A recent headline in the Washington Post has me
greatly concerned. It read: “As Detroit Crumbles,
China Emerges as Auto Epicenter.”
It’s no secret that Michigan manufacturers are
struggling to compete with global competitors such
as China, particularly our Big Three auto companies.
That is why I am so concerned about a proposal
working its way through Congress to cap carbon
dioxide emissions and then trade carbon dioxide
credits on Wall Street.
This “cap-and-trade” system would trade a product
that you can’t see and can never take delivery of.
Somebody on Wall Street is sure to get rich off this
scheme, and it isn’t likely to be anybody from
Oakland County.
Perhaps the worst part is China and India do not
have these rules so as we heap massive new
regulations on our manufacturers struggling to keep
the doors open what are they likely to do? Pack up
shop and move overseas.
That’s why I offered a proposal to change the bill
to cancel it if China and India did not enact a
similar “cap-and-trade” regimen. Unfortunately, my
proposal was voted down largely on a party line
vote.
The same federal government that approved hundreds
of billions of dollars to bail out banks on Wall
Street, then passed a “stimulus” bill that mailed
10,000 checks to dead people, wants to create
another big, complicated government program.
You know, government just does not do big or
complicated very well.
Actually, this bill creates a major government
program that will charge Americans more for their
energy bills and then creates a second large
government program to help people who can’t afford
these bills because of the first government program
it created.
To address climate change, I fully support using new
technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in a
way that doesn’t devastate the manufacturing states
such as Michigan.
In fact, I have proposed building new wind, solar
and nuclear power in Michigan as these sources have
zero carbon dioxide emissions and providing
incentives to consumers to trade in older cars and
trucks for new, more fuel efficient ones.
China wants to manufacture things because they
understand what Henry Ford understood when his
assembly line created the middle class in America.
Let’s not let them create their middle class at the
expense of ours.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, RBrighton, represents the 8th
congressional district, which includes portions of
Oakland County.