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[CraigerGamer]

http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2015/08/25/affordable-energy-summit-counters-obama-reid-event

A coalition of Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians rallied today in Las Vegas to call for affordable energy and an end to government favoritism toward so-called “clean” energy sources. Speakers at the Affordable Energy Summit 8.0 explained wind and solar power championed by Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and renewable power activists at the rival Clean Energy Summit 8.0 are prohibitively expensive, yet producing few if any net environmental benefits.

“Energy is the lifeblood of our economy,” noted Heartland Institute senior fellow for environment and energy policy James Taylor. “Government programs that force expensive wind and solar power on energy consumers reduce living standards and drive people into poverty.”

“Forcing Americans to spend increasingly high amounts of money on energy deprives us of the means to purchase health care, education, better nutrition, and a wide array of goods and services that make life happier and healthier,” Taylor added. “It also kills jobs throughout the entire economy when people have less money to spend on these desirable goods and services.”

I'm sure their lives will be happier and healthier as the planet begins to purge us all from existence.

 

[Maninthemirror]

Few or zero benefits to environment is better than net negative any day. what are the politicians smoking?

 

[ReAxion]

Oh. Heartland.

Yeah, you're really concerned about living standards and poverty.

 

[Team Alucard]

Few or zero benefits to environment is better than net negative any day. what are the politicians smoking?

Money from the oil companies.

Every politician knows climate change is real, but many of them are simply paid to pretend that its not.

 

[mr2xxx]

If it was nuclear I'd vote for them

 

[Miles Quaritch]

I'm sure their lives will be happier and healthier as the planet begins to purge us all from existence.

They'll be long dead before that happens. What their position does show is that they don't care about the lives of their children and their grandchildren. To them, those lives are expendable in favour of big gas and oil payments.

Live for today, fuck everyone tomorrow.

 

[Shaffield]

so let's keep costs low in the very short-term instead of investing in infrastructure to maintain our environment. oil lobbyists deserve the guillotine.

 

[msdstc]

Few or zero benefits to environment is better than net negative any day. what are the politicians smoking?

No I think they meant its not any less damaging than normal energy, cmon now.

 

[speculawyer]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

 

[HK-47]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

 

[Shaffield]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

oh my god these people are just exploiting the uneducated. i feel sick.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Save the Earth or get money?

Save the Earth.......or get money?

Decisions, decisions.

 

[RoadHazard]

Fuck the planet and future generations, fuck them all right in the ass. As long as today's Americans get cheap energy and companies get a lot of money.

 

[ArchedThunder]

Few or zero benefits to environment is better than net negative any day. what are the politicians smoking?

Exactly, nobody is claiming that clean energy will clean the planet, it's about not dirtying the planet anymore than we already have.
These politicians who want money now and don't give a fuck about what the future generations are going to have to deal with are fucking disgusting.

 

[evilromero]

“Forcing Americans to spend increasingly high amounts of money on energy deprives us of the means to purchase health care, education, better nutrition, and a wide array of goods and services that make life happier and healthier

Uh huh. Tell me more...

 

[Via Purifico]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

This can't be real.... can it?

 

[CraigerGamer]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

wtf?

 

[subrock]

People are living in poverty... It must be the energy prices! Get em!

 

[daveo42]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

I refuse to believe this is real. It can't be real. I mean, they might as well put Hitler on their and call it a day.

 

[Rapstah]

You know who else didn't have any clean energy? Germany before Hitler took over. Makes u think...

 

[Blader]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

lmao. This is so profoundly nonsensical I can't even really process it.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

Energy industry lobbying efforts and the industry's bitches in government keep clean energy prohibitively expensive, then they use that against clean energy to convince people it's bad. Brilliant.

 

[Tabris]

Here are America's 3 core issues that lead to everything else:

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC - Ability for corporations to fund political campaigns thus putting control of Washington into the hands of the highest bidder.

2) Education Level / Ignorance of citizens that allows them to be discouraged, demoralized, and exploited much easier. - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-tops-oecd-s/1843546.html

3) “Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” - John Steinback

 

[Chezzymann]

There was a incredibly dumb and short sighted Stossel segment on fox news my dad was watching that was talking about exactly this, it made me incredibly frustrated. They were saying we 'don't know for sure' if the warming earth is bad for the environment and we should focus on 'more important' things instead besides clean energy.

 

[Unhandled Exception]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

Thanks for the laugh. Never seen this before.

 

[Vlad]

I refuse to believe this is real. It can't be real. I mean, they might as well put Hitler on their and call it a day.

Oh, it's real. Whenever we go visit out friends in Pittsburg we always end up driving through a stretch of highway in PA that has at least 4 or 5 nonsensical anti-environmental billboards.

Saw all of these on a single trip a few years back.

 

[CraigerGamer]

There was a incredibly dumb and short sighted Stossel segment on fox news my dad was watching that was talking about exactly this, it made me incredibly frustrated. They were saying we 'don't know for sure' if the warming earth is bad for the environment and we should focus on 'more important' things instead besides clean energy.

hottest. year. ever.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

The Republicans are in it for the money, the Democrats are in it for the money, and the Libertarians are in it for their paranoia of anything "big government".

