Personally, I’ll take seriously anyone who does that which they expect others to do.
Are you a wealthy person who preaches higher taxes? As soon as you give away all your net worth ’til it reaches the level of the average American after he/she pays those higher taxes, I’m all ears.
I may or may not agree with you, but I’ll definitely consider your opinion relevant.
So what, then, of the wealthy who want to see America lower its carbon footprint or pay more for energy?
I take a similar approach to when I arrive at a doorway at the same time as someone else: “You first.”
Also, it’s worth noting that, if carbon is an issue, the idea shouldn’t be that each person lower their footprint. Rather, it should be that no one exceed a certain footprint.
What I mean is, if Citizen A drives an 18-wheeler 5 days a week and takes 20 flights per year, and Cit B was handed a martini by a blue-uniformed Pan Am girl the last time they went more than 10 miles from home, to say both of those need to use less energy is nonsensical.
But what of the elites? They’re some of the biggest voices in the fight against climate change.
Two biggies: Bill Gates and Al Gore.
In a report by Axios, the great Microsoft founder — and one of the planet’s wealthiest people — recently defended his use of private jets.
Bill is obviously a bright guy, and he’s indeed put vast amounts of cash into energy innovation. But he wanted the citizens of Washington to pay more for their utilities. He explained last year:
“Here in Washington state, climate change is on the ballot. If Initiative 1631 passes in November, it will create a fee on emissions that cause climate change, with the goal of boosting the effort to stop the planet from getting disastrously warm.”
In the Axios piece, here’s what he had to say about flying like a king:
“I am investing in climate change very broadly and substantial amounts of money. I don’t think there is anyone doing more, but if there is, congratulations to whoever that is.”
So, in Bill’s view, it appears, if he’s sinking money into the problem, he can burn tons more than you.
There’s a certain amount of sense to that.
But is that how it works?
Because I pay taxes, can I litter? In one way or another, my money goes to cleaning up this joint.
Furthermore, may I then tell people who pay less tax that they shouldn’t throw their trash on the ground?
How about if Bill invests in clean energy tech, and he doesn’t fly in private jets?
Which sits better with you?
On to Al Gore — who’s evangelized over global warming for years, even years after his prediction of armageddon didn’t come true…
Al took a bit of heat about two decades ago when it was determined his mansion had an electric bill that’d make Ralph Nader crap himself.
That didn’t deter him. In 2007, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research observed that the previous year, the former VP’s 20-room pad and pool house ate up almost 221,000 kilowatt hours — that’s nearly 20 times the wimpy national average of 10,656.
At the time, TCPR President Drew Johnson put it like this:
“If this were any other person with $30,000-a-year in utility bills, I wouldn’t care. But he tells other people how to live and he’s not following his own rules.”
In 2016, Al tore up 230,889 kWh. In September of that year alone, he incinerated the earth to the tune of 30,993. That’s 34 times the national average.
To put it further into perspective, at that September rate, his consumption in one year could power your average home from now ’til year 2053.
Sound like a warrior for change?
Either way, don’t get it twisted when it comes to flights of fancy. In 2013, he claimed he didn’t own a private jet; he just charters them. But don’t misunderstand — he only does it “sometimes.”
The Daily Caller attempted to change that:
Representatives for Gore did not respond to a request for comment when the Daily Caller News Foundation asked him in 2018 if he would be willing to ban the use of private jets to help address climate change. The Gates Foundation also did not respond when the DCNF reached out.
As for his lifestyle, a Gore rep laid it out this way:
“He recognizes how important these everyday choices are, while spending most of his time working to catalyze a global effort to change laws and policies.”
Every day, perhaps, except the ones when he wants to burn electricity and gas like his choices aren’t.
-ALEX
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