Cap & Trade Bill Ushers in Federal Takeover of Energy Sector

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President Barack Obama scored a big political victory recently when the U.S. House of Representatives passed its climate change bill. Cap and trade, as it's commonly known, passed with by just seven votes and now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. The John Locke Foundation's Vice President for Research, Roy Cordato, explains that cap and trade - a system to cap the level of CO2 emissions emitted into the atmosphere - amounts to a government takeover of the energy sector in the U.S. That, he says, has huge, negative implications for American families who will see higher energy prices and fewer job opportunities as a result. Ultimately, Cordato explains, cap and trade legislation, if signed into law, will result in the stifling of economic growth and prosperity. From energy we turn to property rights in North Carolina. Some state lawmakers have pushed a bill that would provide holders of conservation easements with new protections against the government's eminent domain power. Rep. Ruth Samuelson, R-Mecklenburg, explained the bill's purpose during a recent hearing. You'll hear highlights from her explanation, along with support from Rep. Phil Haire, D-Jackson, and a response from bill critic Rep. Ric Killian, R-Mecklenburg. Next, we look at an education debate that has been simmering for some time. Lawmakers shot down this year a proposal to create a new $6,000 annual tax credit for parents of children with special education needs. Rep. Laura Wiley, R-Guilford, touted the tax credit and its benefits, but representatives of the public school establishment objected. You'll hear criticism from Mary Watson of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and Rep. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth. Legislators missed a valuable opportunity when they rejected the special-needs tax credit. That's the assessment of John Locke Foundation education policy analyst Terry Stoops. Stoops discusses the valuable role the new credits could have played in improving educational options for parents and kids. And finally, the John Locke Foundation's Michael Sanera reacts to this summer's opening of Orange County's $4 million publicly funded soccer complex. The county's parks and recreation director has acknowledged the facility will most likely never even break even, which was a key criticism of those who opposed taxpayer funding for the complex in the first place. Sanera explains that Orange County is by no means alone in funding entertainment and athletic complexes which compete with private operations. A number of North Carolina local governments operate golf courses, for example. Sanera, who is director of research and local government analyst, describes several examples of this kind of activity across the state.