Charlie and Arnold on 'The Early Show'

The climate love fest between Govs. Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger is not over.

They appeared on the CBS Early Show Monday to talk about the Serve to Preserve climate summit and other efforts to combat global warming, and Crist said Florida is prepared to join California in a lawsuit against the Bush administration's EPA to allow California to set standards for greenhouse gas emissions. Watch the video

Comments

Poor President Bush has his hands tied up in Iraq, while the Environators - Charlie and Arnold - can get in the limelight and take care of business from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

[Paul D. Harvill]

Posted by: | July 15, 2007 at 03:20 PM
.........................

Rather "going global"...

The people that should be ashamed are the so-called conservatives in FL who threw the Party in the trash by supporting Crist.

When will Crist finally switch to the Democrat party where he belongs?

He's approval ratings reflect support from Dems, liberal independents and Republicans who care more about the R behind his name than what the R should stand for.

global warming is about as fake as charlie is

[Paul D. Harvill]

global warming is about as fake as charlie is

Posted by: | July 15, 2007 at 05:33 PM
.........................

Then you need to read the scientific data and literature.......

Paul

You can read both sides. Global Warming is just liberal fear mongering. And why are you making campaign contributions with our hard earned tax dollars.

We need to explore the possibility of global warming and firm up the science behind that thwory. in fact, the scientific world is very divided on the subject. It is just the latest liberal bandwagon.

I hope someone runs against this liberal in the primary!

[Paul D. Harvill]

Global Warming is just reality, not liberal fear mongering.

Sorry, I understand that truth can hurt and shatter illusions.

Paul, I know that you are well intentioned, but are wrong on this one. What about he coming ice-age in the seventies. Oops. The earth is warming slightly but it is a part of the natural cycle. I believe in conservation. "global warming" as the alarmist scare us with is not a forgone conclusion. Many scientis disagree. But lets not let facts get in the way of the socialization of our society.

[Paul D. Harvill]

Posted by: | July 15, 2007 at 05:56 PM
.....................

Thank you for no personal attacks. That is appreciated as so many posters have little else to do at The Buzz but make personal attacks.

Now, to the issue raised: Are you saying that the overwhelming consensus of scientists in the field are thus socialists?

Global warming is a myth, believe me, I know...

Signed, President, Earth is still Flat Society

Mr. Harvill, I am not the poster you were responding to, but according to the scientific community, the avg. temperature has not increased in nearly 10 years (since 1998.) Also, the "flat earth" and "geocentric universe" were both the overwhelming concensus of the scientific communities.

Arnold and Charlie are both more interested in being fawned over by the left and the media (sorry for the redundancy) than they are in making good decisions. They can look to the McCain '08 campaign as a shining example of where that behavior will get them.

[Z]

Consensus isn't fact, Paul, and certainly is not science. Climate change is real, global warming is real, but whether this proves catastrophic and whether it is purely anthropogenic in origin is debatable.

And here is an interview w/a skeptic who is not paid by oil companies or teaching creation science:

http://dailyablution.blogs.com/the_daily_ablution/2007/03/seven_answers_f.html

[GOP Evangelical]

Paul,

My question is what about the scientific data and literature that told us we were heading for another ice age that was rampant in the 1970's?

I am not arguing that global warming is a myth. I am just confused when many climatologist argue that it may be man made and they are shouted down by members of the left. Different opinions should be allowed and be left to stand on their merits.

Wouldn't it be nice if GOP Evangelical (is there any other kind?) honored his own statement that "...different opinions should be allowed and be left to stand on their own merits..." Try to realize that there are many people who do not share your religious beliefs nor the biases and bigotries of your religious leadership.

ooooooh, little repiggies, all science experts!!! ooooooh, little repiggies, everyone else is the world can just stuff it!!! ooooooh, little repiggies, government is bad, but government perks and sweetheart deals are cool!!! ooooooh, little repiggies, advanced science degrees and study are for wimps and losers!!!
ooooooh, little repiggies!!!!

7:15 you are incorrect. I, by the way, consider myself a very conservative Republican...and I don't agree with the radical left environmentalist agenda. However, the scientific data is not disputable. The earth has been getting warmer over the last 100 years. However, the rate of increase in temperature over the last 20 years has risen dramatically. Scientist have also concluded that the rise in temperature is not the result of solar activity. Now who knows what affect human activity is having on all of this...but the fact remains that global warming IS real..which means polar ice is melting and the ocean is rising. If this continues no state will be harmed more than Florida..so shouldn't we take the threat serious? Kudos to Gov. Crist for his leadership.

8:28 is drinking again . ..

