The Green, Green Grass of Fraud
May 23, 2009 Political
The Waxman-Markey bill made it out of committee yesterday, but there is still some hope that sensible people can throw themselves on this fiscal grenade of a bill, before it irreparably harms the public with higher taxes and fewer jobs.
The bill itself is physically 900+ pages of misdirection and hype. Contrast that with the Highway bill that basically created the Interstate system that comprised 29 pages- I guess that people back then didn’t need to obscure their intent with legalese.
It was the object of one of the biggest lobbying campaigns of any piece of environmental legislation, with millions of dollars spent on both sides in the months leading up to Thursday’s vote. Lawmakers heard from former Vice President Al Gore, local utility companies, hunters and fishermen, national environmental groups, agricultural interests and the coal, oil and natural gas industries. – N.Y. Times
No kidding. As Bjorn Lomborg, the author of The Climate- Industrial Complex points out, U. S. companies and other interested groups had hired 2,430 lobbyists last year, and that was up 300% from a year ago. So much for no lobbyists in the Barama administration, huh? Heck, the biggest utilities spent over 50 million on lobbying in just six months. Green truly is the color of money-for those in power circles- not so much with us “common” people though.
As Mr. Lomborg writes, ” The massive transter of wealth that many businesses seek is not necessarily good for the rest of the economy. Spain has been proclaimed a global example in providing financial aid to renewable energy companies to create green jobs. But research shows that each new job cost Spain 571,138 euros, with subsidies of more than one million euros required to create each new job in the uncompetitive wind industry. Moreover, the progress resulted in the destruction of nearly 110,000 jobs elsewhere in the economy, or 2.2 jobs for every job created.” – WSJ.com
And its not only the losses in jobs we as consumers have to worry about- this is truly the new scam of the century, and these “Carbon Barons”, as they would tout themselves, stand to make millions on the backs of consumers like you and me. This weekend, as we speak, (or read), the World Business Summit On Climate Change is meeting in Copenhagen, ready to hammer out the division of the spoils. Interested parties who stand to gain millions will all be there. Duke Energy, a major player in electrical production, has long promoted the cap and trade scheme, and it is quite a scheme. But they were opposed to the Warner- Lieberman bill, because it didn’t favor coal companies enough. That’s bound to tick off some lefties, because the favorable language is back in the Waxman- Markey version.
Still, all the major players will be at this conference, even Al Gore, who stands to increase his net worth from 2 million dollars to over 100 million dollars if this climate change bill is passed- heck we might as well just write our checks directly to the wooden man.
“The opening keynote address is to be delivered by Al Gore, who actually represents all three groups: He is a politician, a campaigner, and the chair of a green private- equity firm invested in products that a climate- scared world would buy.” – WSJ.com
And then there are the other interested parties, like the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, a company called Vestas, who, it’s a safe bet, will be touting wind energy as the cureall to our energy blues. The propaganda flows fast and furious in this (no pun intended) environment, as Vestas also sponsors CNN’s “Climate in Peril” segment, which hopefully will increase support for policies that would increase the earnings of this company.
And then, let us not forget GE- the company that is promoting the smartgrid technology, solar panels, and ion- lithium batteries, all to be used heavily in this new energy world of ours. Is it coincidence that Jeffery Immelt, the CEO of GE, and head of the three TV networks that routinely kiss Barama’s butt (NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC) is also our Energy Czar? I mean really, this doesn’t stink to high heaven of collusion? Transparency my butt- this is just a power grab for money alone, greed pure and simple, and Barama is at the head of the line, due to get paid off big- time by turning his hypocritical back on the poor people he so piously claimed to want to protect. Why, this beats the Catholic Church’s Selling of Blessings as the world’s Biggest Hypocrisy. Congrats.
Barack Hussein Obama is a LIAR, plain and simple. What’s worse, is he is proving himself to be a con man, unconcerned about walking over the people he said he cared for, all in a quest for money and power.
While I might support the research into alternatives to fossil fuels, decisions are being made on a global scale now that will affect us negatively for literally generations to come, and we will be forced to become “carbon slaves” to the new overlords of power generation, made to work in an environment that favors the big businesses that control that power. Sound familiar?
The new Boss, same as the old Boss.
Now, that’s change you can believe in.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
Tags: al gore, duke energy, electricity, fraud, GE, green
Is It Really Green?
May 16, 2009 Political
I have written a couple of times on the so- called “Green” technology, and what I believe is the future of energy, and I have been taken to task for not having a coherent grasp of the minutia relating to the various technologies of this “new” change in direction. I have said that I would be glad to embrace new Hybrid, or electric, or hydrogen cars, IF THEY WORKED, and if there was an infrastructure in place to refill, or re- charge, or re- whatever needs to be done.
