The Washington Post has reported today that Congress will vote Friday on the 1,092-page American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) to restrict carbon-dioxide emissions in order to fight global warming. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the measure, which is also known as  "cap-and-trade" legislation, would create $846 billion in higher taxes and increase federal “direct spending by about $821 billion.” In addition to the direct tax implications, the bill's extensive new “cap-and-trade” regulations could skyrocket all Americans’ utility bills and create massive job losses.

Another sweeping draconian measure from your representatives in Washington is quickly taking shape under H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act (FSEA) of 2009. Though not officially introduced until June 8, this bill seems to be the bill of choice for passage, as opposed to the eight other bills on the same subject that still sit in committees.

The term "Nanny State" refers to the increasing government intrusion in personal life decisions for the "peoples' own good." Advocates of a nanny state argue that it is the role of government to assume a parenting role for adult citizens. The very notion of a nanny state illustrates how those in power truly view us "little people": we are far too dumb to know how to manage our own lives and we need a leviathan federal bureaucracy to tell us what to eat or drink or what to abstain from. The most recent example of the nanny state in action is the legislation by Congress to expand the regulatory powers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include tobacco. President Barack Obama, himself an admitted smoker who has struggled to quit but suffers frequent relapses, has vowed to sign the legislation into law.