Heres the scoop the GOP is facing a HUGE defeat in 08.Crist and Arnold are just trying to stake out a moderate centrist position so their political careers dont follow Bush and the National GOP into the toilet.Crist and the Lt Gov are attorneys and have some respect for the law..Something the National party lacks.

[terminator]

What are the utilities, developers, builders, corporations and big business going to say about Charlie's global warming edicts?
Will they still continue to suck up to him even as he costs them more money by placing additonal regulatory hurdles thereby restricting Florida's expanding economy?
I suspect some of the big donors who aren't getting the paybacks they envisioned won't be so eager to donate in future elections.
Charlie owes alot of folks alot of money but it looks as if he's abandoned his Republican principles, instead sidling up with the far left, uber-Democrats (Geller, Gelber, Wexler), Ahnuld and the Hollywood glamor set.
He's definately not governing based on inner convictions or core principles but more on advancing his own agenda as it pertains to the national political scene.
This is vintage Charlie. Latch on to someone else's initiative (Schwartzeneggar) and act as if it's your own.
While many think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, I suspect a great deal of Republicans in Florida would probably be just as happy if he ended up on a winning Presidential ticket just to get him out of the Governor's mansion and out of Florida!
Charlie is cheesy. He'd make a great Dan Qualye like VP.

Actually Termie, big business has gone green. Every major corporation in America has a policy in place to be enironmentally friendly..they say there is "green in being green". This effort will ultimately be led by the business community. It will lead to new jobs and a bigger and better economy. You are so blinded by your hatred you fail to see the incredible leadership that Crist is bringing to the table...

All you lefties...just look at the practical implication of the policies you are advocating. Governor Crist, take note. Your ill-advised advocacy for your populist movement is costing Americans a fortune.

This article from the St. Pete Times...

"Ethanol use sends food prices up, up, up

The tab for the increasing use of ethanol blends is creating a ripple effect felt in the grocery checkout line.
By Mark Albright, Times Staff Writer
Published July 15, 2007

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the past few months, Alberta Gregory switched to powdered milk, clipped more coupons and tried more store brands.

"Milk seems to go up 20 cents every time I buy it, and fresh fruits are just out of sight," said the Pinellas Park retiree. "Is it my imagination or are prices for everything going up?"

She's not dreaming. For the first time since 2004, food prices are rising faster than inflation. And they are forecast to stay up the rest of this year at the fastest pace since 1990. "The difference this year is higher prices for pretty much all foods," said Ephraim Leibtag, who compiles price forecasts for the USDA Economic Research Service.

After inching up in lockstep with modest inflation at about 2.5 percent annually for a decade, prices of 100 common foods in the Consumer Price Index are forecast to rise as much as 4 percent this year and already were up 4.9 percent in May, the most recent month available. It all means the higher cost of food is starting to nibble into disposable income that's already being gnawed by higher energy and housing costs.

The culprits? The cyclical vagaries of weather on seasonal crops, the rising cost of energy to produce, package and transport food and - the new wrinkle - the tab for shifting more of America's reliance on foreign oil to ethanol blends made from corn. That's sent corn commodity prices soaring.

- - -

Corn is in just about everything. Feed is half the cost of raising a chicken, 40 percent for a steer. It's an ingredient in adhesives, shampoos and packaging. Even soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi are affected because high-fructose corn syrup is used as a sweetener.

The percentage of the corn crop headed to ethanol plants is forecast to jump to 31 percent from 14 within 10 years, according to USDA.

Ethanol production increased fivefold to 5-billion gallons in 2006. It's supposed to triple within five years as a plant-building binge continues, so it's not a matter of simply planting more corn next spring. USDA experts expect ethanol conversion backed by federal subsidies will keep corn prices high for years.

Standard crop rotation, for instance, meant farmers alternate corn with soybeans every other year. Now higher corn prices will prod farmers to grow corn two years, then soybeans once. Or maybe not at all. That increases the demand for fertilizer.

Side effects? Higher soybean prices, higher grain prices and even cotton prices as more agricultural land is converted to subsidized corn production. Over the long haul, ethanol plants are supposed to get more cellulosic biomass from switch grass, wood fibers and unused leftovers such as cornstalks. But until these crops can be harvested and processing technology developed, it's corn.

"As a result, retail prices for food will rise faster than the general inflation rate for the next several years," said Paul Westcott, a USDA economist.

Fed by speculators, corn commodity prices bounced as high as $3.75 a bushel this year, then settled back to around $3.40, well above a 25-year average of $3 and $2.50 in 2005.

