TIME TO GET TOUGH - CAP and TRADE

[zephyp]

I sent one of these with some embellishments and have been forwarding them to folks on my email list too! I love this stuff!!!!!!

Way to go Spence. No pride of authorship here. If you can make it better, by all means please do so. Also feel free to post your version here so we can send that one too!

[Bobtail1911]

We all need to go watch "Princess Bride" again.

"Wait till I get Going!...."

[Moccasin]

Webb's canned reply. I've lost what little bit of respect I had for him.--

"Thank you for your recent electronic mail message to my office in Washington. I am pleased that because of the Internet, more than 100,000 Virginians will send their ideas directly to me this year.

Please be assured that your views are very helpful to me and my staff. As the Senate addresses crucial economic, domestic and foreign policy issues facing our nation, we will be sure to keep your comments and ideas in mind.

I encourage you to visit my website at http://webb.senate.gov for regular updates about my activities and positions on matters that are important to Virginia and our nation.

If the subject of your communication is time sensitive, involves a personal issue relating to the federal government (such as help with a passport, claim for veterans’ benefits, or immigration) or requires more detailed attention, please visit my Assistance/Casework page located at http://webb.senate.gov/services/assistance.cfm or contact my office directly toll free at 1-866-507-1570.

Again, thank you for contacting my office, and I hope you will communicate with me often in the future.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb
United States Senator"

[goodoleboy]

sent and sent

[zephyp]

Moccasin - It's 4:30 AM and I am looking at the same canned response and thinking how else to do this. It's simply no good if we send these things in and merely get and automated response. I'm going to search for a new idea to see if there is another avenue. I simply cannot believe that the jokers have this set up like this. We are American and taxpayers. While we can't expect lawmakers to always vote our way we should always be able to expect that they read our letters and listen to what we have to say.

[zephyp]

Folks remember that IMO remaining silent on this or any issue up for vote by our legislators is as good as consenting. If you are against Cap and Trade, make your voice heard today before its too late. Call, e-mail, or fax our senators today and let them know how you feel about the proposed Cap and Trade Bill.

[VBshooter]

To add to what Zephyp said here , I want to add that Dominion Power operates at least 10 Coal Fired plants in VA and WV,, This makes us exceptionally vulnerable to the extremes this legislation can bring, If Cap and Trade is passed your utility bill will skyrocket,,, It has already been shown that any utility forced to modify plants to the ridiculous standard of Cap and Trade will pass that costs on to us the consumer and they will be steep..There is no reason alternative energies can't be developed without this Energy Tax.Contact the Senators ,We can;t afford Cap and Trade!!

[OakRidgeStars]

Why isn't anyone talking about nukes to generate power?. It's the cleanest form of power besides hydroelectric. It just amazes me that we haven't built a nuclear power plant in this country since 1979. Other countries can build plants that are completely safe, but we can't?. I honestly believe that we are going to get to the point in this country where we won't be able to wipe our own arse.

[VBshooter]

Nuclear still brings up thoughts of 3 mile and Chernobyl... But there are utilities that have applied for new permits to construct new plants, Dominion, Duke,TVA and others are chomping at the bit,, THe licensing in this country is a slow process,,Also the protest of neew plants is not helping.. One good thing is if they get started they will all build the same plants,, Following the European model they have approved a design that will help cut costs drastically and allow for quicker construction, I remember working on the current nukes and they were as varied in design and equipment as different years of cars, From what I see Nuclear has all but been deleted from the Cap and Trade Bill, If I had to guess its a control issue,,NRC, Utilities, and an over ambitous Congress all wanting control is not a good thing,, I agree fully that Nuke is the way to go but it looks like the power blind in Washington don;t see it that way,

[zephyp]

Why isn't anyone talking about nukes to generate power?. It's the cleanest form of power besides hydroelectric. It just amazes me that we haven't built a nuclear power plant in this country since 1979. Other countries can build plants that are completely safe, but we can't?. I honestly believe that we are going to get to the point in this country where we won't be able to wipe our own arse.

I think Spence nailed it. Too much of our electricity is tied up in coal fired plants. It's big business and they have a big lobby in congress to keep nuke generated power from consideration. Here's a good web site that gives data on lobbyist and money companies spend on them. It's worth browsing if you're interested. Note on this page that there's a company called Edison Electric Institute. That number ($126 million) is the amount they've paid lobbyists since 1998.

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=s

[zephyp]

Here's another page showing statistics conerning the number lobbyists engaged in energy and nuclear power issues. My guess is most normally campaign against nuke power and restrictive laws. Most of them right now are probably campaiging against the Cap and Trade bill.

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/issues ... &year=2009

[Moccasin]

Our energy bills are the most obvious increases we will see. Everywhere we shop will see their energy costs rise, those costs will be passed to the consumer that shops there. Same for manufactured goods, production costs rise as will the sales price. Transportation costs to move the goods will increase. Back to subsistance farming, we won't be able to afford the grocery stores anymore.

[zephyp]

So I guess the rest of you (those that haven't contacted VA senators) agree with Cap and Trade which equals much higher energy costs, higher taxes, and running off American based energy companies ?????

[zephyp]

Folks I've been doing some browsing of the 1428 page Cap and Trade bill. There are some very nasty things in there. This proposed legislation will also affect residential homes. New building codes will be established along with a thing called REEP (Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance). In addition, RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) standards will be applied which call for home audits and inspections.

