[ok-sus] fear mongering or reality

[Leslie Moyer]

Temur Akhmedov wrote:
> I think the dramatic voice over in these documentaries could actually 
> be counter-effective at times, as it could be easily dismissed as fear 
> mongering. 
You're probably right, but what I see coming from my (elderly) in-laws 
and from my parents, both of whom get all of their "news" from sources 
that I wouldn't trust for a weather report and who believe every single 
email forward they receive. Fear mongering is what "the other side" does 
best.  There is something to be said for fighting fire with fire.  And 
yet, I know you're right....in the long run it is counter-effective.  
It's just that sometimes it feels like there will be no "long run" 
unless we act quickly. 

Here's the latest fear-mongering forward that my father-in-law sent me 
this morning.  I have family coming in for Christmas so haven't tried to 
fact check it.

***********************

*The latest from the Washington socialists.....*

     

            this is really scary

         

 


 

*A License Required for your house *

Thinking about selling your house?   A look at _H.R. 2454 (Cap and trade 
bill)_ 


*/Beginning 1 year after enactment of the Cap and Trade Act, you won't 
be able to sell your home unless you retrofit it to comply with the 
energy and water efficiency standards of this Act./**/ /**/
/*
*_H.R. 2454, the "Cap & Trade" bill passed by the House of 
Representatives, if also passed by the Senate, will be the largest tax 
increase any of us has ever experienced._* The Congressional Budget 
Office (supposedly non-partisan) estimates that in just a few years the 
average cost to every family of four will be $6,800 per year. No one is 
excluded. However, once the lower classes feel the pinch in their 
wallets, you can be sure these voters get a tax refund (even if they pay 
no taxes at all) to offset this new cost. Thus, you Mr. and Mrs. Middle 
Class America will have to pay even more since additional tax dollars 
will be needed to *bail out* everyone else. 

But wait. This awful bill (that no one in Congress has actually read) 
has many more surprises in it. 

Probably the worst one is this: A year from now you won't be able to 
sell your house. 

Yes, you read that right. The caveat is (there always is a caveat) that 
if you have enough money to make required major upgrades to your home, 
then you can sell it. But, if not, then forget it. Even pre-fabricated 
homes ("mobile homes") are included. 

*In effect, this bill prevents you from selling your home without the 
permission of the EPA administrator. 
*
To get this permission, you will have to have the energy efficiency of 
your home measured. Then _the government will tell you_ what your new 
energy efficiency requirement is and _you will be forced_ to make 
modifications to your home under the retrofit provisions of this Act to 
comply with the new energy and water efficiency requirements. Then you 
will have to get your home measured again and get a license (called a 
"label" in the Act) that must be posted on your property to show what 
your efficiency rating is; sort of like the Energy Star efficiency 
rating label on your refrigerator or air conditioner. If you don't get a 
high enough rating, you can't sell. And, the EPA administrator is 
authorized to raise the standards every year, even above the automatic 
energy efficiency increases built into the Act. 

The EPA administrator, appointed by the President, will run the Cap & 
Trade program (AKA the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009") 
and is authorized to make any future changes to the regulations and 
standards he alone determines _to be in the government's best 
interest_. *Requirements are set low initially so the bill will pass 
Congress; then the Administrator can set much tougher new standards 
every year. The Act itself contains annual required increases in energy 
efficiency for private and commercial residences and buildings. However, 
the EPA administrator can set higher standards at any time.* 

_Sect. 202 Building Retrofit Program mandates a national retrofit 
program_ to increase the energy efficiency of all existing homes across 
America .*Beginning 1 year after enactment of the Act, you won't be able 
to sell your home unless you retrofit it to comply with the energy and 
water efficiency standards of this Act.* You had better sell soon, 
because the standards will be raised each year and will be really hard 
(i.e., ex$pen$ive) to meet in a few years. Oh, goody! The Act allows the 
government to give you a grant of several thousand dollars to comply 
with the retrofit program requirements if you meet certain energy 
efficiency levels. But, wait, the State can set additional requirements 
on who qualifies to receive the grants. You should expect requirements 
such as *"can't have an income of more than $50K per year", "home 
selling price can't be more than $125K", or anything else to target the 
upper middle class (and that's YOU) and prevent them from qualifying for 
the grants.* Most of us won't get a dime and will have to pay the entire 
cost of the retrofit out of our own pockets.. *More transfer of wealth, 
more /"change you can believe in."/*

Sect. 204 Building Energy Performance Labeling Program establishes a 
labeling program that for each individual residence will identify the 
achieved energy efficiency performance for "at least 90 percent of the 
residential market within 5 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act." */This means that within 5 years 90% of all residential homes 
in the U.S. must be measured and labeled. The EPA administrator will get 
$50M each year to enforce the labeling program. The Secretary of the 
Department of Energy will get an additional $20M each year to help 
enforce the labeling program./* Some of this money will, of course, be 
spent on coming up with tougher standards each year. Oh, the label will 
be like a license for your car. You will be required to post the label 
in a conspicuous location in your home and will not be allowed to sell 
your home without having this label. And, just like your car license, 
you will probably be required to get a new label every so often - maybe 
every year. But, the government estimates the cost of measuring the 
energy efficiency of your home should only cost about $200 each time. 
Remember what they said about the auto smog inspections when they first 
started: that in California it would only cost $15. That was when the 
program started. Now the cost is about $50 for the inspection and 
certificate; a 333% increase. Expect the same from the home labeling 
program. 

Sect. 304 Greater Energy Efficiency in Building Codes establishes new 
energy efficiency guidelines for the National Building Code and mandates 
at 304(d) that 1 year after enactment of this Act, all state and local 
jurisdictions must adopt the National Building Code energy efficiency 
provisions or _must obtain a certification from the federal 
government_ that their state and/or local codes have been _brought into 
full compliance_ with the National Building Code energy efficiency 
standards.

 

 

*So, what do you think?  Is this the "Change" you have been waiting for? *

 

*You do what** **you want to do with this email.  I know I have done 
SOMETHING by sending it to you.*

 

*If everyone just sits around hoping things will work itself out, or has 
the attitude that one single person can't do anything to stop what is 
happening, you are mistaken.  It has to start somewhere with someone.*

 

*Remember, this is OUR country...  It may not be ours much longer the 
way things are going...*

         


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