Tag: John Boehner

And this isn't the only example of people that we need to be paying attention to.

In Mid-December, Senator Carl Levin posted a position piece supporting further battery technology spending by taxpayers in Michigan.  He states:

That's why an announcement in November by the Department of Energy was so important to Michigan. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, a consortium of government, university and private-sector research labs aimed at revolutionizing battery technology.

Fittingly, Michigan is playing a key role in the effort. The consortium, headquartered at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, will include research hubs at Johnson Controls in Holland, and on the University of Michigan campus. Dow Chemical in Midland is also a key corporate partner.

The JCESR is nothing short of a Manhattan Project-styled effort to blow through the technical and economic limitations imposed by existing battery technology. Despite enormous progress that has allowed impressive accomplishments in hybrid vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt, today's batteries are still bigger, heavier, more expensive and lower capacity than we'd like. With technical improvements, we can bring down costs, reduce our dependence on imported oil and protect our environment.

The answer to this challenge is an effort that, as my colleague Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois put it, "brings together, under a single organizational roof, the world's leading scientists, engineers and manufacturers in energy storage and provides them with the tools, resources and market reach necessary to produce major breakthroughs."

Between the sale of battery technology to China, and a dismal failure of LG Chem to realize the investment made:

"But now you're getting it. Reporters who visited the Michigan factory of the South Korean company LG Chem, which got $151 million in stimulus money to manufacture lithium-ion batteries, discovered workers sitting around playing Monopoly and poker. The employees said it wasn't their fault: "What do you do when there's no work?"  "

As far as going all-in with these schemes, one might better be served with the proverbial 'fool me once .." advice.  Frankly, Senator Levin should take the advice given to Harry Reid by the weeper last night.  

This is the new face of fiscal and political practicality.

Now, even the impractical among us knew that the Boehner bill, as written, was as dead on arrival as the dermis underneath a Nancy Pelosi botoxic expression. We'll just have to wait and see what the mouldering Harry Reid can do to the bill before he sends it back to Boehner.

Wherever this leads, many of us in the tea party are being considered "impractical" or "hobbits" by the establishment GOP because we are not falling in line behind our christened party leaders in their Orwellian attempts to rein in spending.

But, from an equally practical standpoint, what evidence do we hobbits have from these GOP leaders that they have any intention of cutting overall spending when, according to the lexicon they employ, a $1 trillion cut in spending in reality is an $8 trillion increase in spending over ten years?

Fred Upton got the post he wanted in the House, as Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  Boehner gave him the job over massive objections from conservatives.  Perhaps if Upton cries, he will convince some of them that he's going to be a real stalwart.

JGillman of RightMichigan voices the concern that so many are thinking.  Now that Upton got the post over all the objections, will he do what needs doing?

Judging from some of  his responses to criticism, I'd say that's a definite no.

Uh oh.

Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, is insisting he is worthy to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and has written an Op Ed in the Washington Examiner titled, "Rep. Fred Upton: A new majority for America."  In it, he describes what he will do if in fact he is chosen as chair, and reiterates his manly chainsaw approach to the budget, and unfortunately, uses the words, "shine the spotlight" on the Obama-Pelosi regulatory policies.