File this under dog bites man: conservative critics are falsely accusing Barak Obama of supporting a non-existent UN plan to impose a global tax on American citizens.

Here's the story. A number of right wing blogs are suddenly re-circulating months old columns by anti-UN propogandists Phyllis Schlafly and Cliff Kincaid which excoriate Barak Obama for introducing the Global Poverty Act. Kincaid Calls it "Obama's Global Tax Plan" and Schlafly says its "Obama's Sovereignty Giveaway Plan."

So which is it? Neither, of course. In December 2007, Obama sponsored the thoroughly bi-partisan Global Poverty Act, which does not impose a global tax on Americans. It would, however, "require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day."

The UN-bashing horde quickly seized on the bill's reference to the Millennium Development Goals to advance one of their favorite canards: that the organization will impose a tax on American citizens. Says Schlafly,

"By adopting the Millennium Goals in 2000, the U.N. escalated its demands to impose international taxes. Specifically, the Millennium called for a "currency transfer tax," a "tax on the rental value of land and natural resources," a "royalty on worldwide fossil energy projection -- oil, natural gas, coal," "fees for the commercial use of the oceans, fees for airplane use of the skies, fees for use of the electromagnetic spectrum, fees on foreign exchange transactions, and a tax on the carbon content of fuels." to the UN to tax American citizens.

No, it doesn't. The Senate bill states specifically that by "Millennium Development Goals" it is referring to the goals set out in this document, a General Assembly Resolution adopted in September 2000. No where does the document say anything about a currency tax, royalties on fossil fuels, or airplane fees. No where. Search for yourself. She's just making this up to tarnish the United Nations and her domestic political rivals.

Why bloggers are deciding to re-circulate this dreck right now, I have no clue.

UPDATE: Via Kathy G, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri is planning to award Phyllis Schlafly with an honorary doctorate. Oy.