An Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore

While watching the History Channel yesterday, they showed a program about the top ten catastrophes facing our planet. Coming in at the number 1 spot was global warming. As part of their segment, they interviewed Al Gore. It was at this point the show lost virtually all credibility with me. I'm not saying that global warming isn't happening. But, the science they're relying on is garbage. And for them to trot out Al Gore as the universal spokesman shows what a circus it is.

 

Here's an excerpt from an article titled Global Warming - Science or Politics as Usual?, that sums it up pretty well:

Bill Hobb's goes on to tell us where Mr. Gore buys his [carbon] offset's:

But how Gore buys his "carbon offsets," as revealed by The Tennessean raises serious questions. According to the newspaper's report, Gore buys his carbon offsets through Generation Investment Management:

Gore helped found Generation Investment Management, through which he and others pay for offsets. The firm invests the money in solar, wind and other projects that reduce energy consumption around the globe…
Gore is chairman of the firm and, presumably, draws an income or will make money as its investments prosper. In other words, he "buys" his "carbon offsets" from himself, through a transaction designed to boost his own investments and return a profit to himself. To be blunt, Gore doesn't buy "carbon offsets" through Generation Investment Management - he buys stocks.

And it is not clear at all that Gore's stock purchases - excuse me, "carbon offsets" purchases - actually help reduce the use of carbon-based energy at all, while the gas lanterns and other carbon-based energy burners at his house continue to burn carbon-based fuels and pump carbon emissions - a/k/a/ "greenhouse gases" - into the atmosphere.

Gore's people tout his purchase of "carbon offsets" as evidence that he lives a "carbon-neutral" lifestyle, but the truth is Gore's home uses electricity that is, for the most part, derived from the burning of carbon fuels. His house gets its electricity from Nashville Electric Service, which gets its from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which produces most of its power from coal-burning power plants. Which means most of the power being consumed at the Gore mansion comes from carbon-emitting power sources.

It is very convenient (no pun intended) that the spokesman for global warming also owns a company which sell carbon offsets. As Opinion Journal sums it up:

So, let's sum this up: Here we have a major American politician who is calling for policies that would impose huge costs on society but appears to be profiting handsomely himself; who is leading an extravagant lifestyle while demanding sacrifices from ordinary people; and who is calling on the media to suppress the views of those with whom he disagrees, while at the same time urging more government regulation in the name of "fairness" to his partisan and ideological allies.

How can you take seriously anyone who stands to make a lot of money off of something he's trying to persuade you to buying. But Gore is the worst kind of salesman. He's not man enough to suffer doors being slammed in his face. He's working with governments to get them to kick down your front door and rifle through your purse forcing you to by his product whether you want it or not. He's the lowest kind of salesman.He's a shyster.

An Utter Failure

I was reminded of a couple of campaign promises made by our fearless leader, Christine Gregoire, by a friend, so I went looking to see how those were coming along. As I searched, I ran across the following article at Dino Rossi's website that really drives home what an absolute failure she has turned out to be for this state:

Christine Gregoire's Broken Promises as Governor

Redmond, WA – Christine Gregoire made many promises during her 2004 gubernatorial campaign, many of which have not been kept.  From stem-cell research and a "Jobs Council," to not raising taxes and eliminating tax loopholes, the governor has failed to act on some of her most prominent pledges of four years ago.   Here are some of Gregoire's '04 promises and their current status:   Promise: Invest in a Life Science Discovery Fund that will help create thousands of jobs and start the Washington Institute of Stem Cell Research.   Reality: One of the centerpieces of Gregoire's 2004 campaign, Gregoire dumped the idea of a "Washington Institute of Stem Cell Research" after a month in office.    Since then, the University of Washington established the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) – thanks to private funding.  In fact, Governor Gregoire sent the message that the state wasn't going to lead any efforts to provide funding.   And what about job creation due to the Life Science Discovery Fund?  Minimal, if any.  To date, the Life Science Discovery Fund has given six grants which were all fully funded through private donations.   Promise: Not raise taxes. "I said 'no' when I was pressured during the primary to support higher taxes."   Reality: The day she was certified as governor, Gregoire quickly backpedaled on this promise. Since then, she raised taxes by nearly $500 million, including the Estate (aka "Death") Tax, and pushed through the largest gas tax increase in state history.   Promise: Eliminate tax loopholes and look at more than 430 tax exemptions.   Reality: Gregoire has not eliminated one tax loophole in her three-plus years as governor.   Promise: Nurture small businesses, so there will no longer be more small businesses that fail than are created.   Reality: According to a study from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Washington has the third highest small business failure rate in the nation.   Promise: Cut red tape and blast past the bureaucracy.   Reality: We're not sure what red tape or bureaucracy Gregoire has eliminated.  However, she's added 6,000 new state employees and more than doubled the size of the Governor's office.   Promise: Establish a cabinet-level "Jobs Council."   Reality: Christine Gregoire said she'd take on the task of chairing this department herself.  No such council was ever created.   Promise: Make affordable healthcare available to everyone.   Reality: There are estimated to be over 600,000 uninsured people in Washington state, and a large portion are young adults ages 19-34 or small business employees.  Christine Gregoire has done nothing to make health care more affordable for them, despite recommendations to do so by her own bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on health care.   Promise: Take a "Fix it First, Fix it Right," approach to transportation infrastructure.   Reality: Despite Governor Gregoire pushing through the largest gas tax increase in state history, the same major transportation needs from 2004 still exist in 2008 with no specific replacement or funding plans.  A few of the major problems that haven't been fixed:  520 bridge replacement  Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement  North-South Corridor in Spokane  Highway 2 in Snohomish County Promise: Do not support a gas tax increase until taxpayers are convinced that the nickel-per-gallon increase approved in 2003 is being well spent.   Reality: During her first legislative session as governor, Christine Gregoire pushed through the 9.5 cent gas tax increase.  This was the largest increase in state history.   Promise: Create an online, public searchable database of transportation projects, their timetables, their budgets, and their contractors.   Reality: No such transportation database exists.   Promise: Improve freight mobility. The constantly increasing rates of congestion in the Puget Sound and Spokane area are further limiting the efficient movement of goods and products.   Reality: Congestion has gotten worse and Gregoire refused to make congestion a transportation priority.  Work on high profile, vital transportation projects such as the Viaduct, the 520 bridge, and the North South Corridor have been put off.   Promise: Modernize the funding system of Washington's Public Education system.   Reality: No funding plan exists.  The Gregoire administration commissioned a Washington Learns taskforce, but 18 months and $1.7 million dollars later, they recommended further studies.  The state is now being sued.   Promise: End the high school dropout crisis.   Reality: The high rate of high school dropouts continues.  In several high schools across the state, up to 40 percent of those enrolling as freshman are not graduating.    Promise: Provide financial incentives to cope with the shortage of math teachers and address the "math gap" in our public schools.   Reality: There have been no major steps to offer financial incentives to all math teachers in Washington.  Under Gregoire, the state is still struggling to put together an incentive structure to improve the teaching of math.    Reforms to the state's math standards under Gregoire have been reviewed, re-reviewed and delayed.  Meanwhile, math scores in this state have fallen farther behind.

Keep in mind that this comes from her competition, but if even half of the claims were true, she'd still get a big, fat FAIL in my book. Christine, do yourself and all Washingtonians a favor and stay home when it comes time to run for reelection.

Photo-Op

While watching a video on KomoTV.com, I saw something that seemed, well, odd. The video was about recent legislation Gov. Gregoire signed into law concerning safety on school campuses. Because of the subject matter, they showed some file footage of the Virginia Tech shooting. As the video played out, they showed a head shot of the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho.

 

 

In the space above the photo was a attribution saying, "Courtesy Dept. of Homeland Security". That, frankly, surprised me. I'd have figured the image would have been provided by the State of Virginia or maybe the FBI, but Homeland Security? Wikipedia states that, "The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known in the United States as "Homeland Security", is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters.*" I guess that means Seung-Hui Cho must be a terrorist. Who'd-a-thunk?

 

I wonder what my picture on file at DHS looks like?