But I have always felt that if you have to travel fifty miles round trip, in order to fill your car, you are not saving money, you are not reducing your precious “carbon footprint”, and you have not done the environment any favors in any way.It does not matter what fuel you use, if you have to travel to the ends of the earth to get it. I mean let’s face it, “Dilithium Crystals” are not real, and our energy needs are.
This is why I have advocated for the continued use of present- day fuels, which means (by virtue of common sense), that we need to drill for oil and gas on both coasts. Our finances dictate that we use our own fuel, and refine it here, and sell it here. This keeps the money at home. In the meantime, the search and refinement of alternative energy proceeds. After all, the company that perfects the next generation of usable energy is the company that can feasibly write its own future.
What I find incredible is the news that a nuclear reactor that would have provided energy to all of southeastern Texas was denied the issuance of Government surety bonds, which effectively killed the project, as it needed the bonds to help develop the capital needed to proceed. The environmentalists killed it, just as they have killed any further coal- fired plants, and here is the problem with these nitwits- they have NO alternatives. None- and that is not acceptable. The saying, Lead, Follow, or get out of the way comes to mind. The mindless throwing up of roadblocks is not adding anything positive to the discussion.
Because, let’s face it- Progress will happen, that is written in stone- the only question is in what direction progress will take. Standing pat, as the enviro- nuts seem to want, is impossible, so it would seem to me that if they really want to be a part of the discussion, they should open their mouths and say something, but say something that keeps the discussion on topic.
The Republican party has been called the party of No, but it is really the environmentalists, who say no to oil and gas, say no to coal, say no to nuclear power, say no to ethanol, and say no to both solar and wind, because the laying of transmission lines would hurt a snail darter fish, or some lizard. Here’s a thought- the lizards can probably crawl over the transmission lines as they do at my house. Give me a freakin’ break- animals are more flexible than you might think, and accept things like pipelines and transmission lines in their midst easier than you know.
In the end, there are two ways humanity can proceed- we can find and use ALL available forms of power we can harness, or we can kill off at least half of all humanity, which will free up demand on the uses of energy, won’t it? Which one do you think would be more desirable? More logical? More user- friendly?
Of course, the other way would give us more elbow room, but what if you are on the wrong side of THAT equation? Whoops! There go your hopes and dreams. No, I think that if you are logical about this, and not blindly adhering to an agenda that has ulterior motives, you would have to agree that the only logical way is the first one I described, using all available forms of power, and keeping our money here at home.
Reviling oil and gas, as some in the “green” movement are doing, is doing them no favors, because just what are they using for power while they are building their brave new world? Rubber bands? No- they are using gas powered machines- but they are not liking it. Still, it’s better than rolling the wind turbines over logs to get them where they want, I think even they would agree.
Sometimes being a hypocrite is the best you can do- do the ends justify the means?
Now we’re cookin’ with gas.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
It’s Not Easy Being Green
May 6, 2009 Political
Here’s where the rubber hits the road, policy- wise, for Barama. He has had a lot of fun screwing up our way of life, and pretty much having a blast living in the White House, but now we get down to the real hard stuff- this is the stuff that even Democrats are saying, ” Are you Freaking Nuts?” about- carbon taxes, and this ridiculous Cap and Trade bill that would, in essence, create another layer of thievery. Government- selected businesses could get rich off of the backs of the working people who would pay as much as double the amount for their energy. This would be ALL energy, from switching on a light to running a fax machine, from gassing up to setting your thermostat for your comfort.
Because of the “Smartgrid” technology that Barama’s new friend (and Energy Czar) Jeffery Immelt, the CEO of GE- General Electric (Who just happens to make the smartgrid ) has been pushing on the government, the government will be able to track your energy usage and will determine if you are an energy hog. If the government determines that you are using too much energy (in their opinion), they will tax you far and above the regular rate, causing you financial pain, and hopefully changing your mind about using energy, even if you are freezing to death. Just wonderful. Pavlovian behavior modification as regards your energy usage. Our government at work.
The trouble with this cap and trade gimmick, is that several western lawmakers who are Democrat, are objecting to the burden this bill would put on the citizens of their states, disproportionately.
You see, most of the western states have no mass transit, and a lot of space in between destinations- so just on gasoline used, the tax would be overly burdensome. In addition, many of the western states have temperature fluctuations that cause the use of energy in the wintertime to counter the cold temperatures. If these people want to be warm, they will have to pay extra- oh, and that wood burning fireplace? If you use that, you’ll get a carbon surcharge- a fine for burning wood that causes Co2 and soot to rise in the air. No chestnuts roasting over an open fire for you.
