CHILLING - IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD - AT 11:38 P.M. ET:  From the Washington Post:

The Obama administration moved closer Monday to issuing regulations on greenhouse gases, a step that would enable it to limit emissions across the economy even if Congress does not pass climate legislation.

Chilling because it once again expands federal power, and makes us all disciples of the god of global warming, whether that god is godlike or not.

The move, which coincided with the first day of the international climate summit in Copenhagen, seemed timed to reassure delegates there that the United States is committed to reducing its emissions even if domestic legislation remains bogged down. But it provoked condemnation from key Republicans and from U.S. business groups, which vowed to tie up any regulations in litigation.

There is an old left-wing tactic, developed in New York in the early sixties, that floods the system with costs, bureaucracy and paperwork.  The ultimate goal is to bring down capitalism.  I can't say this is part of that strategy, but it sure comes close.  The costs here, ordered by the federal government, can be catastrophic.

In Monday's much-anticipated announcement, the Environmental Protection Agency said that six gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, pose a danger to the environment and the health of Americans and that the agency would start drawing up regulations to reduce those emissions.

Should we strive for cleaner air?  Of course we should.  But we can do it without wrecking the economy, paralyzing the recovery, and frustrating entrepreneurship.  Those economic effects will ripple down and affect poor nations the most.

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), a leading proponent of a Senate climate bill, issued a statement after the EPA's announcement saying, "The message to Congress is crystal clear: Get moving."

I wasn't aware that federal departments tell Congress to get moving.  I wasn't aware that John Kerry was still around either.

December 7, 2009