Greatest Scam in History
Calling it the “Greatest scam in history” may not be a stretch. The founder of the Weather Channel had this to say:
It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create in [sic] allusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the “research” to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus.
…
I have read dozens of scientific papers. I have talked with numerous scientists. I have studied. I have thought about it. I know I am correct. There is no run away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril. I am incensed by the incredible media glamour, the politically correct silliness and rude dismissal of counter arguments by the high priest of Global Warming.
In time, a decade or two, the outrageous scam will be obvious.
I always thought the world’s largest scam was the MMM pyramid scheme.
Another huge scam, which is somewhat related to global warming, is ethanol. Even Consumer Reports all but called it bogus in an edition about 18 months ago. John McCain used to rail against it as pork barrel politics (which should now be renamed “corn bushel politics”) but now loves it since many think that his downfall eight years ago was the trouncing that Bush gave him in Iowa — corn country. The only economically viable form of ethanol right now is cane sugar ethanol which the US has placed large tariffs on to protect US corn farmers. In short, Ethanol (e85) is not about energy independence or greenhouse gases, but all about politics.
Comment by Russophile — November 9, 2007 @ 11:23 pm
Well, I’d obviously say that organized religion is the greatest scam in history. At the very least, it’s the oldest.
Anyway, ethanol is not, in and of itself, evil. For example, Brazil runs its cars on ethanol, and they’re doing just fine. In the long term, ethanol and biodiesel are better fuels than gasoline, because oil is not a renewable resource, which means it will keep getting more expensive with time (I could also say than oil is not carbon-neutral, but, since global warming has been declared a myth by Republicans, we don’t have to worry. Whew ! dodged that bullet).
The problem is not with ethanol, but with where you get it. In Brazil, you can get it from sugarcane, which is plentiful there and produces tons of it. Getting ethanol from corn is a lot less efficient — at least, not by conventional methods. For North America, which has a colder climate, the best bet for producing ethanol is making it from cellulose. Cellulose is what plants are mostly made of — and, at present, most of it ends up being wasted.
Cellulose can be refined into alcohol, but the current bacteria don’t find it tasty enough for it to be commercially viable. Lots of people (such as Monsanto) are researching ways to make it more viable; other people are bypassing plants altogether and are going directly to algae, which might actually be a better source of ethanol than plants… time will tell.
Comment by Bugmaster — November 10, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
You really think it is a scam? Since George Bush says it is real and human caused and so does John McCain why do you think these great leaders are scamming you?
Comment by Brian — November 11, 2007 @ 12:49 pm
I think Global Warming is real. Ethanol as a whole is not a scam. As Bugmaster mentioned ethanol from sugar cane is great, but it currently costs more energy to produce ethanol in the US than the energy that is harnessed for fuel. Large tariffs are placed on ethanol from sugar cane (efficient ethanol) to bolster corn and huge subsidies are paid ethanol producers to make the most inefficient form of ethanol around. Furthermore, corn for fuel is not “free” — Corn is the feedstock for cattle so ethanol is raising the cost of beef.
Even Consumer Reports recently published a very skeptical article on Ethanol. McCain flip flopped, as I mentioned. He was very negative on ethanol just four years ago because of the large subsidies going to Iowa farmers. He only swapped positions becuase of politics which is not really in the best interest of the American people.
Ethanol in its current form in the US is the emperor’s new clothes. Everyone s afraid to say that they don’t see the clothes due to $3 gas. There are much better alternatives. For example, increasing the CAFE standards (average MPG).
Early Iowa Caucuses = Ethanol from Corn.
Comment by Russophile — November 15, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
Natalia Vodianova Calvin Klein
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.
Trackback by Natalia Vodianova Calvin Klein — November 28, 2007 @ 2:38 am