Speaking in the House today, Akin voiced his opposition to:
...socializing healthcare in America regardless of any so-called "opt out" provisions.
Congressman Akin noted that giving states the alternative of "opting out" of the proposed public option is a misnomer in the sense that is does not insulate the residents of state form increased taxation, Medicare cuts] and overall drag on the U.S. economy.
The key word above is "socializing," as in socialism, and it has the effect of drowning out any real-world issues for Akin and his fellow alternative reality enthusiasts.
Of course, since not everybody has been trained to salivate upon hearing the magic words, Akin must manufacture claims about taxes, chimerical Medicare cuts and persistently ignore the real drag on our economy that will result if nothing is done abut the spiraling costs of our current, out-of-control health care delivery system.
Bond's shtick is a little more subtle if just as narrow in focus. It consists of an appeal to cupidity with unfounded assertions about the costs of cap-and-trade. During his weekly conference call with Missouri reporters today, he once more cited bogus studies that assert that cap-and-trade would raise electricity rates.
If you are curious about how Bond thinks we need to go about fixing the climate crisis which, to his credit, he does not entirely deny, he offered this prescription:
Add a hundred new nuclear power plants, use electric-powered vehicles, conserve more energy and we could add jobs, produce more tax revenues, and avoid expending very expensive taxpayer subsidies on things like wind and solar which only work when the wind blows and the sun shines
Sounds familiar doesn't it? It's all seems so easy when Bond puts it out there - go nuclear and just ignore long-term problems with safety and increasing piles of radioactive waste. In a similar fashion, pretend that you don't know that solar power, for example, contrary to the assertions of our Republican friends, is proving so viable that France plans to build solar plants in every region and that even China recently jummped on the bandwagon.
If you listen to Mr. Bond, you would think that cap-and-trade is intended to happen in a policy vacuum. Bond is getting really good at banging that one-note drum to rally the forces against clean energy. Too bad, as Media Matters demonstrates, he isn't as good at facts.
Do contact these and other Missouri congress members and make sure they have their facts straight, but don't expect Akin and Bond to change their tune. Inconvenient facts only disrupt the harmonies that both these sons of Missouri like so much. No matter what arguments you raise, rest assured that Akin knows no other tune than his signature "Big-Government Rag," while Blunt will continue to croon the "No-Cap-and-Trade Blues" no matter how often you show him he is wrong. |
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