Came across and interesting new item today.
A little background: Washington State has a revenue shortfall (of course, because the economy is down and Democrats in the Legislature engaged in unsustainable spending sprees when the economy was good). So they are wanting to raise taxes (the same said Democrats) to close the budget gap. One tax they are looking to increase is on petroleum products and the money would go to help clean up storm water and Puget Sound. Anyway, someone wants to exclude Alaska Airlines (Headquartered in the state) from the tax.
And an environmental lobbyist said:
"When you get right down to it, even with all these exemptions, this bill will create a sustainable revenue source to deal with the state's number one water-pollution problem and create jobs."
And I went "what?!?!?!" A tax will create jobs? Then it hit me, this is how the green meanies have been selling their programs for the past few years: massive regulations to control CO2: it'll create jobs! Renewable energy requirements: it'll create jobs! Taxes to fund cleaning up pollution: it'll create jobs!
I don't know if environmentalist believe their own propaganda about jobs. But I bet it was a conscience decision to claim their programs will create jobs (when they won't) because they knew they were losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the American people and with the Great Recession, people weren't going to want job-killing taxes and regulations. So the environmentalists decided taxes and regulations will create jobs.
But they won't.
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