By FITSNews || We already knew that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s no-holds-barred efforts to “price carbon” as a means of solving the so-called “climate change issue” would lead directly to higher energy costs for American consumers.
Amazingly, Graham is now looking to extend that pain to the pump – by hitting motorists with an additional fifteen cent per gallon tax on gasoline.
Graham’s gas tax hike is a central component of the latest “climate change” proposal he’s drafting with Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) and John Kerry (D-Massachusetts). Previous efforts by this trio to pass a massive energy tax hike have come to naught, in large part because President Barack Obama’s own Treasury Department has admitted the legislation could cost the average American family as much as $4,000 a year in increased energy costs.
Obviously, those sorts of estimates have gone over poorly as people continue to struggle through the third year of one of the longest and deepest economic downturns in American history.
Seriously, what is Lindsey Graham thinking?
Or is he thinking?
As of this writing, Graham remains the only Republican to have jumped on board with either the “cap and trade” plan or the gas tax increase – a decision many attribute to the fact that left-wing environmental special interest groups have been bankrolling Graham’s PR efforts in South Carolina for several months now.
Yet while Graham was busy hiding behind these shadowy special interests, the “science” behind climate change has completely unraveled, with even the head of the controversial United Nations climate change panel now reversing himself and claiming that there has been no “statistically significant warming” over the last fifteen years.
By Brickman April 14, 2010 at 1:44 am
Bravo to Graham! Raise the gas tax to encourage more fuel-efficient modes of transportation. Smaller cars, motorcycles, mopeds, car pooling, whatever it takes to reduce our nation’s addiction to gasoline.
Way to go!
By NYTimes Reader April 14, 2010 at 7:19 am
I agree with Brickman. We need to reduce gasoline use here so the Chinese can grow their economy faster on the resulting cheaper energy. Graham’s attempts to reacharound the aisle to embrace stiff taxes is a stroke of genius.
By Ynotfirst April 14, 2010 at 7:24 am
Lindsey Graham must be voted out of office next time he runs. He’s bad for South Carolina and even worse for the United States of America.
Somebody ask him if he even believes in the United States of America now, please because he appears to be a part of the New World Order. Maybe he wants to be a tyrannical dictator when he grows up or something.
By WorkingTommyC April 14, 2010 at 7:42 am
Dang, NYTimes Reader!
You’re punny! Excellent post!
Graham seems to be going for this imaginary group of people torn between the Republicrat and Democan parties. He can’t seem to understand that a lot more of us are thinking outside the two-party coffin they’ve built.
Graham can’t seem to grasp the magnitude of the grassroots political movement going on right now. He will find himself on the outside looking in before too long at this rate.
By Liberty For Me April 14, 2010 at 8:24 am
Brickman is right…in fact I think we should make it a $2.00 tax increase..I mean what do we have to do to get people on schwinns?.Think of the economic boom of the bicycle industry.Not to mention how thin people will be when the costs of food go up 40% because we cant afford to ship it efficently.
By Mike April 14, 2010 at 8:32 am
Do we a Recall system in place in SC? Even if we did I realize the chances of actually recalling him are slim to none. It may be worth to atleast show our frustration with him.
By conservative republican April 14, 2010 at 8:39 am
“First it was the “gang of 14″
Then he wanted to grant amnesty to roughly 12 million illegal aliens residing in America
Then came a Cap and Trade endorsement.
Now he wants to raise yet another tax….publicly.” FROM JUSTIN EVANS” REPUBLICAN PARTY DISCUSSION GROUP.
Thanks Will,
There’s no question that Graham is out on the “left wing” and is doing great damage to the conservative cause in SC and the U.S. However that seems to give him pleasure which truly amazes me. Even more amazing is his seeming hold over the “SCGOP cult” via the chairperson who is seemingly driving the party under the heavy influence of the Quinn and Associates crowd and other paid Graham consultants as you pointed out in your earlier piece.
