a sort of sense that he would not oppose the bill. I think that's what Stone was trying to say.

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Originally Posted by burgundy

Okay...so there's a bill giving huge corporate handouts about to be passed by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed by a Republican President, and this is somehow Tom Daschle's fault?

I mean, really now.

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No, no, this is the Republican's fault. However, the bill comes with a present for the Democrats - the ethanol subsidies - to get them to look the other way.

I'm going to be happily surprised if Daschle (and other Democrats) can overlook the ethanol bribe and do the right thing - oppose this bill.

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Thirteen Democrats joined with most Republicans in trying to gain a yes-or-no vote on the bill. They included Senator Tom Daschle, the minority leader; his fellow senator from South Dakota, Tim Johnson; and Tom Harkin from Iowa. One section of the bill encourages the use of ethanol in gasoline, an idea that benefits corn-producing states.

The six Republicans who voted to block the bill were Senators Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Judd Gregg and John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, both of New Hampshire, Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both of Maine, and John S. McCain of Arizona. (Senator Frist was also counted among the 40 who voted to keep the debate going, but only for a procedural reason: so he could retain the authority to bring the bill up once again.)

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Kickass, debate will continue. My New England Republican homies came through in the clutch.

And, ah, what a surprise, Daschle bent over so he could get another suck at the sweet nipple of ethanol subsidies.

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Originally Posted by Stone

And, ah, what a surprise, Daschle bent over so he could get another suck at the sweet nipple of ethanol subsidies.

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Thank you for that terrible imagery, you filthy bastard. A pox upon your family!!!

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"You can't claim to be a fiscal conservative and support the profligate spending and corporate welfare in this bill," said Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. He called the bill a "twelve hundred page monstrosity chock full of special interest giveaways."

A group of farm state democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, reluctantly supported the bill because of a provision that would have doubled domestic production of corn based ethanol, a high priority for corn farmers. But Daschle also had serious reservations about the bill and its impact on the environment, and did not pressure his colleagues to get behind it.

The bill was born in secret energy task force meetings headed by Vice President Dick Cheney and authored by Capitol Hill Republicans with little input from Democrats.

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Go Schummer and McCain! I can give Daschle some credit for trying to help his state (which, as a state senator, he should), but not a this cost. It's obvious the ethanol was a bribe considering the content of the bill. It will be interesting to see how the bill gets tweaked, or what new "nipples" (as Stone so lovingly put it) get offered to the dissenters.

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Originally Posted by Wolffen

It will be interesting to see how the bill gets tweaked, or what new "nipples" (as Stone so lovingly put it) get offered to the dissenters.

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You people won't leave it alone! ARGH!!!!

:lol:

For those interested in seeing how their senators voted go here: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LI...n=1&vote=00456

Hm, I would've thought Zell Miller would've voted against.

Does he like to suck the nipple, too?

http://media.collegepublisher.com/me...s/n9pbgemo.jpg

"I too like ta suck dat nipple."

I feel like Lisa Simpson in the Washington DC episode where she says "democracy DOES work!"...

But really this was a close one. You needed a 3/5th vote and 57/97 is like 58%. But still, its good.

And for once in her life Dianne Feinstein has proven to be useful.

Hopefully, though, if the bill goes back for revision it wont emerge with even more bribes.

Why don't politicians ever bribe ME? That's the important question. How come money is never thrown my way? I would gladly take money to vote for someone.

Calliander: Covering the hard-hitting topics of our day.

Don't ask me.

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Originally Posted by Almaci

Unicef, UNHRCA, UNMOVIC etcetera etcetera.
Al United Nations organisations responisble for feeding and vacinating children(helping eradicate several deadly diseases trough campaigns in the United States as well BTW), helping the displaced, making global waterplans so future generations will have potable water, taking care of refugees, mediating between nations in often succesfull efforts to avert war.

The UN is not just a building in NYc where a bunch of countries argue you fuckwit.

The UN troughout its existence has aided billions and saved the lives of several hunderd of millions of lives both present and future.

Do a simple google search for UN achievements before you spout yer stupid redneck shit again.



I know you are, its pretty evident from youre posts lately.

Im just a good natured pacifist.

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The aid and whatnot is true but you're still disregarding what I have said, and it is completely 100% clear that the UN has also been responsible for a lot of lost life, some of it innocent as well, if you continue formulating arguments about how they've never done anything wrong you are mentally controlled, ignorant, and baised.

Answer this for me Almaci, how would you like to get sent on one of the UN "peace-keeping operations" with extremely strict rules for engagement, basically achieve nothing and get killed one day and have your dead body dragged through the street in celebration, is this your idea of peacekeeping or do you just enjoy seeing dead American soldiers? Oh I forgot, you're from a Western Europeon nation, you're never wrong and the US is the great evil so it doesn't matter anyway.