In the haste to examine the health-care bill, we appear to be sleeping on another danger, cap-and-trade.

The cap-and-trade bill hearings have already begun. However, we need to remember the law of unintended consequences. We all know that China's economy depends largely on exports. China's manufacturing industry, in addition to being prolific, is also extremely carbon-intensive.

Think, then, of the ramifications of passing the cap-and-trade bill, which would require our trading partners - China, India and other high-carbon countries - to enact strict carbon-limiting measures or face massive tariffs on

their imported goods.

There's a phrase we use for things like that - trade war.

In this age of globalization and economic interdependence, if we impose carbon tariffs on these countries, we run the substantial risk crashing their economies and our own. But, trade wars have long been noted to have a nasty habit of developing into shooting wars.

The ironic part is that even with massive economic damage, global trade war, and possible World War III, cap-and-trade would reduce global warming by a grand total of .07 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, an amount too small to even detect, according to the federal government's own projections.

America cannot afford to risk its economic relationship abroad in these times of need. It can't afford another war. What it can afford is an extra .07 degrees.

Patrick Shipsey

Santa Maria