“Graham remains the only Republican to have jumped on board with either the “cap and trade” plan or the gas tax increase – a decision many attribute to the fact that left-wing environmental special interest groups have been bankrolling Graham’s PR efforts”
Per the above quote from you, it’s becoming more apparent than ever that Graham may be very heavily “on the take” from the left wing “environmental whacko” lobby groups which may also explain his making front page news in recent months as the “wind turbine” advocate in SC. I’m thinkin he’s most probably just freekin sold out to these folks and others like La Raza etc.
By Patrick April 14, 2010 at 9:19 am
cr what do you mean by “on the take”? Are you alleging that Graham is being paid off, taking bribes? Evidence? Proof? What exactly are you thinkin linkin?
By FactChecker April 14, 2010 at 9:26 am
I can’t believe South Carolina’s feel for lindsey graham, he is unpredictable is he on drugs or something, he seems to warm up as a “conservative” and then vote for sotomayor , climate change, and others and mcain voting the flip flopping, SC has suffered enough embarrassment.
By FactChecker April 14, 2010 at 9:36 am
One of things conservatives need to hold true to is to stop whining in which certain liberals may do as they say.
That means not accepting the status quo and being lazy, such as a person doing half the job and leaving the place messier than it was before, and not doing anything about it, and just accepting the traditional “conservative” message which really isn’t just some special interest or think tanks for big business. That shows laziness and embarrassment and not wanting to think and do they job yourself.
By haustre April 14, 2010 at 9:44 am
Let’s make all these environmentalists set an example for us all–I propose that all “green” congressmen and senators foreswear use of engines and instead of using car or jet transport, these anointed do-gooders should drive their own foot-propelled rick-shaws around D.C.
By No Name April 14, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Congrats Will/FITS
I think you now have some out of State serial posters….not only does this show the depth of your platform…but it also shows the depth of Graham’s resolve or the need to win….. one of these issues to show the other side that he can actually deliver on one of these deals.
Least we forget…..what drives Graham or one of the issues that drives Graham ……is the belief that these deals or bi-partisan positions will cause Rahm to give him some of the huge federal dollar demand pie.
In the face of this depression…. Graham is able to rally most of the State oligarchs on this point alone. The near term benefit of this federal crack is a tough call. If you beleive in a rapid depression you could make a case for garnering as much of this crack as you can hope for.
If I had to pick from the dueling insanity of Grahamnesty or alternative energy development industry manipulation…….heat my spoon with solar rays.
Pragmatic Dixiecratism at work.
By Southernmapart April 14, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Yeah, looking on this thread as if the national professional spammers have hit fitsnews. It usually takes at least six weeks before the newbies learn to blend in. They always have trouble with Southern slang. Start the clock.
By R April 14, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I favor a gas-tax hike but not for carbon reduction. SC’s highways and bridges are in horrid shape and those that use them need to pay to keep them up. Of course I don’t trust the Legislature one damn bit to use 100% of the additional gas tax for transportation.
By Patriot1776 April 15, 2010 at 3:03 am
Graham has moved over to the dark side. He is an Obama operative inside the republican party. There is no good reason for any members of the republican party to trust him with anything inasmuch he reports back to Emanuel, Pelosi, Reid, and Darth himself.
Yeah, Graham is my favorite pos. You want dirt on him, just look into his after hours social life. Besure you have a video camera if you go doing some undercover spying.
By carzone April 15, 2010 at 6:30 am
Hybrid autos are comparatively less polluter than diesel and petrol autos. Carbon emission is lower .Dust particle emission is also lower. Most of all its low maintains cost; it will be the next generation automobile.
By WorkingTommyC April 15, 2010 at 12:14 pm
If hybrid autos are better, they’ll catch on by themselves. Fascism never seems to solve any problem–at least not in the long term and usually not even in the short term unless more government control is the goal. Fascism usually only breeds more fascism and inhibits most innovation by killing much of the rewards for people’s hard work.
I honestly believe we’re on the cusp of efficiently cracking water or some other energy breakthrough that will make electric cars practical, cheaper, more efficient, etc. to the point that they will leave internal explosion engines in the history books.
The remaining petroleum reserves will be deemed much more plentiful at that point bringing down the prices of oil worldwide and making energy production and air transportation, etc. much cheaper as well.