I CAN'T BREATH!!!!!!!

Ok, so you may have read my rant on health care. If not, please drop down and check it out and post a comment.

Now on to Cap and Trade.
A lot of people and groups are trying to scare you into opposing the cap and trade bill that just passed the House and is on its way to the senate, where thanks to the Minnesota Supreme court, Al Franken is the 60th Democratic vote. Cap and trade will limit the amount of pollution that a company can release into the atmosphere. A company can come into compliance with the limits in two ways, by lowering the amount released by upgrading their pollution controls or changing to greener alternatives (the Cap), or by buying credits from companies that can sell their unused credits (the Trade). The law gives financial incentives for businesses to limit their output of pollution. An electric company would save money by switching from coal burning plants to solar and wind power production. Note that the law does not force the closing of coal or other high pollution plants, but gives them a way to keep operating and gives an incentive to upgrade their pollution controls. For forward thinking companies that have already lowered their pollution output they can make money by selling their unused credits to others.
Now most of the arguments used against the bill center around what it will cost. The logic is that controlling pollution cost businesses to much and we should just let them do what they need to do…..
What a load of bullshit!
Ya know it’s cheaper to allow a company to dump toxic waste into the local river! So why don’t we allow them to do that! It is the same thing, right? Why don’t we let them dump waste from nuclear power plants into Lake Michigan? It would be cheaper for the power company. Just because it’s cheaper and better for business doesn’t make it right. When these power plants burn coal without the upgraded scrubbers not only do tons of Co2 get pumped into the air but a lot of other nasty shit as will. PCBs, arsenic, and mercury, just to name a few. Understand that this is a real treat to us all. Even wild salmon are now showing up with levels of mercury high enough to be dangerous to children and pregnant women….thanks ComEd!
Back 50 years ago, before the Clean Air and Water act, many of the streams and rivers in the upper Midwest were so polluted nothing lived in or near them. The Chicago River, which was once so polluted it would catch on fire, is now clean enough for recreational use like canoeing and fishing. The Fox River west of the city was once so polluted it was known for dead fish and water fowl that covered its banks. Now a walk along the Fox will bring you face to face with geese, egrets, ducks, and my favorite the great blue heron. There is a thriving business in canoe rentals and bait shops along the Fox, which has some of the biggest flathead catfish you have ever seen.
What are these things worth to us? Do you want to talk money? OK. How much less will we spend on medical needs? From asthma, cancer and other conditions that are caused or aggravated by pollution. Why does the power company needs to spew toxins into the air to make a profit but you should pull yourself up by you own boot straps and pay for your kids asthma treatments?
Anyone in business will tell you must invest money to make money. Will it’s time we make an investment in our health and our future. It is passed the House, now call your Senator and tell them you want a cleaner future!