Economic Truth

Cap and Trade Expands Spending on Government Health Care

August 13, 2009

With the current debate over national health care, it might be interesting to note that the proposed Cap and Trade bill expands government involvement in our health care system. It also spends a lot of your hard earned money on international health care. I would think that we have enough trouble trying to figure out how to pay for our own health care. Not according to the Cap and Trade Bill.

Read this section:

SEC. 463. NATIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

REQUIREMENT.—
IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services, within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, on the basis of the best available science, and in consultation pursuant to paragraph (2), shall publish a strategic action plan to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change on public health in the United States and other nations, particularly developing nations.

Notice the term, “other nations, particularly developing nations”. What do you suppose that means? Well, it means that nations, such as those in Africa, that are still “developing”, will get health care assistance from us to battle the horrors of global warming. You are meant to believe that foreign nations need our help because global warming is destroying them so fast, they can’t keep up.

So what does the government want to study and cover? Let’s take a look. Still in section 463:

(i) water, food, and vector borne infectious diseases and climate change;
(ii) pulmonary effects, including responses to aeroallergens;
(iii) cardiovascular effects, including impacts of temperature extremes;
(iv) air pollution health effects, including heightened sensitivity to air pollution;
(v) hazardous algal blooms;
(vi) mental and behavioral health impacts of climate change;
(vii) the health of refugees, displaced persons, and vulnerable communities;
(viii) the implications for communities vulnerable to health effects of climate
change, as well as strategies for responding to climate change within these communities; and
(ix) local and community-based health interventions for climate-related health impacts;

Re-read those lines if you need to. We’re talking about “mental and behavioral health impacts of climate change”. That means that on a global scale, we will start seeing new mental health diseases as a result of global warming. I can imagine new syndromes like CCSD (climate change stress disorder). If diagnosed with CCSD, you are now eligible for disability payments from the government. You may never have to work again because you freak out over your carbon footprint driving to work. Don’t kid yourself, it’s possible if not likely.

If you don’t live in this country, you’ll still get our help (money), because this is an international/global problem.

Did you catch the line about “the health of refugees”? Imagine this for a moment. You’re watching the news and up pops a story about people in some poor African country fleeing their land because they’re starving. Of course, global warming is at the root of their issues, because they can no longer grow the crops needed to live. The reporter will ignore the fact that they’ve been poor and starving for decades, and global warming will be blamed. I’m sure you can remember similar stories already. Now the Obama administration, having already admitted to the world that the United States is responsible for the world's global warming problem, will step in to take care of their health needs based on this particular section of the bill. That means spending money, and lots of it. Pure and simple. Food, clothing, housing, vaccinations, and HIV treatment--the list can go on forever.

How about the term “vulnerable communities”? Think hurricane Katrina. Many far left environmentalists (and Al Gore) blamed that hurricane on global warming. Imagine the money that we would have spent, and still be spending, if this bill was in place. Think about it. A person’s home could be directly related to a person’s health. If you don’t have a home, you’re living on the street, right? Well that’s not good for anybody's health. Therefore, if a hurricane, whose very existence was caused by global warming, destroys homes, communities, and cities, we need to rebuild those very homes, communities, and cities from the ground up.

So where else can we waste money under the guise of global warming health care? Let’s keep reading. Same section 463:

developing academic and regional centers of excellence devoted to—
(i) researching relationships between climate change and health;
(ii) expanding and training the public health workforce to strengthen the capacity of such workforce to respond to and pre pare for the health effects of climate change;
(iii) creating and supporting academic fellowships focusing on the health effects of climate change; and
(iv) training senior health ministry officials from developing nations to strengthen the capacity of such nations to—
(I) prepare for and respond to the health effects of climate change; and
(II) build an international network of public health professionals with the necessary climate change knowledge base;

Again, notice the terms “international” and “developing nations”? The idea here is to funnel boatloads of money to universities and “regional centers of excellence” (whatever those are) to research, train, and support others (whoever they are). Sounds like another money pit to me.

So where does all this money come from? Well let’s take a look.

SEC. 467. CLIMATE CHANGE HEALTH PROTECTION AND PROMOTION FUND.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—Subject to subtitle F of title IV, there is hereby established in the Treasury
a separate account that shall be known as the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Fund.

Okay, so a fund is established in the Treasury Department to spread around your money as the government see fit. The amount of money in this fund and the source of the money to put into the fund are as yet undetermined. Sound like a bottomless slush fund to you? It does to me.

I can’t even begin to imagine the billions of dollars that could be thrown around the world based only on the language in these sections of the bill. This is just another example of bad ideology getting in the way of good policy. With no dollar limits to the government's investment of funds to address issues discussed in these sections of the bill, let alone in the rest of it, you cannot believe the cost figures cited by any politician with regard to what the final cost of this bill will be.

Based on even a coursory analysis of these few sections of the bill, it is clear that any legislation with global warming as its foundation must be defeated.

From the Cegielski compound, two hours north of the People's Republic of Madison, we’ll speak again.

Cegielski's Comments Archives

What Does Low Income Housing Have To Do With Cap and Trade? (July 27, 2009)

The Fiction of Cap and Trade (July 20, 2009)

Cap and Trade Explained (July 13, 2009)

Mark Cegielski is a lifelong resident of Central Wisconsin. He graduated form Mosinee High School in 1979. Mark served in the Army Reserves from 1980 to 1985.

Mark is a husband, father and grandfather. Mark is currently a small business owner in the field of organics. Prior to that, he was a manager in a large, local manufacturing facility where he was responsible for up to 350 people and multi-million dollar budgets.

After work and family time, Mark enjoys spreading wisdom and picking a little guitar.

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