The latest salvo in a barrage of prospective higher costs comes from Congress, where Democrats are pushing something called the Waxman-Markey bill against climate change, which includes a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions.

Congressman Greg Walden, a Republican from Oregon, points to testimony before the House Energy Committee, on which he serves. Pacific Power, he reports, testified the bill would raise electric rates in its Oregon service area 18 percent the first year it is in operation, which apparently would be 2012.

By that time, Pacific's Oregon customers also will be paying the higher transportation fees and taxes the legislature is enacting on the state level. Some of them, including most small business owners, also will face higher state income tax rates unless the voters kill those increases first.

One of these days voters may realize that the people they have put in charge at the state and national levels in recent elections are doing everything possible to make life more expensive for them and their kids. (hh)