Debate rages in Congress over a new farm bill. The Senate version, which mandates another 7.5-billion gallons of ethanol to provide 15-billion gallons a year by 2012, triggered a fight within agribiz.

"Our members already endured a 60 percent jump in feed corn prices and saw hay prices double in some places because of floods," said Joe Schuele, spokesman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, "We're shouldering too much of the biofuel burden."

- - -

Commodities prices, however, have not fully hit retail food prices. That's because grocers and consumer product makers are swallowing some of the higher costs while turning to efficiencies to ease in higher prices or mask them.

"Simply passing higher costs on is the last resort," said Steve Smith, vice president of merchandise for Sweetbay Supermarket in Tampa.

Some manufacturers are reformulating recipes to create more concentrated versions of foods to trim packaging costs. Dannon Yogurt, for instance, ditched plastic lids in favor of a sealed foil top and slightly shrunk container sizes.

"Everybody in the industry is talking about how much more they can get away with downsizing packaging to maintain a price," said Pat Kiernan, a food industry academic and columnist for Grocery Headquarters. "It's very subtle. They switched us from uncondensed to condensed soups that cost more ounce for ounce long ago. They even did it to the old staple, canned vegetables."

Coffee, for instance, once came in one-pound bags. Volatile bean prices taught coffee packagers to alternate between 8, 10 or 12 -ounce bags to hold a familiar price stable. Some cereal makers shrink the bag, but not the box.

When an April freeze all but wiped out the Georgia peach crop, some Publix bakeries switched to half-size tins to keep peach pie prices under $10 and in line with other pie choices.

Still recovering from hurricane tree damage from 2004 and the spread of canker disease, Florida's citrus industry changed its marketing to counter orange juice prices jumping 25 percent in a year.

"Our value message now is health and nutrition from something that tastes good," said Bob Norberg, research director for the Florida Department of Citrus.

But packaging is pricing, too. Sales of cardboard half-gallons of OJ are flat. The growth is clear, plastic carafes such as Coca-Cola's Simply Orange that hold a few ounces less.

Food industry techniques to ease in higher costs can only go so far.

"Retailers have been conservative about passing all these added costs to customers, but profit margin pressures will require they pass it on for the rest of this year," said Deborah Weinswig, who tracks retailers for Citigroup.

Foods make up 15 percent of the Consumer Price Index and consume 10 percent of household income.

But higher retail food prices won't feed an inflationary spiral, predicted Brian Bethune, U.S. economist for Global Insight.

"But this will definitely cause disruption through the rest of this year, because the consumer is already at maximum pain level," he said. "People won't cut back much on food, but they will on other things like autos and apparel."

Mark Albright can be reached at albright@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8252.

I don't think businesses are so much interested in being environmentlly friendly as they are in reducing fuel and energy costs. Corporations are going green to get the "green". (profits)

8:35, I am also 7:15 and in fact, it is not I, but you who are incorrect. The average global temperature has not increased since 1998, but has decreased by an extremely miniscule amount. In the 70's, the scientific community suggested covering the ice caps with soot to cause them to melt because they feared the coming ice age. Within ten years, they were warning of global warming. Please pardon the expression, but chill out. It's called nature and we can't controll it.

what, Shriver couldn't get her hubby and Chuck on Today? they have to get 2nd billing on CBS?

Charlie has abandoned basic Republican principles. He has pushed pro-environment measures. He has fought against big insurance interests. And he has let immigrants stay in Florida.

He is not a "true" Republican. Just another RINO.

Charlie has abandoned basic Republican principles. He has pushed pro-environment measures. He has fought against big insurance interests. And he has let immigrants stay in Florida.

He is not a "true" Republican. Just another RINO.

11:25, You are correct that Charlie has abandoned "basic Republican principles" but that has nothing to do with the issues you've stated. We aren't so much concerned with the issues he chooses to tackle as we are with the way he chooses to tackle them. It is ALWAYS more government programs, more government regulations and more government money. To put it simply, Charlie stands for more government. We stand for less.

[mike]

Does anyone in FL really want to be more like CA? Crist is an embarrasment, and his policies are going to harm the state. You're going to shell out more money for this idiocy regardless of your party affiliation, and the return will be zilch. All this BS will have absolutely no affect on the climate or the environment. The sole result will be more money out of your pocket for big daddy government to protect you from the latest crisis. Rather than debating the politics of global warming, we should be questioning the real results of this idiotic policy, and every Floridian with a brain should be ready to vote this clown out of office.

