Home renovation, courtesy of the Federal Government

By Lisa Farrar Wellman

Obviously cap and trade is horrendous and that they’re even considering it is a true testament to how awful our Congressional leaders are. I think, though, that cap and trade is so horrible in so many ways that it’s overwhelming to think of it all. Today I’d just like to focus on one aspect of this bill that will really transform the way you view your home. Property rights are about to get a kick in the pants.

Home ownership is a good thing, right? You can paint your house orange if you get the notion. You can listen to Bon Jovi really loudly or you can grow corn in your backyard. It’s your house, your property, your piece of the good Earth. I hate to be the one to break it to you but liberals don’t see it that way.

Section 304 of the Waxman-Markey bill basically says that your house must meet green standards you’ve never even heard of before. California has wild standards for its housing and even though these standards are part of the reason California is now handing out IOUs like toilet paper, liberals want us all to be Californians. The liberals want environmentally friendly houses all over our country and they want them badly. So badly that their new requirements go into effect the day the bill is signed into law. New construction must be 30% more efficient than current housing codes on the very first day. What about existing homes? Well, your houses (and businesses) aren’t safe from this idiocy, either.

First, all buildings must display a label declaring their level of greenness. Secondly, inspectors can come into your home for any of the following reasons: you want to renovate your home, you want to sell your home or you want to change the addressee on your utility bill. I’m not kidding. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. And if you think your state can fight back, think again. The feds will withhold funding from your state according to the percentage of buildings in non-compliance with this new, fantastic, green law. Your state won’t let you get away with being below standards. They want the federal government’s cash and you are their ticket to it.

Another grim thought is that the government loves codes and rules. It thrives on making life harder than it has to be for everyone. Once you’ve brought your house up to all the requirements today…what about tomorrow? Do you think it will ever be good enough? I guarantee the bureaucrats will come up with new hoops to jump through in the name of our planet. Also, the libs are all a flutter about grants and loans to help with retrofitting your house. Yep, they’ll help you but only up to 50% of the cost and how competitive do you think those grants are going to be? And, on principle, why should we be competing for government money for government-required changes to our own homes? This is insane!

I should point out that I’m actually a pretty environmentally-savvy person. I recycle. I use reusable cloth bags at the grocery store. We dine with cloth napkins as opposed to paper. I buy gently-used clothing for my daughter to wear when she plays. We’re careful about using electricity and gas. Our two-year old knows to turn of the faucet’s flow when she’s scrubbing her hands or brushing her teeth.

You can care about our Earth without worshipping it. Helping the environment does not require sacrificing our nation’s economy and future. Being green should be a choice. It should not be foisted on citizens by a threatening, strong-arm law that not only does squat for the planet (absolutely nothing about this bill will positively affect our world) but also completely destroys any hope of national economic recovery. And did I mention how wretched it is for property owners?

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