Let them have their way and the private sector will fix it by selling you SPF 200 sunscreen for when the ozone disappears.

 

[TapeDispenser1000]

lol wasnt Ted Kaczynski highly intelligent

 

[NetMapel]

Why can't we get a sane billionaire to run for the office, like Bill Gates or something ? He can like the card just like Trump by saying he doesn't need political funding with the added bonus of actually being smart and sane.

 

[Jasup]

Every politician knows climate change is real, but many of them are simply paid to pretend that its not.

No, really, no. If you ever get to know politicians you'll soon realize they're mostly just gullible, as the rest of us.

Usually they are not paid to pretend, they are paid because they really believe these things and companies like to see them in power and to stay there.

 

[Theonik]

They are kinda right but what is needed is more nuclear.

The Republicans are in it for the money, the Democrats are in it for the money, and the Libertarians are in it for their paranoia of anything "big government".

Let them have their way and the private sector will fix it by selling you SPF 200 sunscreen for when the ozone disappears.

Ozone depletion doesn't have anything to do with CO2 emissions.

 

[Simply Sarah]

Of course, global warming isn't even the only reason to change energy sources. Better and more stable long term energy policy, the often gigantic hidden costs of various types of pollution caused by existing power sources, etc.

 

[Tabris]

I personally don't believe most politicians are there for the money.

I think most politicians run for either their love of civil service or the thrill of power.

And I believe most have good intentions. But then they need to compromise to win elections because that's the reality of politics. Now the compromises that are happening is not just appeasing to specific demographics anymore, but to your political contributors which are allowed to be corporations and lobby groups.

 

[speculawyer]

This can't be real.... can it?

wtf?

I refuse to believe this is real. It can't be real. I mean, they might as well put Hitler on their and call it a day.

Oh, it is totally real. Why address very complex scientific issues with evidence, analysis, and testing. Just take fossil fuel money to create advertisements linking a theory to a very unpopular figure . . . boom scientific problem solved!


Did you know that Hitler wore shoes? . . . Thus shoes are bad!

 

[Crisco]

I love it. The oil, gas, and coal companies are powerless to stop the EPA, Obama, or do anything via congressional action. So they are resorting to this mess. Eat shit assholes.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

lol wasnt Ted Kaczynski highly intelligent

He was considered a child prodigy who attended harvard at 16. So yeah, he was probably pretty smart.

 

[gruenel]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

 

[Frog-fu]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

I refuse to believe this is real.

 

[Acorn]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

He was only 5'1"?

 

[speculawyer]

No, really, no. If you ever get to know politicians you'll soon realize they're mostly just gullible, as the rest of us.

Usually they are not paid to pretend, they are paid because they really believe these things and companies like to see them in power and to stay there.

I don't think you can classify them into a single category. There are crazy stupid true believers like Michelle Bachmann. But there certainly are also cynical politicians that will flip on various issues like the wind just to keep holding onto power. Look at McCain and Gingrich . . . both understood climate change and pledged to address it. But when the 2012 primary season rolled around and it was clear the GOP base felt it was a fraud created by Al Gore, they both cynically flipped on the issue to follow the political winds.

 

[Foffy]

Americans are naturally deprived of health care, education, and nutrition in this country.

No idea why they're trying to link these voids to energy. Is it because that too is almost an entirely failed cause in this country as well?

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

Reverse google image searching this brings up some pretty hilarious results.

 

[Earthstrike]

Funny, I don't remember the heartland insitute advocating for affordable energy when oil was at an all time high. Go figure.

 

[nailbombxx]

the gubbermint is at it again, and this time they're oppressing us by making us pay for their hippy energy!

 

[Azih]

of the means to purchase health care, education, better nutrition, and a wide array of goods and services that make life happier and healthier

means to purchase health care, education, better nutrition, and a wide array of goods and services

purchase health care, education, better nutrition

purchase

PURCHASE!

 

[TheOMan]

Few or zero benefits to environment is better than net negative any day. what are the politicians smoking?

Lobbyist money.

 

[speculawyer]

Heartland put out this image touting their experts.

Desmogblog looked up the papers that these 'experts' have written . . . or not written as it mostly turned out:

Oh . . . and that one guy, Willie Soon, who is listed with 10 papers. It turns out he was more than a million in fossil fuel money to complete his 'deliverables' (climate change skeptical papers) and did not disclose that fact.


The climate change denial industry is a huge fraud on the public. It is basically the same play as the tobacco industry . . . just deny, deny, deny, and muddy the waters. It turns out that many of the same people worked on both campaigns.

Naomi's excellent book on the topic . . . also later adapted into a movie.

 

[HylianTom]

Heartland, the people that brought us this ad campaign

"I ate my own poop last night!"

.

 

[DD]

There was a incredibly dumb and short sighted Stossel segment on fox news my dad was watching that was talking about exactly this, it made me incredibly frustrated. They were saying we 'don't know for sure' if the warming earth is bad for the environment and we should focus on 'more important' things instead besides clean energy.