Hemispheric Diplomacy, Greenhouse Gases and Anti-Tax Protests
President Obama attends the Summit of the Americas with other leaders from North and South America.
The Environmental Protection Agency declares greenhouse gases to be harmful to human health.
Political observers debate the impact of the anti-tax “Tea Party” protests.
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1. TRADE
President Obama attends the Summit of the Americas with other leaders from North and South America.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on what the President left out of the discussion:
“In his post-Summit of the Americas remarks in Trinidad and Tobago, President Obama stated his administration’s commitment to improving relations with countries around the hemisphere…However, he failed to mention an immediate policy to improve both hemispheric relations and economic growth in the region: Commitment to win ratification of pending free trade agreements between the United States and other countries in the region. To date, ratification of trade agreements with Colombia and Panama — two strong U.S. allies — remains stalled on Capitol Hill.”
2. ENVIRONMENT
The Environmental Protection Agency declares greenhouse gases to be harmful to human health.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis on what’s coming next:
“Team Obama’s threat to regulate greenhouse gases via the Clean Air Act (CAA) unless Congress enacts cap-and-tax legislation is tantamount to a promise to commit political suicide. However costly cap-and-tax might be, litigation-driven CAA regulation of greenhouse gases is potentially far more damaging to the economy. Instead of being a hammer that beats opponents into submission, EPA’s forthcoming endangerment finding – the first step in regulating greenhouse gases under the CAA – should strengthen Congressional Republicans’ resolve to fight cap-and-tax. By doing so, they will ensure that Obama and his allies bear all the blame for raising consumer energy prices, destroying jobs, and de-stimulating the economy.”
3. POLITICS
Political observers debate the impact of the anti-tax “Tea Party” protests.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Special Projects Counsel Hans Bader on the odd criticisms the tea partiers received:
“Tea party protests questioned the constitutionality of some of the massive bailouts over the past year, which amount to trillions of dollars. That drew bizarre attacks from leftists, who argue that these peaceful protests will somehow lead to another terrorist incident like the Oklahoma City bombing, and that the tea party protesters, like the Founding Fathers, are just a reactionary ‘bunch of white males who didn’t want to pay their taxes.’”
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