Read Senator McConnell's July 19, 2010 Op-Ed in the Lexington Herald-Leader:
Obama using oil spill to impose an energy tax
To help me best represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate, I
reach out to people across the state to learn what they're thinking. The more
Kentuckians I can talk to, the better.
But if you asked which Kentuckians I value hearing from more
than any other, the answer might surprise you: It's the Herald-Leader's
editorial board. Whenever this paper tries to take me to task in print, I know
I am on the right track. The editorials swim upstream against the tide of
Kentucky opinion more than any others.
The July 7 editorial hits precisely the wrong note once
again. The tragedy of the gulf oil spill demands that our government's top
priority must be stopping the leak and cleaning up the damage it has caused.
(Read more...)
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The flight from Kentucky to Washington, D.C., is less than two hours
long. But the distance between the two places is vast. While Kentuckians
are working harder than ever to provide for themselves and their
families, the crowd in Washington is working to control even more of the
big decisions in our lives.
The latest example is that liberal
Democrats in Washington are pushing for a job-killing national energy
tax. Most Americans know that a national energy tax – sometimes called
“cap and trade,” but more properly dubbed “cap and tax” – will hit them
every time they fill up their car or flip a switch to turn on a light
bulb. And because Kentucky is rich in coal and other natural resources,
most Kentuckians understand that a national energy tax will hit our
state much worse than most.
But you don’t have to take my word
for it. Take it from Kentuckians in every corner of the state, urban and
rural, Republican and Democrat, those directly impacted and those who
would feel it indirectly as well: A national energy tax would hurt their
livelihoods, their businesses and their families.
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I’ve heard from farmers across the state who fear what a new
national energy tax will do to their livelihoods. It will raise prices for
fertilizer and fuel — essential tools farmers need.
To remain competitive in a global marketplace, most farmers are at
the mercy of that market when it comes to selling their goods. So they
won’t be able to raise prices to make up for a new tax. In this current
recession, many farms that already have narrow profit margins will see
that margin get narrower still or disappear all together. That won’t
allow for job growth.