One constituent said that your staff claimed that you had stayed up all night reading the bill and agonizing over your vote. Really Ben, 1,600 pages? Don't make this worse by lying to us.
If you had read the bill, then your vote is even worse. This is the most destructive piece of legislation to America, and to Kentucky in particular, in American history.
The bill you didn't read gives more carbon credits to the northeastern and west coast states, whose representatives wrote it, than they will need under the plan. It gives less than would be needed to the heartland and southern states.
While the New England and west coast states are more populated and pollute more, they import our energy. Since they will have more carbon credits, they can continue importing our energy at lower prices while we pay the government to keep producing.
This amounts to the effective colonization of the heartland states by the coastal urban states.
How could you do this, Ben?
'Energy permit'
This bill will not allow Americans to sell their homes until they receive an "energy permit" from the government, forcing many low and middle income homeowners to pay thousands of dollars to update their homes before they can sell. It will falsely inflate the cost of housing, empty out American bank accounts and put the American dream of homeownership out of reach for many would be first time home buyers.
How could you do this, Ben?
Worst of all, this bill sets a negative historical precedent. For the first time in history, Congress, with your help, has passed a law that hasn't yet been fully written.
There is a "place holder" in the bill that allows green special interest groups to "fill in the blank" later. Not only is this unconstitutional, but it is the very definition of tyranny. President Obama is openly hostile to the coal industry, and now has a blank check to destroy it.
How could you do this, Ben?
Even Gov. Beshear told me on my radio show last week that he "would have voted no as it is currently written." Kentuckians know how bad this is for our state. Given your record of 67 percent voting in line with Nancy Pelosi, I think it's time you take your "Blue Dog Democrat" sticker down off your Web site. You've become a solid "yes" with the west coast liberal caucus. Shame on you.
You will answer for this. On Saturday, July 4, more than 1,000 angry voters stood for two hours in the rain at the Fayette County courthouse and voted by acclimation to terminate your employment.
If you don't think 1,000 wet, cold angry taxpayers is a big deal, then think of them as the representatives of 100,000 who felt the same way but had family commitments on that day. This time, you've not only lost voters, but you have created activists. Last I checked, 100,000 votes in the 6th district could put you out of office.
You've crossed the line Ben. I wouldn't unpack the rest of those boxes; you'll most likely be retiring on Nov. 2, 2010.
Leland Conway is the executive editor and co-founder of www.conservativeedge.com and the host of the Pulse of Lexington on News Radio 630 WLAP.
