After arriving home last night from a grueling work day with the prospects of more work to be done from home in the evening, I noticed that a number of “uniformed” petitioners were wandering our neighborhood. Two walked past the GorT residence eyeing it, but not daring to make the trek up the front walk. Given what transpires, I’d characterize that as an “intelligent” move on their part. About a half hour later, one bold individual approaches and rings our doorbell. I answer the door and they introduce themselves as representing Environment America, a federation of state-based, environmental “advocacy groups” (this is the new PC term for lobbyist because we know that President Obama doesn’t mingle with lobbyists).
I let the young lady start her prepared speech and after promoting the benefits of solar and wind energy, she made the mistake of asking me, “Don’t you think we should push for this?” I answered her question with a question about whether they advocate nuclear energy. “Oh, no, that’s dangerous. We see more benefits in wind and solar energy.” She still had the doe-eyed look of a neophyte that clearly wasn’t fully informed. I began the education process. “Did you know that France generates
over 70% of its electrical energy from nuclear power? and a number of other European and Belgium over 50%? Neither with any disasters? Did you know that many colleges and universities have small reactors on campus that are extremely safe?” At this point she started shuffling her feet and trying to think of what the next talking point was. She couldn’t offer a response, so I continued. “Did you know that we have technology today to put safe nuclear reactors in local regions that would cost the consumer less money per kilowatt than solar, wind, wave or other ‘greener’ sources?” She chose a proper course of action at this point by thanking me for my time and leaving. I didn’t even have the chance to point out that California, with its higher emission standards – along the lines of what POTUS Obama pitched yesterday – imports MORE energy than any other state. When regulation was attempted by rationing gas supplies back under President Carter people ended up driving MORE.
So here are a few observations. First, make no mistake, there is a “Big Environment” movement. It has deep pockets (and looking for more given the door to door sales job described above) and plenty of lobbyists working Congress. Environment America, in their brochure, paints themselves as a small group and effort behind the large (and evil) “Big Oil, Dirty Coal”. groups like them and US PIRG are part of this Big Environment movement. Second, a note to people working in that lobbying sector – don’t send amateurs to my house. Period. If you purport in your pamphlet to want to “[bring] the debate to front porches, kitchens, living rooms and town halls” then come informed. You are no better than the single-interest lobbyists for Big Oil that you are fighting against. In fact, Big Oil has one thing going for them that you don’t: their solution is more cost effective for the consumer and guess what? Consumers are feeling the pinch. This is the crux of the issue – they can’t win when it’s purely a consumer and market-driven decision so they must have government mandates (i.e. CAFE standards, 39 MPG National standards, etc.) in order to advance their cause. Finally, it’s really hard to have this debate on my front porch in mid-May in a Washington, D.C. suburb bemoaning that we have to do this to stop global warming when we had a FROST ADVISORY the night before. Even the
EPA thinks this will damage the economy.
GorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. The profits from this pay all the Gormogons’ bills, including subsidizing this website. Some of the products he has introduced from the future include oven mitts, the Guinness widget, Oxy-Clean, and Dr. Pepper. Due to his immense cybernetic brain, GorT is able to produce a post in 0.023 seconds and research it in even less time. Only ’Puter spends less time on research. GorT speaks entirely in zeros and ones, but occasionally throws in a ڭ to annoy the Volgi. He is a massive proponent of science, technology, and energy development, and enjoys nothing more than taking the Czar’s more interesting scientific theories, going into the past, publishing them as his own, and then returning to take credit for them. He is the only Gormogon who is capable of doing math. Possessed of incredible strength, he understands the awesome responsibility that follows and only uses it to hurt people.
After arriving home last night from a grueling work day with the prospects of more work to be done from home in the evening, I noticed that a number of “uniformed” petitioners were wandering our neighborhood. Two walked past the GorT residence eyeing it, but not daring to make the trek up the front walk. Given what transpires, I’d characterize that as an “intelligent” move on their part. About a half hour later, one bold individual approaches and rings our doorbell. I answer the door and they introduce themselves as representing Environment America, a federation of state-based, environmental “advocacy groups” (this is the new PC term for lobbyist because we know that President Obama doesn’t mingle with lobbyists).