In yet another great column George Will picks apart the current carbon “cap-and-trade” bill set to be debated in the U.S. Senate.

With cap-and-trade, government would create a right for itself — an extraordinarily lucrative right to ration Americans’ exercise of their traditional rights.

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Cap-and-trade — government auctioning permits for businesses to continue to do business Cap-and-trade — government auctioning permits for businesses to continue to do business.

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Lieberman says that if a foreign company selling a product in America “enjoys a price advantage over an American competitor” because the American firm has had to comply with the cap-and-trade regime, “we will impose a fee” on the foreign company “to equalize the price.” Protectionism-masquerading-as-environmentalism will thicken the unsavory entanglement of commercial life and political life.

McCain, who supports Lieberman’s unprecedented expansion of government’s regulatory reach, is the scourge of all lobbyists (other than those employed by his campaign). But cap-and-trade would be a bonanza for K Street, the lobbyists’ habitat, because it would vastly deepen and broaden the upside benefits and downside risks that the government’s choices mean for businesses.

It’s warming to know that Republicans nominated a fine conservative like McCain, a man willing to stand up and fight to reduce the size and scope of government.  Never mind, I just pinched myself.

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This entry was posted by Brian on Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 1:40 pm and is filed under Government, Taxes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Please note the copyright policy.