In short, if this bill becomes law you could conceivably have inspectors knocking on your door to perform an "in home" inspection and tell you what you have to do to become compliant. In addition, new homes will fall under strict standards. Moreover, there are provisions for when you sell or buy a home.

Here's a link to the House passed version of the proposed law. It's PDF so you can easily search. It's also on the GPO (Government Printing Office) site so you know its authoritative. Below that is a link to RESNET.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin ... eh.txt.pdf

http://www.natresnet.org/standards/audi ... andard.pdf

Also, this will go to vote in the Senate next week. It's not too late to let our senators know how you feel.

Lastly, it's time for me to move on to the next bit of nasty legislation. I pray that this one does not pass. Have a happy and safe 4th and remember why and what we celebrate on this holiday.

[goodoleboy]

Hmmmm......looks like Webb decided to get back to me....kinda

Thank you for your recent electronic mail message to my office in Washington. I am pleased that because of the Internet, more than 100,000 Virginians will send their ideas directly to me this year.

Please be assured that your views are very helpful to me and my staff. As the Senate addresses crucial economic, domestic and foreign policy issues facing our nation, we will be sure to keep your comments and ideas in mind.

I encourage you to visit my website at http://webb.senate.gov for regular updates about my activities and positions on matters that are important to Virginia and our nation.

If the subject of your communication is time sensitive, involves a personal issue relating to the federal government (such as help with a passport, claim for veterans’ benefits, or immigration) or requires more detailed attention, please visit my Assistance/Casework page located at http://webb.senate.gov/services/assistance.cfm or contact my office directly toll free at 1-866-507-1570.

Again, thank you for contacting my office, and I hope you will communicate with me often in the future.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb
United States Senator


look familiar?

[zephyp]

Hmmmm......looks like Webb decided to get back to me....kinda look familiar?

Hey, I got exactly the same thing from Webb. If didn't even start with "Dear Mr. DK." What a crock. Here's the one I got from Warner. Maybe it will look familiar to you. At least they wrote this one towards energy issues (global warming which I never mentioned) and I'm sure its also canned. I've been trying to figure out how to send them e-mail traffic that will bypass the autoresponder and get someones attention.
-----------------------------------------
Thank you for contacting me about global warming and related legislation. I appreciate hearing your views on this important issue.

In order to best protect America's citizens and environment, I believe that we need to develop a comprehensive energy policy that both reduces our emissions and utilizes alternative sources of energy. Doing so would not only help to preserve the environment, but would also create green jobs and ultimately lower domestic energy costs. Any discussion of our national energy policy must also consider the international scope of this challenge as individual nations confront problems such as the finite supply of fossil fuels, overhauling outdated energy infrastructures, and many other important environmental challenges.

Members of the relevant Congressional committees are currently working on legislation that would address climate change on a national level, and I look forward to participating in this debate during the 111th Congress. Though the science surrounding this issue supports the need for dramatic changes in policy, any comprehensive legislation to address climate change must balance this interest with the need to keep our economy viable during this challenging time.

Thank you again for your input on global warming. Please be assured that I will continue to monitor related legislation and will consider your views as the Senate debates and votes on relevant legislation. I very much look forward to serving the Commonwealth during the 111th Congress.

[VBshooter]

That is Webb's latest generic reply,,The one from Warner makes me nervous ,,Sounds like typical poli-speak for thanks but I;m gonna do just what the hell I want and don't care what you want,,,He;s been party faithful right down the line so it will be interesting to see which way he is gonna go. I figure if he supports this outragous peice of crap legislation he'll be a one term Senator, Getting around that auto responder may be tough,,, MAybe if we request a response it will help? Or the old school method of Postal mailing ? The thing that really piss's me off is both of these "elected" reps never state their positions until the voteing is over and the damage is done,...

[GS78]

"elected" reps...... the really sad thing is that a majority of virginians are now much more like the general population of any urban populace, the type to outstrecth their hands palms up. I don't think the Warners',Webbs' can be stopped. It has been a lifetime since any politician actually answered to the american people, and I have no illusions that either of these "reps" have any intention of bucking that trend.

[Moccasin]

Ok, so I emailed Mr. Webb to remind him that he was not elected to vote the way he sees fit but rather to vote the way his constituents say he should. I also reminded him the ignoring constituents could result in a loss of elected office. His reply:

"Thank you for your recent electronic mail message to my office in Washington. I am pleased that because of the Internet, more than 100,000 Virginians will send their ideas directly to me this year.

Please be assured that your views are very helpful to me and my staff. As the Senate addresses crucial economic, domestic and foreign policy issues facing our nation, we will be sure to keep your comments and ideas in mind.

I encourage you to visit my website at http://webb.senate.gov for regular updates about my activities and positions on matters that are important to Virginia and our nation.

If the subject of your communication is time sensitive, involves a personal issue relating to the federal government (such as help with a passport, claim for veterans’ benefits, or immigration) or requires more detailed attention, please visit my Assistance/Casework page located at http://webb.senate.gov/services/assistance.cfm or contact my office directly toll free at 1-866-507-1570.

Again, thank you for contacting my office, and I hope you will communicate with me often in the future.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb
United States Senator"

Same reply he always sends. Maybe faxing would work better.

[goodoleboy]

Maybe we should all put together a plan to mass information bomb his phone/fax/email at the same time....maybe then he'll get it