Senator Sherrod Brown in a Quandary

Dave,

What is the specific connection between the bill that would increase energy prices and the exodus of factory jobs in Ohio?

Well, pols are notorious for having a bare minimum of backbone; why they always have to wet their finger and check which way the wind blows is a mystery to me. After all, they were elected to LEAD, were they not? But the fault lies mostly with the people who keep letting them get away with it,and keep reelecting them. We need to clean house and retire the whole lot of them every so often; regardless of Party.

Brown's e-mail response to my VOTE NO request:

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the Climate Security Act of 2008 (S.3036).

Experts from around the world have come to a consensus that climate change is real [THIS IS WHERE I STOPPED READING.] and must be addressed. The widely respected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released a comprehensive assessment on climate change that synthesizes what the global scientific community has learned in the past five years about our changing climate and its impact on the world. Without action, we risk the health of our citizens, the well-being of our coastal areas, and the productivity of our farms, forests, and fisheries.

S.3036 is a bipartisan bill that seeks to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions through a market-based cap and trade system. While I think this bill is a step in the right direction, I am not currently a cosponsor for some of the very reasons you mention. Because this is an issue of global importance, I am working to ensure that American manufacturers are competing on a level playing field with foreign competitors. And as we transition from a carbon intensive economy to an economy run increasingly on clean renewable and alternative energy sources, we must ensure that utility rates remain manageable for all Ohio consumers.

America can and should be a leader in efforts to combat climate change and I will continue to fight for policy that is both environmentally strong and economically feasible for all Ohioans. I appreciate your thoughts on this matter and will keep them in mind as work continues on this bill. Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown