Jump to content

USA! USA! Part Deux


JayB

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 113
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Happy Halloween:

 

All About the Institute for Energy Research

 

"The Institute for Energy Research (IER), is a Houston, Texas-based company that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets.

The IER maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most financially inexpensive solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the financial well-being of individuals and society. The IER was founded in 1989 from a predecessor organization.[1] The IER conducts research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. The group promotes free-market energy solutions.

IER is a tax-exempt public foundation and is funded entirely by tax deductible contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations. No financial support is sought for or accepted from the government.[1] According to the liberal watchdog group, Media Matters,[2] since 1996, $110,000 of IER's funding has come from the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, a trust set up by private energy company Koch Industries. IER also received over $300,000 in funding from ExxonMobil, [3], but has not given to IER since 2007.[4]

The Institute's CEO, Robert L. Bradley, Jr., was formerly a director of policy analysis at Enron, where he wrote speeches for Kenneth Lay. Robert Bradley has written books with titles like, "Capitalism at Work"[5] and "Edison to Enron."[6]

The IER is also closely affiliated with the American Energy Alliance.[7]"

 

Check out the pedigree of its principles.

 

When I want credible information, I go straight to former Enron executives.

 

LULZ deux!

 

 

Edited by tvashtarkatena
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's fine to quote for profit propaganda and doctored, even nonsensical (electric sector?) statistics that parrot an industry's agenda...just don't try to bullshit your audience that you're somehow representing a viewpoint that has anything whatsoever to do with the public interest.

 

This is JayB's schtick. Unfortunately for him, he's not very good at it, at least with an audience that has half a brain.

 

I'm sure he's a smash hit at cocktail parties with his own kind, though.

 

Personally, I loath this form of propaganda under the guise of 'civil discourse'. I suppose that's kind of apparent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm just glad to know all this worry about where we'll be getting our energy is behind us.

 

I'd take your worry a little more seriously if you hadn't been spending the last ten years trying to convince us that any efforts to conserve existing energy resources (or protect the environment or public health, etc.) would inevitably land us in a Soviet-style gulag and that the obscene spectacle of waste associated with full-bore consumerism was nothing less than the quantifiable measure of our freedom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're definantely in an energy pickle these days, with the knuckle draggers keeping us from considering alternatives. Really, we need a new energy policy. The one item I would agree with the free-market folks about is that subsidies are an inefficient way to produce desireable outcomes. It would be more market efficient to do what other countries do - tax carbon, or at least petroleum fuels, to make alternatives more competitive.

 

But the arument about not providing subsidies to alternative energy kinda falls flat give all the tax breaks that are given to oil and gas companies and the very cheap access to leases on federal terrestrial and aquatic lands.

 

As usual, we'll do the right thing after exhausting all the alternatives and a crisis is upon us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...or denigrating any and all steps taken to ween ourselves off of fossil fuels, or taking any long view towards environmental stewardship for that matter, as 'boutique' indulgences.

 

But, hey, that's the conservative brain: Zero vision for the future, zero creativity.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by tvashtarkatena
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like David Brooks (big surprise) is jumping on your bandwagon, Jay. Doing his part along with industry flacks and think tank ghouls to manufacture some consent for this baby bubble. Preemptively trotting out some "bad apples" too, though the blame can still be laid at the feet of bad government. Textbook stuff here, young propagandists!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...