Schwarzenegger signs greenhouse gas bill

In a desperate plea to pick up moderate/liberal voters, Ah-hold joined Al Gore in his quest against global warming manbearpig (see previous posts here and here) with this horrible piece of legislation. The greenhouse gas "rollout," as political pros call it, has little or nothing to do with global warming -- it's mostly a symbolic declaration to do something many years hence -- and everything to do with Schwarzenegger's triangulating strategy that already has generated a double-digit, and widening, lead over Democratic challenger Phil Angelides. Conservatives consider the main greenhouse bill, Assembly Bill 32, to be a sop to the environmental leanings of centrist voters, albeit one with a potentially serious impact on business if, in fact, the carbon dioxide emission limits it envisions are imposed sometime in the next decade. The measure has been labeled a "job killer" by the California Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, saying it "increases costs for California businesses, makes them less competitive and discourages economic growth with little or no proven environmental benefit by adopting cap on carbon emissions." And just one Republican legislator -- San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Horton -- voted for the measure, carried by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. Even if it's really only symbolic, it sends a poor message. Why sign something that would be in the end meaningless? Why make business panic in an environment that already hamstrings business statewide, that has caused more people to emigrate from California to Nevada and Arizona? The US didn't sign Kyoto because of its world economic impact, nevermind the fact that over 13 of 15 European nations who signed Kyoto couldn't live up to it. It's political posturing Arnold, and you don't need it. You're running against Angelides who among other stupid ideas, wants to raise taxes. That usually goes over really well with voters. You don't need to sign this kind of garbage...