Henry Paulson's Newest Assault on America--The Global Carbon Tax

Former Treasury-Secretary Hank Paulson is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with America.  In 2006 he moved from his cushy Wall Street job at Goldman Sachs to his position as Treasury Secretary under George W. Bush and wondered aloud whether he could "make a difference."  Two years later, he presided over probably the most blatant example of crony capitalism in the history of our nation as he persuaded Congress to give billions in TARP funds to bail out Wall Street firms that had bet wrong in the financial sector.  The anger and frustration over the images of spoiled billionaires using the U.S. Treasury as their personal piggy banks was a huge part of the reason for Barack Obama's victory over John McCain in 2008.  Americans hoped that they had seen the last of the big government/big business partnership.  They were wrong.

Now Paulson is back with a new idea to annihilate the U.S. economy--a global carbon tax.  This is an old idea--it was part of the failed climate change bill that mercifully died in 2010 when conservative activists started the Tea Parties and ended the Pelosi Reign of Terror as Speaker of the House.  But Paulson is undeterred.  Under the guise of saving the planet, Paulson wants to tax us back into the Stone Ages, effectively completing his apparent mission as Secretary of the Treasury--to destroy the middle class and create a gulf so wide between the rich and poor that no one can cross it.

Paulson's latest scheme was outlined in an article he wrote Sunday for The New York Times.  He, along with Michael Bloomberg, the enemy of all freedom, and Tom Steyer, a liberal billionaire who has dedicated his time to lobbying against the Keystone Pipeline, are releasing their Risky Business Campaign  next Tuesday detailing ways that businesses can fight global warming and promoting the tax.

Al Gore proved that there are billions to be made in the "climate change" arena.  What many Americans have forgotten is that the Chicago Climate Exchange was ready to sell credits as part of the "cap and trade" piece of the 2010 Climate Change bill before public anger leading to the 2010 elections destroyed any hope for passage.  Now, apparently, Paulson and his buddies, emboldened by the Obama Administration's dedication to implementation of job-killing and economy-killing measures believe that they have a shot at passage of a tax that will allow them to exponentially grow their own personal fortunes on the backs of American taxpayers.  Sound familiar?

What is oddly ironic about this whole situation is that anyone, anywhere, would believe that Paulson would be the right spokesperson for anything.  His chief accomplishment in public life is presiding over the greatest economic crash since the 1920's--a fact that hardly inspires public trust.  And yet, Paulson points to his time as Treasury Secretary as his primary qualification for his new mission.  In his NY Times article, entitled, Lessons for Climate Change in the 2008 Recession, Paulson writes, "I was secretary of the Treasury when the credit bubble burst, so I think it’s fair to say that I know a little bit about risk, assessing outcomes and problem-solving."  Right on, Hank--we saw how you solved the problems in 2008 by playing a substantial role in crashing the U.S. economy.  Really, I think you've done enough.

The arrogance of leftist elites is matched only by their unbridled contempt for everyone who is not them.  But even Bloomberg and Co. should know that Hank Paulson's name is MUD with most Americans.  Whatever he's selling this time, we don't want any.

Alexandra Swann is the author of No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned me a Master's Degree at Age Sixteen and several other books. Her novel, The Planner, about an out of control, environmentally-driven federal government implementing Agenda 21, is available on Kindle and in paperback. For more information, visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net.