Still waiting for a global warming cult member to tell us about a single experiment that has quantified the relationship between CO2 output and temperature. That's science. The notion that man-made CO2 increases temperature is about as scientifically proven as the notion of creationism. I wonder if the left would be comfortable applying the same scientific standard to new drugs? The trial lawyers who own the left would have a field day with a drug company that said we're 90% sure our drug doesn't cause heart attacks. Yet those same people think that same standard constitutes scientific fact when it comes to the global warming hoax. Give me a break.

12:37, there you go throwing logic into the mix. Don't confuse liberals with facts, their minds are made up!

Crist is doing a Great job..it shows ..Because you out of favor righties detest a centrist ..Authoritarian rule for you..The 55% of voters that are independant or Dems need to be ignored!!THats whey it will be 10 more years before the GOP gains in the fla legislature and the US HOuse..THe average guy is getting screwed by your allies the insurance cos and big business.Get used to being ignored!!You are irrelevant!

6:59, get a spell checker and learn how to type.

Crist is a worthless, headline seeking Governor. He is more concerned with himself than what is best for the state. Do we really need more sanctions and quality control legislation in this state? We are already experiencing a slow down in our housing market, cost of living is going up, just to have our salaries stay the same. If Charlie had actually been a regular person before becoming governor (owned his own home and successful in having a long term job in the private sector) maybe he would understand what he is doing.

Good job on the losers for choosing him as the Rep candidate. Although, there wasn't much to choose from.

Can't you Gallagher people (termie?) get over ir?
Charlie won, and the people love him.
He's about the only thing that's keeping Fla. Repubs from tanking like they did everyhwhere else in the country.
What's wrong with trying to do what we can to clean up the air?
I am tremendously thankful Crist has the foresight to get involved and try to do something.
You can be like the rest of the dinosaurs and loser Repubs, but the problem is you'd take everyone else with you.

[rt]

Is anyone still deluding themselves that Chaingang Charlie isn't setting himself up for a VP nomination? As to which party's ticket he will be on remians to be seen.

[Liberty or Death]

Good grief, our Founders would be turning over in their graves listening to some of you people...

9:00am, In actuality, Jeb Bush's solid record was the only thing that kept us from tanking like the rest of the country in the last election. Charlie, on the other hand, is behaving EXACTLY as the other wishy-washy Republicans who lead us to defeat in '06. The first step in correcting a problem is recognizing the cause of the problem. Unfortunately, Charlie and the D.C. Republicans are doing exactly OPPOSITE of what it will take to bring the party out of the tank.

Mr. Harvill, don't worry about them. When someone who condones global warming (and therefore science) suffers a heart attack and gets rushed to the ER, the same principles of science they readily discredit will likely save their lives.

But hey, if you don't trust science, feel free to tell the doctor to withold your nitro and your anticoagulation/thrombolytic drugs, since scientific studies are what created them and proved they'll save your life during a heart attack. Perhaps divine intervention will reverse the damage to your heart.

The argument that global warming is a liberal agenda isolates Republicans in the U.S., because the rest of the world seems to be intelligent enough to realize that it's a priority. Science-haters may as well go on believing that the world is flat.

10:59, the fact that you repeat over and over and over that "the science is settled" on global warming does not make it so. Furthermore, beginning a study with a result you hope to find and working backward to prove it correct is not science. Furthermore, lambasting every scientist who dares to point out the flaws in your precious global warming fantasy does not make you right.

The fact that you repeat over and over "science isn't always right" doesn't make it incorrect.

If you have your young child in your vehicle, you strap them into a child seat. It's not that you don't trust your own driving, but you take precautions. Why wait until something bad happens to believe that a little prevention goes a long way?

The analogy applies to global warming. Even if the science isn't exact, better to err on the side of caution. Besides, the things we do that purportedly cause global warming have other documented deleterious effects. We should try to reform our practices if for no other reason than that and to ensure that something like global warming doesn't continue to be a possibility.

I still believe that “Global Warming” is a gay t-bagging term.

11:28, take those babies out for some air. That really cools them down.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/comment/story.html?id=597d0677-2a05-47b4-b34f-b84068db11f4&p=4

11:37,

Got a $20 on ya?

Ohhh, thank you... good night everybody, I'll be here til Thursday... don't forget to tip your waitress and try the veal!

1144-

almost a week later and it is still funny- I feel sorry for my non political friends, I am sure they are tired of my jokes...LOL

Listen to Charlie's argument about the environment. I do not believe that we have much control over global temperatures, but as Floridians, our bread and butter is Florida. If we can clean our beaches, lakes and rivers, it ensures our future prosperity. This is exactly his point, and thank god it is in that tone and not a fear mongering argument. How can you be against a clean Florida? Hell it could stand to be 10 degrees hotter in north FL in the winter time, maybe more snow birds will come in.