The old saying "watch your wallet when Congress is in session" could be greatly amplified by talks now going on in Copenhagen.
And why is that?
Well, what's determined there could very well drive the average Midwesterner to the poor house.
And here's why.
A draft of the agreement that 192 nations at the climate conference in Copenhagen are working on says all countries together should reduce emissions by 50 percent to 95 percent by 2050. Rich countries should cut emissions by 25 percent to 40 percent by 2020. In both cases, 1990 will be used as a baseline.
Besides that, wealthier nations are expected to pony up $3.6 billion between now and 2012 to help poor countries cope with climate change.
And on top of that, China calls U.S. opposition to funding that country's efforts to reduce greenhouse gases "irresponsible". The only thing irresponsible about the way the United States treats China is that we allow that communist nation to continue to violate the human rights of its own citizens and the economic rights of American businesses by producing cheap goods with sweatshop labor.
In all reality, there is an increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That is a given. Some do question whether that could cause global warming.
The fact of the matter is, though, that any measure the U.S. signs should take our region into consideration.
One climate authority, Lester Brown, has gone so far as to suggest that the U.S. levy a 40-cent added tax on gas for 12 years, for another $4.80-per-gallon total, to help fund the country's efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Brown, incidentally, has the attention of a lot of climate change buffs worldwide.
That just might (and we emphasize might) work in a place where mass transit is available. But our mass transit system in Iowa is practically nonexistent. Have you tried to take a bus or train or subway to the airport lately?
Also, the Midwest is disproportionately dependent on electricity from coal. The Pacific Northwest has the benefit of hydropower. However, if an enhanced carbon tax is levied, we could see our electric bills rise close to 50 percent.
Rather than becoming the victim of empty-minded policy makers who can't see beyond their own yard, we need a comprehensive policy that treats everyone equally. And fining Midwesterners for having jobs in which they have to drive to work is not going to accomplish that.
Let's hope just a little bit of sanity prevails in Copenhagen.