Blowing the Whistle on the Global Warming Fake

In his column "Global Warming Hysteria" published today at Townhall.com, the incomparable Walter E. Williams blows the whistle on politicians who are using global warming overreaction to justify all their pet projects, from raising taxes to bringing pork to their districts:

Despite increasing evidence that man-made CO2 is not a significant greenhouse gas and contributor to climate change, politicians and others who wish to control our lives must maintain that it is.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Rep. John Dingell wants a 50-cents-a-gallon tax on gasoline. We've heard such calls before, but there's a new twist. Dingell also wants to eliminate the mortgage tax deduction on what he calls "McMansions," homes that are 3,000 square feet and larger. That's because larger homes use more energy.

One might wonder about Dingell's magnanimity in increasing taxes for only homes 3,000 feet or larger. The average U.S. home is around 2,300 square feet, compared with Europe's average of 1,000 square feet. So why doesn't Dingell call for disallowing mortgage deductions on houses more than 1,000 square feet? The reason is there would be too much political resistance, since more Americans own homes under 3,000 square feet than over 3,000. The full agenda is to start out with 3,000 square feet and later lower it in increments.

Our buying into global warming hysteria will allow politicians to do just about anything, upon which they can muster a majority vote, in the name of fighting climate change as a means to raise taxes.

In addition to excuses to raise taxes, congressmen are using climate change hysteria to funnel money into their districts. Rep. David L. Hobson, R-Ohio, secured $500,000 for a geothermal demonstration project. Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., got $500,000 for a fuel-cell project by Superprotonic, a Pasadena company started by Caltech scientists. Money for similar boondoggles is being called for by members of both parties.

If we knew with certainty that we were entering another ice age, does anyone seriously contend that we could avoid freezing temperatures just by cranking up man-made CO2 emissions?  The idea is preposterous and arrogant.  Yet global warming alarmists ask us to accept the inverse theory as proven fact.

One of the tools of pickpockets and scam artists is misdirection.  If they can just get your attention focused on something else, they can pick your pocket more easily.  Next time you hear, "Look over there!  A melting ice cap!" -- you might want to check your wallet.  Giving climate change alarmists the benefit of the doubt is going to cost us all dearly.

Update 1:  As if on cue, here comes the Washington Post trumpeting Dingell's Wallet Depletion Act:

WASHINGTON -- Dealing with global warming will be painful, says one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress. To back up his claim he is proposing a recipe many people won't like -- a 50-cent gasoline tax, a carbon tax and scaling back tax breaks for some home owners.

"I'm trying to have everybody understand that this is going to cost and that it's going to have a measure of pain that you're not going to like," Rep. John Dingell, who is marking his 52nd year in Congress, said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Dingell will offer a "discussion draft" outlining his tax proposals on Thursday, the same day that President Bush holds a two-day conference to discuss voluntary efforts to combat climate change.

But Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that will craft climate legislation, is making it clear that he believes tackling global warming will require a lot more if it is to be taken seriously.

"This is going to cause pain," he said, adding that he wants to make certain "the pain is shared in a way that is fair, proper, acceptable and accomplishes the basic purpose" of reducing greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

When a Democratic Congressman announces that he plans to tax you so heavily that it's painful, you'd better believe him.

Global warming is just the excuse the doctor ordered.  Bring it on!

Update 2:  Welcome, visitors from Salon.  Since my earlier post did not discuss the scientific weaknesses in global warming theory, as one commenter correctly pointed out, I've linked to some earlier posts on this subject, several of which do address the scientific arguments.  Other posts linked below address the issue from different angles.  If you're open to considering all the evidence on global warming, click a few links and enjoy.

Also, since I'm going to the trouble of updating this post anyway, I've linked below to a few other earlier items that all visitors might enjoy. 

Earlier:

• Save a Rainforest: Burn Fossil Fuels! (September 21, 2007)
• Al Gore's Theories Still Not So Hot (July 7, 2007)
• THE GORE-Y TRUTH (Guest post by DemocracyRules) (July 7, 2007)
• Don't Lose Any Sleep Over Global Warming (April 9, 2007)
• Spiritual Trouble at the Church of Global Warming (March 2, 2007)
• The Deadly Human Cost of Environmentalist Overkill (February 23, 2007)
• Global Cooling Weather Watch: Record Snowfall (February 12, 2007)
• Reasons for Skepticism About Global Warming (February 2, 2007)
• Global Cooling Weather Watch: America Is FREEZING! (January 17, 2007)
• Global Cooling Weather Watch - Frozen Citrus (January 13, 2007)
• Newsweek Still Sounding the Alarm on Global Cooling -- Er -- Warming! (October 24, 2006)
• The Scientific Flaws in Gore's Global Warming Movie (June 14, 2006)
• You Mean Scientists Still Have a Lot to Learn About Global Warming? (June 1, 2006)

Fun Links:

• World's Worst Chinese Menu Translation
• Mule vs. Mountain Lion
• What Is the Strangest Food You Ever Ate?
• How to Live to 112

Serious Stuff:

• Vindicated! The Bin Laden Videos Are Fakes!
• Reflections on 9/11 and the Six Years That Followed

Comments

[eric taylor]

If we knew with certainty that we were entering another ice age, does anyone seriously contend that we could avoid freezing temperatures just by cranking up man-made CO2 emissions?

actually the temperature of the earth is quite sensitive to the parts per million of co2, so yes of course we can alter the earth's temperature by increasing greenhouse gasses.

I actually think given a chance to vote most americans would support a slight amount of greenhouse warming. that's the weird thing that nobody talks about. given that we can influence the earth's temperature, what is so wrong about making it a little bit hotter. On one side you have environmentalists who want to preserve the status quo and on the other side you have republicans who deny the link between co2 and earth temperature entirely. What about people who understand that global warming is real and want it to happen (just not too much)?

[Tom Ritchford]

"The idea [of human-caused global warming] is preposterous and arrogant. Yet global warming alarmists ask us to accept the inverse theory as proven fact."

Why should we believe your bare, uncorroborated statement against the carefully-researched work of thousands of scientists?

[Dirk in Charlottesville]

Global warming alarmists supporting a tax on CO2 may not be idiots. The list includes former chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, President George W. Bush's economic advisor and Harvard economist Gerald Mankiw, and Nobel Laureate and economics professor at the University of Chicago Gary Becker.

[ME]

"If we knew with certainty that we were entering another ice age, does anyone seriously contend that we could avoid freezing temperatures just by cranking up man-made CO2 emissions?"

Depending on the severity and causes of the ice age, maybe.

Why do you hate science?

[matthew]

thank you for this info now i can proove to those nature freeks that this bull about global warming is nothing but a lie

[bob the builder]

global worming is freaking crazy i dont know y ppl keep saying this stuff it is our own fault. if we would stop polluting and crap then the animals in the ocean wouldnt be dying and other life. we, as humans, need to stop poulutting the earth!!!! i am not a freakin tree huger!

[christian]

hey y do people think the world is coming to the end well its because of the over population in the world. is is a fast growing thing people need to whach out if we dont stop this something realy bad could happen so watch out and protect the earth and dont over populate

[christian]

why cant people say what they wont im a person that belives that globel warming is real ok i have every right to say that ....

[christian]

tree huging