Quote from: topside on June 02, 2017, 11:28:32 AM
I've been listening to a few discussions on this topic in the news and realized that I'm more confused than I thought. School me here ... I must be missing something.

So the President has decided to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord. But POTUS's job is executive - enforce the laws. What does non-participation in PCA have to do with his role in government?

I also heard that we have no real obligation to PCA. So being in and not doing anything would have been just as effective it seems.

Also that it will take three years to get out of the agreement ... so it will take three years to get out of an agreement for which we have no obligations?

I also heard that we were on track to ship some part of $100B (that's BILLION!!!) off somewhere ... which sounds like an obligation or at least a choice someone was making inline with an obligation of some sort. That would be funds allocated in the congressional budget. The president doesn't participate on decisions about who to write hundred-billion dollar checks to in his executive role unless a law is being broken.

A related aside: We saw that BO, under the CR's, amassed huge debt (essentially doubled it). But BO wasn't writing the checks ... how was he authorized to spend so much money? It's probably the same mechanism that would be used if we participated in PCA. Is it that Congress approves a CR then POTUS can direct funds to be paid by the GAO? What changes if there is an approved congressional budget?

So, while it felt very good for President Trump to recognize that IF this were an obligation for the US, it was a bad one and for him to act like he is choosing to get us out of a bad deal. But if it wasn't a real obligation anyway, what did Trump really do? And if it is an obligation, he doesn't have the power to change the obligation.

Help! I must not understand what really happened ... or, worse, maybe I do ... and what really happened was nothing. Although the libs sure act like something changed.

Maybe it's just that Trump went on record and is choosing not to promote congress to act in alignment with the PCA so there won't be any funds in the budget allocated to this. That would get the global alarmists temperatures rising.  But, in the end, it's about where funds are spent or not spent ... follow the money.

There was a lot of "voluntary" BS in the agreement, but the USA was still on the hook for $100B. Trump could do thid because Obama would not send it to the senate for ratification. Trump saw it for what it was. It was nothing more than a scheme to redistribute wealth from the US to the rest of the world.

Fellow Conservative:

President Trump has announced that he will take steps to withdraw
the United States from the Paris climate agreement.

This is great news.

The president's decision sends a clear message that the
environmental extremists around the globe will not dictate our
economic policies.

Please thank President Trump for keeping his campaign promise to
protect America's energy independence.

Send him a personal email to express your support.

President Obama sought to force this job-killing international
climate treaty on the American people without the consent of the
Senate.

The climate accord is estimated to cost our economy trillions of
dollars and eliminate millions of American jobs. It also will
force American taxpayers to pay $3 billion to the U.N. Green
Climate Fund.

This is a very bad deal.

During the campaign, Donald Trump said, "We're going to cancel
the Paris Climate Agreement and stop all payments of U.S. tax
dollars to U.N. global warming programs."

Now, he has delivered on this promise.

Click here to thank the president for this decision.

While establishment Republicans like Mitt Romney have criticized
this decision, this climate agreement is a raw deal for
Americans.

Thank you for standing strong for freedom and for being part of
our team to promote conservative policies.

Sincerely,

Ken Cuccinelli II
President, Senate Conservatives Action
Former Attorney General of Virginia

Title of the thread should be "Trump Forces World Off of Americas Teet"...

Quote from: The Boo Man... on June 01, 2017, 09:03:05 PM
I think you've hit on something. The DNC was infected with a disease and the disease is Barry.

What should we call it?

Pelosi-Barritus.   Causes softening of the spinal column, the first sign is frequently bending over.   Later stages affect the memory, unable to recall Trump is president, not Bush.  Final stage is passing legislation at any cost, without reading it (we have to pass it, to find out what's in it).

Quote from: topside on June 02, 2017, 04:01:52 AM
It was VERY important to see Trump follow through on this in the winds that were against him - dims, MSM, some RINOs, his kids, and several major companies. Adding these companies to the list, he weakened his support even further and they have some power to turn votes against him in their distributions of power. So Trump did what we know a real Conservative has to do in these times - go against the winds of the lib culture despite lib voter impact. That's something true politicians have been unwilling to do for years and exactly what we need ... someone to make the hard choices that fixes things and not waffle in inaction. 

The funny thing is he threw the libs a bone ... that he'd be willing to consider re-entry in a similar agreement if the libs bring back a better deal than PCA. It sounds weak, but was genius. It makes them work to get the better deal instead of him.

I wish there was a way we could let him know how supportive the Conservatives are and why. I also wish he consider use of a similar tactic with other areas. For example, health care: just get the Pubs to appeal the law and put it back in the hands of the private sector and consider re-entry if the Dims / Rino's can come up with a better health care bill. It gets rid of BO-care, which is broken, and gets HC right-side up again. Then the Dims can own working for a new bill. He should be able to get the Pubs behind it using the promise that they can put in another form of HC after they rescue the US from BO-care.

He could just keep pounding on appeal as BO-care continues to disentigrate - until the people and the Pubs (and maybe even a few Dims) have no choice but to appeal. He could ask the private sector to write their approach and influence their practices. But others besides the White House would own the work of finding something better than free market after the appeal ... the libs could go on a snipe hunt the libs can go on if they like because they aren't going to find a govt. HC system that outperforms a truly free HC market.

This moved a little off-point ... but the message is that the tactic used with the PCA was excellent and can be applied to other areas. Trump always talks like he has a backbone and he demonstrated that he truly can stand tall and move in the right direction despite political winds. Nice work President Trump!

What?  He gains votes by doing this.  This is a popular move.  He doesn't lose votes over this.