John Block Reports from Washington

Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary—

The Congress can’t seem to get anything done. Health care legislation has sparked a battle royal. I think we will probably get a bill, but we may not like it very much. It is going to be very expensive unless the Congress and President have the courage to just say – No. Don’t hold your breath.

Climate change or cap and trade legislation, however you want to call it, appears to be frozen in place. It passed the House and some Members there that voted for it wish they hadn’t. The President promoted the legislation at the meeting of world leaders last week. Do we really think China and India are going to put any kind of meaningful lid on green house gasses? Of course not. So if you end up with the United States trying to fix the world climate, you get nothing done. Even Al Gore’s experts acknowledge that the U.S. alone could only lower the temperature a fraction of one degree.

If the U.S. and perhaps Europe both bought into cap and trade, are we so naive to think other countries wouldn’t be quick to take advantage of us. Our companies would just move their factories to some country that is not squeezed by a carbon tax. In closing on this subject, I must say that I believe “global warming, man made climate change” is nonsense.

Back to the business of Congress – they don’t even have the appropriation bills passed for the different Departments. Of course, that’s nothing new.

President Obama spent all of last weekend on television pitching his policies. Now he’s going to fly to Denmark to promote Chicago for the 2016 Olympics. Maybe I’m missing something but it seems to me if you’re running a company, you need to run it. It is the same thing if you are running a country. Your cheerleading days are over. It’s time to go to work.

And finally – what’s with all of these “czars” – climate czar, energy czar, environmental czar, green czar. I’m sure Secretary Vilsack is happy that they don’t have an ag czar. How do you think the Obama Cabinet Members feel to see a czar standing between them and the President. And they thought they were working for the President.

So, now you have heard a few of my frustrations. They always say democracy is a messy business, like making sausage.

Until next week, I am John Block from Washington, D.C.