Last week the House of Representatives approved HR 2454, the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009,” by a vote of 219 to 212. If the Senate agrees, this proposed new law will create a huge slush fund of billions of dollars by jacking up every gas and electric bill in America. The money would then be “redistributed” to selected businesses, unions and other groups who are “friends” of Obama and the Democrats.

The House almost rejected the bill when 45 Democrats with principle voted no. The bill passed only because eight unprincipled Republican Congressmen sold out to vote yes.

Three of those “traitors within the gates” are from New Jersey – Frank LoBiondo (Salem, Cumberland, Cape May Gloucester, and Atlantic counties), Chris Smith (Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean counties), and Leonard Lance (Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties). All three were strong backers of Chris Christie for governor over Steve Lonegan during last month’s primary election.

Left-wing Democrat Henry Waxman of California introduced the bill as a 1,200-page proposed law just six weeks before it was brought to a vote. Hundreds of pages with special “earmarks” were later added to buy enough congressmen to win passage. One amendment of more than 300 pages was added at 3 a.m. the morning of the vote. Nobody knows exactly what is in it.

Supporters say these new taxes are needed to stop global warming. Ridiculous! The Earth has been warming, and cooling, for billions of years – long before we humans arrived. The sand on our New Jersey beaches was created when giant ice sheets ground up rocks from the Catskills and Poconos, and then melted during the global warming that began 12,000 years ago. Most real scientists who weren’t bought off with big government grants and contracts agree that storms on the surface of the sun (sunspots) cause climate change. We humans, including Noah, adapted to several global ice ages and global warmings with rising sea levels. Unlike woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers, we can do it again.

But HR 2454 is not about science. It is about power, money and control. It would allow Obama and Congress to raise our taxes and pay off friends whenever they want, without getting voted out of office. H.R. 2454 will let unelected boards and commissions do their dirty work – just like in New Jersey.

To see how this works, dig out your old electric bills. Until the 1990s, when Governor Christie Todd Whitman and Republican majorities in the State Senate and Assembly brought their own version of HR 2454 to New Jersey, your electric bill only charged a fair price for the electricity you used.

Now our state Board of Public Utilities gives us 11 separate charges every month. Seven of them are hidden taxes that have nothing to do with the electricity you use. You are billed for “basic generation” and “transmission service” charges to generate the electricity and bring it to your neighborhood. You are also billed for “customer” and “distribution” charges to bring the electricity into your house.

The other seven charges are hidden government taxes that reward politicians and their friends. The “market transition” and “transition bond” make sure electric and gas companies make big profits on bad investments that lose money. Often, these bad, money-losing investments were only done to please politicians in the first place.

The “societal benefits charge” guarantees big profits to people who build solar panels and windmills, even though those devices are so inefficient, the token amounts of electricity they produce don’t even come close to covering the cost of making and installing them. It also gives free service to people (including illegal immigrants) who usually vote Democrat. The gas company does the same thing, but does not itemize this charge on your bill.

The societal benefits charge also pays for slick ad campaigns on TV, radio, and in our public schools – brainwashing us and our kids as to how great these programs are – and buying “friends” in the media.

The societal benefits charge alone went up almost 10 percent this year. But nobody noticed, and Republicans (other than Steve Lonegan) did nothing to make it an election issue.

Each of the five BPU members gets salary of $130,000 per year, generous pensions and health benefits, and free cars with free gas, insurance, and EZ Pass. Former Republican State Sen. Nick Asselta was appointed to the BPU after voting for key Democratic tax and spending hikes throughout his career.

With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?

For more information visit www.libertyandprosperity.org or contact Somers Point attorney Seth Grossman at grossman@snip.net or (609) 927-7333. Starting July 11, Grossman’s talk radio program will be heard 8 to 9 a.m. Saturdays on 92.1 FM. No breakfast discussion Saturday, July 4. He and members of Liberty and Prosperity will march in Galloway parade at Smithville instead.

And this doesn’t even take into account how much cash AlGore will be awash in if this bill actually becomes law.

All the more reason to keep the heat on so this doesn’t pass the Senate.