I see that the Democrats have passed a “cash for clunkers” program that will allegedly give cash for older cars, if you buy a new car that is more fuel efficient- this might be a good thing, except that a lot of these hybrids cost so much more than regular cars, and most of any alternative fuel tech cars have no place to fuel.
I mean, let’s face facts here- there is NO infrastructure for electric cars to refuel on the road, so their use is extremely limited to near home. As for ethanol, do you know where your E85 filling station is? I certainly do not, although I did hear of one 30 miles away, on the county line. Gee, I think (and I could be wrong, but i don’t think so) that if I have to travel 30 miles to fill up, that’s kind of inconvenient. No, we need the infrastructure before the demand for cars that are alternative will begin to pay off.
And as for the “alternatives” to coal fired power plants, and those that use natural gas, the only one that makes sense is nuclear energy. Wind turbines seem to be rather weak, they kill many, many birds, and you still have to lay transmission lines that disturb wildlife and deprive people of their property through the use of eminent domain, where the government pays you what they say your property is worth, but they DO take it.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S LESS!
Solar power- ahhh, sounds so easy, I mean, the sun will shine, and all we have to do is put up the panels, and we have instant energy, right? Not so fast.
First, the solar panels are unbelievably inefficient, you need acres and acres of them, they need a LOT of water to operate, and once again, you have that nasty problem of the transmission line route. All of this takes an unbelievable amount of money. Private enterprise would do this eagerly, because private enterprise loves to make money, but the inconvenient facts say that this alternative technology is so grossly inefficient that private enterprise wants to tinker with it some more before they try to make money with it. That seems reasonable to me, but Barama’s administration wants to cram inefficient technology down our throats, hoping it will improve on its way down- it will not.
So now the Sainted one and his posse are getting blowback from the Democrats in the western states, and this is shaping up to be a fight- there can be no super- majority if Democrats defect and join Republicans in resisting this bill, and they should, because this is the one bill that could be the one that actually breaks the back of the economy.
This opposition should take advantage of it’s power, and insist on drilling off of the east and west coasts, because until we do get this alternative energy right, we need a common sense approach to our energy needs, and drilling off of the coasts, plus nuclear home and business needs. Common sense should prevail here- we have coal, we have oil, and we have natural gas. Now, I know, because I am old enough to have lived through the 60s and 70s, that our air now is demonstrably cleaner than back then. This is due, in part, to aggressive enforcement of emissions, and our ability to buy newer cars that emit less.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against alternative energies, just alternative energies that do not work well. I believe that we can make existing technologies work better, and more efficiently, all while researching and perfecting the alternative energies that, when perfected, will give us the true independence we need.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
Maryland Governor Pulls a Ted Kennedy
Apr 13, 2008 Political
The governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley, is a far left politician who governs like most from the left. He takes feel good ideas and runs with them regardless of fact or reason. He has bought off on global warming and intends to make Maryland the model of being green. The boy governor just signed legislation requiring an increase in renewable energy but like all liberals, he does not want the requirements to interfere with life. Ted Kennedy opposed wind farms because they blocked his view and O’Malley opposes them on state owned land because they will take away from the natural beauty of the areas set aside for residents.
“While we must continue to explore and make progress on creating a more sustainable and independent energy future for Maryland, we will not do so at the expense of the special lands we hold in the public trust,” the Democratic governor said.
O’Malley spoke at a news conference at a scenic overlook in the Savage River State Forest. Opponents had claimed that allowing 40-story windmills on state-owned land in mountainous western Maryland would reduce its recreational value, spoil the landscape and lower property values, especially in the thriving Deep Creek Lake resort area of Garrett County. WBAL
I am willing to bet that if the state decides that wind turbines will go in a neighborhood or on lands near a neighborhood he will not allow citizens to nix the deal based on natural beauty or property values. I am quite certain that the lands that home owners hold dear will be confiscated under eminent domain and used for the turbines. The people will have little say in the matter and O’Malley will chide those who oppose as enemies of the environment.
This is just another example of a liberal making a rule that only applies to others. The state should be the leader in this effort and state lands should be used to put up the wind farms. Instead, private property will one day be confiscated for this purpose. Mark my words, private property will be taken for the common good and the harm to property owners will not be a problem the liberals will care about.
If this state wants to put up wind turbines to generate electricity I suggest putting the turbines outside the governor’s mansion. O’Malley is so full of hot air he could power the state for decades. If they ever figure out how to produce electricity from manure then the Maryland legislature could provide power to the country for the rest of the century.
Tags: environment, green, hypocrite, Maryland, O'Malley, turbine, wind farm