Striking terror in their moneyed hearts, a "well-financed coalition of right-wing ideologues, out-of-state oil and gas companies and climate-change skeptics is seeking to effectively kill that law." They are contributing big bucks to ensure the passage of Prop 23 which would kill AB 32 and California's dreams for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses by 80 percent by the middle of the century.
Among the contributors to the $8.2 million Prop 23 lobbying effort are Charles and David Koch, who have forked over the obscene amount of $1 million, and two Texas based oil giants, Tesoro and Valcero. The Koch brothers are worried, "partly about damage to the bottom line at Koch Industries, and also because they believe that climate change is a left-wing hoax."
They have argued that the law will lead to higher energy costs and job losses, arguments that resonate with many voters in a state with a 12.4 percent unemployment rate. But this overlooks the enormous increase in investments in clean energy technologies — and the jobs associated with them — since the law was passed.-----
The Kochs and their allies are disastrously wrong about the science, which shows that man-made emissions are largely responsible for global warming, and wrong about the economics. AB 32’s many friends — led by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California — have therefore mounted a spirited counterattack in defense of the law.-----
Who wins if this law is repudiated? The Koch brothers, maybe, but the biggest winners will be the Chinese, who are already moving briskly ahead in the clean technology race. And the losers? The people of California, surely. But the biggest loser will be the planet. (emphasis mine)The American people who fear big government should be far more afraid of these giant oil industries and mega corporations. They do not care one stitch for the welfare of the United States or for the American citizens or, for that matter, the planet. Their only loyalty is to unlimited amounts of green but not the kind you find in clean energy.
The following information is provided by Hoovers.
Valero Energy Corporation: Named after the Alamo (the Mission San Antonio de Valero), the company is the largest independent oil refiner in the US. Valero refines low-cost residual oil and heavy crude into cleaner-burning, higher-margin products, including low-sulfur diesels. Ranks # 26 by Fortune 500. 2009 Sales (Mil): $68,144.0
Tesoro Corporations: Produces gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, fuel oil, liquid asphalt, and other fuel products. Ranks # 139 by Fortune 500. 2009 Sales (mil) : $16,872.0
Koch Industries, Inc.: "A Kansas-based conglomerate that operates oil refineries in several states and is the company behind brands including Brawny paper towels, Dixie cups, Georgia-Pacific lumber, Lycra fibers and Stainmaster carpet. Forbes ranks Koch Industries as the second-largest privately held company in the U.S. — and the Koch brothers themselves? They're worth billions." (NPR)
They are behind the TeaBaggers and now this... good grief, what next for these jerks.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Leslie from the Ranch!
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent posting indeed ... and I see that you are far from illiterate as well, when it come's to money and figure's ... something in the past that you've said you are weak at .. your not as weak as you may think in math at all ... with a posting like this!
But ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh ... this shouldnt suprise anyone of these action's by these mega giant's ... and the money they spend to do business as usual. One of the thing's we need to look at (and especially them to stay in business and profitable) is the amount of job's as well as great business that these alternative energies are going to create in time ... now is the time for these petro companies to invest their profit's in these venture's for future finance/ investment's, because it is still a virgin industry and a sure market winner of the future for those who have established root's. This is where the line between "greed" which can be healthy(to a degree only), and "excessive greed" come's in, which the latter being self and socially as well as economically destructive ... and to where asset's soon become liabilities, which we seen in the latest BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico, and what they spent to get out of the mess they created to save much less in the past.
Another thing I will add ... is the company "Valero" has some of the highest gas price's in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and located mostly in low income area's and area's as well of high latino population's, where the name sounding latino bring's word of mouth advertising and the culture of the community follow's suit as far as where they spend their money ... these are clever way's of marketing these day's to the huge latino population's, who spend "big buck's", and making the product "popular", to in turn jack up the price, which many companies of various product's have been doing over the last decade, especially General Motors Corp. (heh, heh, heh, heh, heh ... I know a lil about marketing myself) :)
And the Koch brother's payment's are downright shameful of a measley $1 million dollar's ... just goes to show you how excessive greed has turned also these type's into being just downright cheapskate bastard's today as well!
Thank You Leslie ...
Annette: They have the money (and the right) to do whatever they want. Unfortunately greed takes precedence over the welfare of others. If the brothers donated more time and money to research and those causes that actually benefit mankind instead of only the arts, which I also support, I'd be a little more impressed.
ReplyDeleteRC: I didn't have to add or subtract. I just copied and pasted the numbers because I don't trust myself to read and type them in freehand.
Exposures such as this make me feel so little, so insignifcant in the grand monied scheme of things. All I can do is pass the link to your post along to three California friends who have the power of the vote. I continue to assert that the U.S. consumer must bear some guilt.
ReplyDeleteLeslie,
ReplyDeletegood post.
I'm surprised those sleazebags at the NYT didn't side with the Koch's. I guess even sleazebags have standards, albeit lower than outlets which don't employ the friedmann's and judith miller's of the world.
Thanks for a little detail on them as well. I didn't know much about them, but I did compare their contributions to right wing causes with George Soros's contributions, and they dwarf what Soros spends. Soros generally funds good causes, I only thought of him cause beck vilifies the man.
Horrible, sick people.
BJ: Thanks for spreading the word, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteOso - Compared to the WSJ and the WaPo - and even Huff Post sometimes - I'll take the NYT. It's like everything else - I don't always agree with everything. But you're right, these are horrible sick people - and selfish.
Does this mean that sucking Koch is a new form of Teabuggery? ;-)
ReplyDeleteTC: LOL. More than likely.
ReplyDelete