St. Louis baker protests climate-change bill
The scrolling sign at McArthur’s Bakery in St. Louis County usually advertises something sweet, but one recent message was downright bitter. According to Fox News, the sign read:
“Russ Carnahan voted to … close us and other … small business.”
The reference is to Rep. Carnahan’s vote in favor of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, which bakery vice president David McArthur clearly doesn’t like:
McArthur told FOXNews.com that every aspect of his business relies on the forms of energy targeted by the American Clean Energy and Security Act, and that his congressman, Carnahan, was supporting “a direct tax increase on small business” by voting for it.
“We make (our product) with electricity, we bake it with gas, we refrigerate and freeze it with electricity and we distribute it with gas and oil,” said McArthur, who said he worries that high prices could cost his company up to $15,000 a year in an industry with a very tight margin for profit.
Don’t look for the political message today; McArthur took it down after being contacted by Carnahan’s office. But he says that, during a severe recession, the threat to the bakery’s existence is real. Here’s the quote that’s especially unsettling for any St. Louisan with a sweet tooth:
We have not had the ability to make money for the last three years. Another year and a 50-year icon in St. Louis is gone.
(6 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
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David Nicklaus has covered St. Louis business for more than 25 years. His column appears three days a week on the Post-Dispatch business page. 
Shame on you mean-spirited Democrats for not caring about this man losing his and others’ livelihoods. Apparently you won’t be happy until the government is the only employer left in the U.S. Small businesses are the soul of our country and just about the only ones not getting subsidies and bailouts left. Gone will be your corner groceries, coffee hauses, and restaurants as well as bakeries and bread shops. Will you be happy then?
And I thought Democrats were so “compassionate.” Well, apparently not. This isn’t just about his utility costs, but also about the costs of his ingredients which will also increase.
NOTE TO CLAIRE: The majority of people in the great state of Missouri voted for John McCain last November and not Mr. Obama. Are you going to remember that when it’s your turn to vote for the crap and treason bill that Missourians are your constituents and not Mr. Obama and the DNC?
Wake up St. Louis and start thinking of our children’s future rather then back pedaling and supporting tired, old, non-sustainable industries that feel they are entitled to their dirty, cheap, brown fossil fuel energy production. We are living in a generation of selfishness and continued greed, where we are crushing the future of our children and the world they will live in. This ecosystem is being disrupted by the direction this generation has chosen of disrespect and trashing of our Environment. Ameren can play commercials all day long about your energy bills cheaper then California, but guess what, we are the worst polluters of CO2 (COAL) in the entire US and that my friends is not sustainable. Mr. McArthur, bless you for trying to make a cheaper donut and making a profit, but how about starting to think beyond a Corporate Profit and start thinking about shifting your tired business model to one of contributing back to the community and thinking ahead to a better tomorrow for our children? Maybe paying the equivilent of a Postage Stamp a day in increased utility costs to have more Clean Power in our energy mix is not a bad thing and may in face put us on a path to a cleaner planet for our children. The Waxman-Markey Bill is our best hope to correct our current broken path before its too late and I salute Russ Carnahan for his strong stance and leadership on supporting this Bill and the future of our planet. St. Louis needs to wake up and move beyond the entitlement of burning dirty Coal to produce a cheaper donut.
ThinkForward…do you really think cap and trade is about cleaning up the environment? Sure…the concept flows from the “green” movement but they sure look Red to me. This is about money. Huge inflows of dollars into the govt coffers. Anyone who thinks this money will be used to fund alternative energy research is very naiive. Maybe a token amount will be directed there but if you want to see what will really happen to the money then take a look at social security. The greedy politicians will take it to use in any fashion that they feel will get them reelected. Sad thing about it is…it really wont do diddly squat to lower global co2 levels. What it will do is take money from our hands and send jobs to India and China. You say…” the cost of a stamp a day”…maybe…but all totaled, this administration’s policies will end up costing us a book of stamps a day. My prediction….Obamas policies will end up destroying public education because people will not support school district levy increases and bond issues because they will feel so overburdened with taxes and the coming tsunami of inflation.