Cliff Stearns: “I rise today concerning an issue that I am sure is on everybody's mind, global warming. I say this with tongue in cheek…”

“I rise today concerning an issue that I am sure is on everybody's mind, global warming. I say this with tongue in cheek as an admonition. It is obvious to all of us as we are dealing with this latest snowstorm here that the blistering apocalypse of global warming is putting everything in perspective. After all, during the big January snowstorm, temperatures dipped below zero. In the February snow and ice storm, the thermometer dropped into the single digits. And here in March, the coldest it will get during this snowstorm is only the twenties. Judging by this winter, you'd think that a new ice age is upon us. Of course, it would be ridiculous to judge long-term climatic changes on one winter in one part of the country. Unfortunately, equally ridiculous claims of global warming have been made based on short-term weather trends, and have helped shape policy in Congress. Mr. Speaker, let us keep this long, cold winter in mind the next time Congress is asked to push good science aside and make policy based on hyperbole and hysteria.”