Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, December 1, 2015


Happy December, my friends!

Happy... CONTINUATION... of this year's Advent!

I only wish there was more good news to report...

...and less bad news.

 

2 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://freebeacon.com/issues/obamas-motorcade-for-climate-change-talks-costing-784825/

Car service, hotels, and accommodations for the president and other administration officials to attend climate change talks in Paris are costing taxpayers nearly $2 million, according to government contracts.

The tab for Obama’s motorcade alone totals $784,825.

Numerous other contracts for passenger vehicle rentals, including $9,042 for accompanying press, totaled $376,957.

Taxpayers were also billed $100,216 to book hotel accommodations for the president’s stay. Hotel rooms and cell phones for the U.S. Secret Service traveling with the president cost $16,642 and $4,034, respectively.

A number of cabinet secretaries are also in Paris for the United Nations conference, including IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, whose car service tab is $5,400.

* WHY IS THE IRS COMMISSIONER THERE...?!?!

Secretary of State John Kerry’s car service totaled $76,435, with three separate contracts worth $38,684, $15,789, and $21,962.

Car service for Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is costing $19,080, and two contracts worth $10,153 and $10,737 were issued for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s chauffeur service.

* AGRICULTURE SECRETARY TIM VILSACK'S CHAUFFER SERVICE...?!?!

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is also attending the conference, with hotel accommodations at the Tuileries Finances in Paris costing $36,091, and her car service totaling $13,903.

In all, costs associated with the climate change summit totaled $1,805,282.

The spending included $51,337 to rent a hangar for Marine One for the duration of the trip, $4,744 to rent office equipment, $12,478 for a hotel suite for a control room, and $7,239 hotels for the United States Agency for International Development.

The government also paid Decoral, an interior design agency running accommodations for COP21, $486,989 and $134,778.

Spending on the conference dates back to August, when the government paid $9,576 to rent a meeting room.

President Obama’s goals he proposed for the conference are estimated to cost up to $45 billion per year and would reduce global temperatures by less than two-tenths of one degree.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.wsj.com/articles/carbon-tax-debate-brings-together-unusual-allies-1448936246

* IT'S CALLED CRONY CAPITALISM, FOLKS...

(*SIGH*)

Several big oil companies have fallen into unlikely alignment with environmental groups calling for new taxes on air polluters like coal-burning power plants. One key reason: Those taxes are probably good for their natural-gas businesses.

(*PURSED LIPS*)

Energy giants including Royal Dutch Shell PLC and BP PLC hope a so-called carbon tax—which would force companies to pay for their emissions and likely increase oil producers’ costs—also would increase demand for natural gas, an increasingly significant part of their output.

(*SIGH*)

“Coal,” BP’s chief economist, Spencer Dale, said in an October speech, “is likely to be more affected by future climate policies than either oil or gas.”

* USE GOVERNMENT POWER TO SCREW OVER YOUR COMPETITORS...

(*HEADACHE*)

The embrace of carbon taxes demonstrates how some oil companies now see a business opportunity as efforts to enact climate-change policies gain momentum. While not entirely new, oil companies have become more vocal in their support for carbon taxes in recent years.

Oil companies including BP, Shell and France’s Total SA joined forces in recent months to push for action on climate change, calling for taxes to encourage the use of cleaner-burning gas over coal.

* GIVE ME A BREAK! "CLEANER BURNING..." (*ROLLING MY EYE*) IT'S 2015 - NOT 1890; YA EVER HEAR OF "CLEAN COAL?!" IT'S CALLED "TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION!" GEEZUS... FRIGGIN' GULLIBLE LEMMINGS...

(*SIGH*)

* FOLKS... THEY'RE PLAYING YOU!

Exxon Mobil Corp. isn’t part of the coalition, but in recent years it has expressed support for a carbon tax, provided it is offset by tax reductions elsewhere.

Greenpeace campaigner Charlie Kronick said he supports raising the cost of fossil fuels...

* BIG FRIGGIN' SURPRISE...

(*SNORT*)