The Global Warming Scam..........you have got to read this article!!!!

I’ve been reviewing the many articles online about ice ages and the cooling and warming cycles that the Earth goes through. I’ve come to the conclusion that the “Global Warming” crowd doesn’t have any idea what they’re talking about. I refer to the “Global Warming” crowd as those who believe that the Earth is warming due to human causes. You know the crowd; the people-haters; the junk-science groups. Every article I read that even looked as if it had merit discussed the heating and cooling cycles of the Earth but refused to define exact periods or clear symptoms of these cycles. Even the onset of symptoms could be slow or very abrupt. There’s just too many unknowns. Moreover, these cycles have been going on since the Earth has existed. If you really want to get technical, glaciers have been receding since about 21,000 years ago. I guess cavemen really had a problem with their greenhouse gas emissions.

So what is the scam? Why have a group of people utterly lost their common sense and started running around like Chicken Little decrying the end of the world? Most of these people don’t have a financial stake in the global warming scam. Let me see if I can clear it up for you just a bit. But before I do, let me assure you that I firmly believe in being a good steward of this planet. Recycling, planting trees, properly disposing of hazardous materials, and other such activities should be considered second nature. So here’s my point:

Let’s start with the compact fluorescent light bulb. I thought they were a pretty good idea. But my incandescent light bulb costs about sixty cents. My compact fluorescent costs $4.00. My incandescent light bulb doesn’t contain any gas inside. It’s been vacated; no air. My compact fluorescent on the other hand contains a mercury vapor. So it’s hazardous material. You’re supposed to properly dispose of these bulbs now. I like to see some smart guy calculate the extra energy that is used up properly disposing these spent bulbs. Then I read an article that these lights are supposed to be left on for at least 15 minutes before they’ll get the life expectancy that they’re touting. I’ve never gotten four years out of my compact fluorescents! Nor am I going to leave my lights on for 15 minutes when I just needed to step into the garage for a minute. Incandescent bulbs have been in production for quite some time. I’m sure they’re pretty inexpensive to produce. At around four dollars a pop for compact fluorescents, I’m concerned we’re using up lots of energy just to mass produce these things. I’m glad that I get the equivalent of a 100 watt incandescent out of a 26 watt compact fluorescent. I’m just not convinced that the cradle to grave process saved me money, helped the environment, or reduced the overall energy consumption per light bulb. By the way, wasn’t mercury put on the list of things that are really bad for us?

Since we’re discussing energy, let’s discuss how energy is produced; particularly electricity. First, there are the evil coal-fired plants and others that use some form of fossil fuels. These typically form the foundation of the electrical grid; you know, the electrical transmission lines you see on that ugly pole outside. One of the many reasons they form the foundation of the electrical grid is that they drive very large generators. Nuclear sources do as well but more on that in a moment. Hydro-electric power usually adds to this foundation to meet higher demands for power. It’s much easier to add power to the electrical grid using hydro than using fossil fuel powered generators. Solar and wind power are not stable sources of power. Solar panels still just aren’t all that efficient. I understand it’s free power; but it doesn’t help to stabilize the electrical grid much. Neither does wind power. Sometimes they’re generating, sometimes they’re not. It’s just not reliable power. For the homeowner’s use, these systems typically employ battery banks and inverters. On a larger scale, they’re connected directly to the grid. As in the first example, I don’t believe the cradle to grave process saves much money, helps the environment, or adds to the stability of the electrical grid. Most batteries used in these processes are the lead type. That’s hazardous material as well. Where are you going to dispose of all these used batteries? You could make bullets but I think those are going away as soon as president-elect Obama gets into office. Nuclear power offers a great solution. Thermal pollution is about the worst. Spent nuclear fuel is a bit messy I agree. But I’m willing to put up with the relatively small amount of hazardous material for the energy output compared to the other systems we currently employ.

And how about all these electric devices? The current electrical grid just wasn’t designed to carry the gargantuan amount of energy that everyone is using. They’re charging their electric car, their iPod, their cell phone; they’re running their HDTV, their stereo, and any number of other electric appliances. America has to add to the foundation of the electrical grid. That means either fossil fuels or nuclear; wind and solar just won’t cut it. Hydro-electric plants are probably one of the cleanest sources of power. Water goes in; water goes out. There’s a lake behind the dam for recreation, and our government is actually pretty good about ensuring fish and other wildlife can live both above and below the structure. However, do you see any large hydro-electric facilities planned for the future? Environmentalists don’t want them; go figure!

Now for the carbon credit scam. Al Gore and his cronies, using environmental alarmism tactics, have scared everyone into believing the world is coming to an end. While prominent scientists laughed at his junk-science movie and his lack of credible evidence to support his hypothesis, liberals were running around giving him the Nobel Peace prize. Exactly how many liberals have purchased carbon credits? And guess who’s getting rich there? Good scam Al. By the way, does wealth redistribution apply to you or just to the middle class?

Sure, I get it! Carbon credit money is supposed to go to supplying power with “environmentally friendly” generation. As I’ve indicated before, you can’t prop up the power grid with solar or wind generation. At some point in time, you’ve got to break down and build a fossil fuel or nuke plant. I’ve even heard that you now can purchase carbon credits to offset the pollution caused by the jet plane you’re traveling on. More alarmism; more hard-working American’s money dumped into an environmental scam. Oh yeah; don’t let me forget that our incoming administration has fallen for this hook, line, and sinker.

And, finally, drilling for American oil. I agree that it would be a stop-gap measure to buy America time to develop alternative energy. But drill you must! American jobs producing an American product; that’s the way things ought to be. Oil companies have very clean methods of drilling. Really now, do you think as an oil company you could get away with a drill site that wasn’t in pristine condition? Greenies would swarm your site by the dozens, doing irreparable harm to the environment themselves while tearing up your drilling rig, blame it all on your company, and sue you to clean it all up. It’s their modus operandi. Drill off the coast of California, drill in ANWR, and drill in the arctic circle. American companies are the best at what they do. Have them start to drill in the arctic and develop the technology to do it successfully. In the meantime, place an emphasis on developing the technologies needed to correctly usher in new energy sources.

What a sad state of affairs we’ve gotten ourselves into. Unfortunately, instead of promoting sound, common sense environmental stewardship, the Left has taken us completely overboard. And how are American companies supposed to compete and profit in a global economy? I believe I can say with alarming accuracy that China, Russia, India, and other up-and-coming industrial nations are not following in our environmental footsteps. Environmental leadership involves common sense approaches to problems; not alarmism. Others follow good leadership; alarmism only leaves people shaking their heads in disgust. I guess while the Left throws money at this scam, I’ll just work hard so they can tax me more. I wouldn’t want them to run out. Here’s a question: was “The Day After Tomorrow” another documentary by Al Gore or a Hollywood movie?



So here’s the scam. The Left has found a way to spend your money and convince you that you’re doing something good for the environment. They don’t need empirical evidence, sound scientific principles, or even the support of the scientific community. Just scare people enough about the environment to hand over their hard-earned cash without question. Buy expensive light bulbs that contain mercury! Build solar and wind generation that will dot the landscape; our children can clean up the lead from the batteries later. Throw tax money at the carbon credits. It’s the least the American people can do for Al Gore after he lost the election to President Bush. Hopefully, we’ll see the folly of our ways before this scam gets completely out of control and our children are left to pick up the pieces of this scam.

By Tim Koczur