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Obama energy secretary to Americans: Stop acting like teenagers!

By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
09/21/09 5:59 PM EDT

When Secretary of Energy Steven Chu thinks of the American people, he apparently sees a bunch of unruly teenagers who need to be told how to act.

Asked at a seminar on reconstructing America's electrical grid about the Obama administration's efforts to persuade people to conserve energy, Chu said “the American public…just like your teenage kids, aren’t acting in a way that they should act. The American public has to really understand in their core how important this issue is,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

And, notes the Journal's Ian Talley, the Obama administration is spending big to tell us what we should be doing on the energy issues:

"The administration aims to teach them—literally. The Environmental Protection Agency is focusing on real children. Partnering with the Parent Teacher Organization, the agency earlier this month launched a cross-country tour of 6,000 schools to teach students about climate change and energy efficiency.

"'We’re showing people across the country how energy efficiency can be part of what they do every day,' said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. 'Confronting climate change, saving money on our utility bills, and reducing our use of heavily-polluting energy can be as easy as making a few small changes."”

In other words, it's not going to hurt, they promise. Next thing you know, they will be saying it's going to hurt them more than it will us.

Chu and Jackson must not have heard about the Treasury Department's admission late Friday that adoption of the Obama-Waxman-Markey anti-global warming energy bill will cost as much as $300 billion annually, an amount equal to the revenue received by the federal government as a result of corporate taxes.

And an econometric analysis of the bill by the Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis found the costs would exceed $1,200 per family, according to the think tank's Ben Lieberman in his recent testimony before Congress:

What are those costs? According to the analysis we conducted at The Heritage Foundation ...the higher energy costs kick in as soon as the bill's provisions take effect in 2012. For a household of four, energy costs go up $436 that year, and they eventually reach $1,241 in 2035 and average $829 annually over that span. Electricity costs go up 90 percent by 2035, gasoline by 58 percent, and natural gas by 55 percent by 2035. The cumulative higher energy costs for a family of four by then will be nearly $20,000."

But don't worry, it's not going to hurt. You can believe it because Obama's EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, told you so. And wipe that scowl off your face, you insolent adolescent!

One more thing. Steve Everley at American Solutions for Winning the Future has a suggestion for something constructive that you can do with Chu's comments.

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Reader Comments

All comments on this page are subject to our Terms of Use and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Examiner or its staff. Comment box is limited to 250 words.

Shanghaied

Sep 21, 2009

Hubris? Found in an Obamanic Greenie? I'm Shocked,shocked to be made aware of this..

lily

Sep 21, 2009

I still wonder what happens when we convert thousands of cars to batteries charged with electricity. It may not be much of a drain individually, but collectively it could be significant. If we were considering nuclear power plants or some other way to bolster the electric grid it might be acceptable, but we aren't.

dan

Sep 21, 2009

I THINK THE TIME HAS COME FOR AMERICA TO RECLAIM OUR COUNTRY FROM THESE TYRANTS,WE STAND TO LOSE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IF WE DON,T STOP OBAMA, I SAY INVOKE THE TENTH AMENDMENT WITH EVERY STATE IN THE UNION. THIS PRESIDENT IS OUT OF CONTROL, WE AMERICANS HAVE THE RIGHT, AND DUTY TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY, THROUGH THE CONSTITUTION , WE CAN IMPOSE OUR STATES RIGHTS, AND REIGN IN THIS MONSTER OBAMA IS CREATING, IN THE WORDS OF OUR FOREFATHERS, DON,T TREAD ON ME!!!!!!!

KansasGirl

Sep 22, 2009

Lisa Jackson wants us to save money on our utility bills. Then the utilites raise the rates for lack of revenue. See how this cycle works? These people want nothing but control, period.

brewpop

Sep 22, 2009

Anytime our government inserts itself in our school systems be alert for your children's education. Let the school systems teach about global warming (if it really is) and energy efficiency, not the Feds.

alheimstead

Sep 22, 2009

This spending is out of control!! This administration comes out with something crazy everyday. It's like reading a bad comic book.

Rick Caird

Sep 22, 2009

I noticed the higher energy costs are not supposed to "kick in" until 2012. The health care bills under discussion, are not supposed to kick in until 2013 or so. I wonder what happens in 2012 that the politicians do not want to be impacted.

Rick

Starchild

Sep 22, 2009

This reminds me of P.J. O'Rourke's warning, that giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

If the Energy Secretary is so concerned about conservation, maybe he should give back some of his $152,000 a year salary so that ordinary people can afford to buy more fuel-efficient cars and long-lasting lightbulbs.

Determined

Sep 22, 2009

Here in Fla we found out the board that gives the yes or no to the power company Progress Energy was having lunch with their higher ups and she claims there was no conflict of interest but yet on our local news yesterday they are going to raise our rates must have been a hell of a lunch we looking into how we can change that board they also themselves some make $180,000.00 a year for WHAT that is rediculas I guess so they'll be able to keep up with all the energy hikes and taxes that are coming our way that don't come near to making that kind of money you could help at least three families with that kind of annual salary.We are fighting back.

torrin123

Sep 22, 2009

Behavioral scientists have a common phrase: "The mouse is never wrong, if it's acting the way you don't want it to act, YOU'RE doing something wrong."

People are acting like teenagers because our BS meter is going off. Ever told a teenager "Because I said so"? It doesn't work.

Mr. Chu needs to choose his words much more carefully. To alienate half of the country or more is a bad move for both him and his boss.

bobc

Sep 22, 2009

These environmentalists refuse to debate the topic of global warming, with the many of scientists that do not agree with man-made global warming!

It's their way or the highway...well I say let's show them the highway!

rick

Sep 22, 2009

keep in mind folks that the reason these policies(if passed) don't take effent until AFTER the next pres. election. They know what they are doing and don't want the average american to see it before then in the hopes that these nut jobs can keep control of the WH.....VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!

Stephen Sanders

Sep 22, 2009

The President keeps the White House in the tropical temp. range, Ex-VP Gore runs all over the world in his personal jet, and WE are told that WE are not willing to abide and save energy, what don't I understand here.

nickel

Sep 22, 2009

The challenge is going to be tough to dump Obama. The tax eaters are always going to vote for anyone who promises them something for nothing. With ACORN out there to gin up the false votes in the inner cities, which is what they are really doing with our tax dollars, the voting in 2010 is going to be close. If we wait till 2012 Obama will have put half the economy on the federal payroll and they will have a real stranglehold on our countries' freedom.

Forest Green

Sep 22, 2009

Mr. Tapscott, didn't your parents tell you to turn of the lights when you leave a room? I'll bet you responded, "But I'm growing the economy!" When did wasteful consumption become a point of virtue? Are we willing to reduce our energy consumption, or do we continue whining like petulant adolescents every time someone asks us to be prudent about our energy use?

gabriel

Sep 22, 2009

This guy is another symbol of the dufus Obama administration. He is a condescending liberal snob. He couldn't lead a cow to hay.

Commonsense

Sep 22, 2009

The arrogance,stupidity and corruption in and surrounding the Obammie administration seems never ending. Everyday it's something else. 2010 can't come soon enough!

Barry In Las Vegas

Sep 22, 2009

Another dictator telling us what to do. Obama and his cabinet are all about dictating policy and what we are supposed to think, not think and just agree with everything they want to do.

I hope everyone that voted for Obama and the Democrats are feeling good about what they have brought to the American people.

RIChris

Sep 22, 2009

The American people are not the children of those in the Obama administration. Those in the Obama administration are not the parents of the American people. Small wonder this administration is so weak and ineffectual.

Bryan

Sep 22, 2009

Obama is weak. Now if we can put ACORN in their respectful place. (TRASH)....the country will be a better place. FFS...Micky Mouse could do a better job than this idiot!!!

ScarletDove

Sep 22, 2009

I am a big girl and do not need the likes of this controllng admin to tell me what to do, get enough of that from MoCo Cty Council rules. The cap & trade costs will break the average american while the politicians do as they please, on our tax $. There are some strange ducks inside this admin, many of them nutjobs. I detect this condescending attitude that reeks from this White House/Admin.

illz

Sep 22, 2009

I love how these idiots say these things as the temp continues to cool and leading scientists are changing their minds again. We all should do our best to conserve energy but stop with legislation. Mr Chu isnt name calling teenage like?

Trouble

Sep 23, 2009

Gee thanks, Dr. Obvious.

"Sustainability" is whatever the market determines it to be. Nobody I know of just runs around and uses power/gas/diesel/whatever for the hell of it; we don't need these little ninnynannies forcing their opinions on us.

John Holdren and Steven "Dr. Obvious" Chu need to be Andrew Breitbart's next targets.

Forest Green

Sep 23, 2009

People consume beyond their means on a regular basis. Eventually, overconsumption comes home to roost, through a bubble bursting or some other shock.

Sep 23, 2009

RE:EPA, NEA...Time to read Betrayal by Linda Chavez

Peg C.

Sep 24, 2009

The American people are not sheep. We are naturally obstreperous and getting more so as our inalienable rights are being increasingly trampled by elite know-nothings determined to make us do what they see as right. At this point, many of us are determined to do exactly the opposite of what these lefty nanny dictators instruct. Apparently to these idiots in power, any show of independence is immature. They need to study their history before it runs over them.

This year's tea parties and town halls scared and annoyed them. Tip of the iceberg, folks, tip of the iceberg.

depaz

Sep 29, 2009

Note to Forest Green: This isn't just about "turning off the lights when you leave a room". It's about pushing forward with ideas based on ever-increasing debunked "global warming" science. We shouldn't complain, tho: while the big "O" was campaigning, he SAID our energy bills would go up by 80%. Nice that he's keeping his word on SOMETHING!!

Forest Green

Oct 6, 2009

Maybe if we used less energy, we would pay less money on our energy bills. Saving energy isn't hard, and requires very few changes on our part. All of this fulminating over higher energy bills takes me back to my childhood, as I stated. Great lesson to teach your kids. So much for personal responsibility... Far be it from me to challenge your skepticism of global warming; you clearly care more about the politics of science than the reality.

Mike Licht

Oct 25, 2009

Biggest threat to the U.S. power grid?

See:

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/terrorists-strike-u-s-infrastructure/

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Obama energy secretary to Americans: Stop acting like teenagers!

By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
09/21/09 5:59 PM EDT