Finding Ulysses

On Sunday, I wrote about the astounding lack of sense in the justifications by our U.S. Representative, Michael Arcuri, for his vote on Friday against the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Arcuri had attempted to cast his vote as a defense of the Upstate New York economy, though the average American household expense resulting from the legislation would be just 48 cents per day, according to the Congressional Budget office.

Upon reading an analysis of the cost of the legislation by political site FiveThirtyEight, I find out this morning that Arcuri’s statements were even more off base. It seems that the average household expense from the legislation in New York State would be much lower than the national average: 19 cents a day – an amount easily offset by replacing an inefficient lightbulb. New York’s expense would be the second lowest in the United States, behind only Florida.

If New York’s energy expenses would be increased at a lower rate than any other state than Florida, wouldn’t that make our state more attractive to businesses and individuals looking to relocate? Once again, Mike Arcuri doesn’t seem to have been able to think things through. He’s thrown away for both environmental and economic improvement for our region.