Bowing to environmentalists

[underpants]

This appeared in my local rag under the headline "Environmentalists have too much influence"
:eyes:

WALTER WILLIAMS
Let's face it. The average individual American has little or no clout with Congress and can be safely ignored. But it's a different story with groups such as Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy. When they speak, Congress listens. Unlike the average American, they are well organized, loaded with cash and well positioned to be a disobedient congressman's worse nightmare. Their political and economic success has been a near disaster for our nation.

For several decades, environmentalists have managed to get Congress to keep most of our oil resources off-limits to exploration and drilling. They've gotten Congress enact onerous regulations that have made refinery construction impossible. Similarly, they've used the courts and Congress to completely stymie the construction of nuclear power plants. As a result, energy prices are at historical highs and threaten our economy and national security.

Ethanol foolishness

What's the political response to our energy problems? It's more congressional and White House kowtowing to environmentalists, farmers and multi-billion dollar corporations such as Archer Daniels Midland. Their “solution,” rather than to solve our supply woes by permitting drilling for the billions upon billions of barrels of oil beneath the surface of our country, is to enact the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that mandates oil companies increase the amount of ethanol mixed with gasoline.

You can bet the rent money that a new army of lobbyists, with special pleadings, will descend on Washington to lobby Congress. And you can be sure that campaign contributions and favoritism will play an important role in the decision of who received what amount of allowances.

Much worse than that is the massive control government would have over our economy and our lives. The thirst to wield massive control over our economy helps explain the near religious belief in manmade global warming and the attacks on scientists and others who offer contradictory evidence.

http://www.charlotte.com/409/story/733269.html

My response (just submitted to my local rag)

Walter Williams should have done at least some research before claiming that environmentalists support let alone lobby for ethanol. He also should have checked the immense difference in money spent lobby by environmental organization (even add in consumer groups) and the massive amounts spent by industry and business in general or on specific issues. One last research topic for Mr. Williams and those of the same disinformation industry-How many TV networks does the Sierra Club own?

[Jim__]

1. And, of course, there are no oil industry lobbyists countering the environmental lobbyists.

Our government is an open joke, run through bribery from special interests. It's ridiculous to complain about 1 small lobbying group; and ignore the much bigger, much richer lobbying group on the other side.

[hatrack]

2. Kneel! Kneel, legislators, before the awesome power of the environmental lobby!!! Kneel!!!!

:eyes: