White House Still Considering Raising Electricity Prices During Bum Economy

They will never learn:

President Obama will likely discuss setting caps on the utility sector when he meets with senators this week, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

"The idea of a 'utilities only' [approach] will also be welcomed," Emanuel said, noting that "a wide range of ideas will be discussed." Obama is scheduled to meet with a bipartisan group of senators Wednesday as Democratic leadership plans its strategy for bringing an energy and climate package to the floor this summer.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) -- who is co-sponsoring a Senate climate and energy bill with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) -- said he would also consider a power plant-only cap.

I just can't emphasize it enough: the President wants to raise electricity rates (and the cost of everything in the country produced or served using electricity). This is indefensible in a bad economy. Even artards like Lieberman and Graham, who bought into the global warming bullhockey, should recognize that.

But it's also unconscionable at any time because there's no reason to believe that any of these proposed carbon caps are going to improve human lives. They're just going to make life more difficult for the people least able to pay for Democratic pipe-dreams. (See also the gasoline tax.) And in the meantime, they'll hobble the U.S. economy.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 04:10 PM

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