When I was a child, I was extremely shy. This, of course, made me a natural target for bullies at kindergarten. I didn’t have it as bad as others because I tried, and succeeded, to be as invisible as possible but from my current point of view I had good reason to have grievances. These could be voiced in one of two ways and, I believe, nothing has changed in this area over the past 30 or so years.
Nothing like seeing my darling state (Vermont), once again leading the way (to perdition).
I have great admiration for Phil Scott. When the former governor, Shumlin, was leading a vote to shut down Vermont Yankee, Scott was one of only four state senators who voted against shutting it. He has a lot of courage.
I think Scott is somewhat worn out with battling the Democratic supermajority that can override his veto. I think he chooses his wording very carefully, in the hopes that some Dems will not join the supermajority.
Despite being a Republican, Scott is popular in Vermont. We are also the home state the home of Bernie Sanders, after all. I think Scott would lose any chance of influencing policy if he always spoke as strongly Republicans would like him to speak.
“Hugues Falys would have blamed that supermajor for his misfortunes, the likes of which no farmer from preindustrial times has ever experienced, of course.”
The farmers of the devastating Dust Bowl era experienced much more misfortune than this farmer. Most of them lost everything to the most extreme weather that region has ever seen on record. I even knew a woman whose husband went out to the field one morning and got caught in a sandstorm. His body was found days later in a sand drift. I doubt if she would think this modern farmer’s “misfortunes” were worse than any previous farmers have ever experienced.
The person who stabs their victim is guilty of the crime - not the person who makes the knife or who sells it. Likewise, we are all guilty of causing climate change by using hydrocarbons and products made from hydrocarbons (which is just about most stuff). We would all get pretty angry if we were denied access to hydrocarbon products.
You know I just can't remember being bullied - but like most things I don't like - I just instantly ignore and forget them! Sorry you were, but it didn't hurt too much later... did it?
But being in the trenches fighting solar, brings a whole other dimension to the term bullying. The lying, cheating and shear depth of the deception is just breath taking! Your description of Vermont uses less petroleum.... but actually the fact is they use more per capita.... but simple omissions are not lies - right?
The same story from the wind, solar and battery gallery right now is that they are saving the day and look how much of a percentage they are on the grid.... (in Texas... that's all I know...)
look deeper - it's spring - low daily demand - it is mandated wind and solar be used first (RPS adopted in 1999), nuclear is at just over 1/2 capacity, coal about 1/3 and gas is at about 9-10%.
Good time for scheduled maintenance before summer.
So the bully in the room is the renewables industry - they know they can get away with anything and try to cover up whatever they don't want you to know.
They have to do environmental studies for the EPA I am told, or at least a review - but if you ever want to see their review - good luck, you are not going to get it.
I can do the same review by pulling up Texas Parks and Wildlife for the county!
They do have decommissioning plans and a bond with the owner... from a few who have told me - they are not enough - but owners are not in the know of what it will take....
They do have recycling plans...
They do have drainage plans...
No they are non-toxic panels - just glass made out of sand.... (right!!!)
No it is not a conflict of interesting if the voting board member leased to another solar facility.... or their father leased....
Yes they can give you a non-participating lease worth hundreds of thousands, but you have to shut up and not say another word....
They don't tell you that this lease agreement is null and void when the company sells....
They want to be a big part of the community and donate to the church or youth 4-H and then the funds don't actually materialize for that purpose....
do I need to go on....
NO - they are the bully in the room and think they can buy everything and every one and you know they are mostly right on that one!
Imagine how much the poor farmers back would hurt if he were plowing with a team of oxen, or pulling the plow himself instead of driving that air conditioned tractor.
I sometimes wonder why the energy companies don’t fight back. OK, Vermont. We see the problems our product has caused. We are sorry. We will immediately shut down operations in Vermont and encourage other energy companies to do the same to prevent more damage and suffering.
You've hit the nail on the head. Victimology is the force behind every bulling action. If you feel powerless, you will be and once there, you'll be happy to give authority to anyone who will beat up your bully.
Subsidies, counter-subsidies, rebates, ad nauseam - all forced by government. Frederic Bastiat had it right: "The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else."
I love the "subsidies" that oil companies receive, like depreciation and depletion being deducted as expenses in the operation of their business before computing tax owed on remaining profit.......like every other business is allowed. Oh, just like those taxpayer funded direct payments made to the solar and wind companies, right? Not quite by a long shot! Then again there's this inconvenient truth:
"The state has no oil or gas industry but over half of the energy consumed in it is petroleum-based, per the EIA, with figures for 2021. Not only that but “Although the state uses less petroleum than all the other states, Vermont uses more petroleum per capita than almost two-thirds of the states.” Well, isn’t that interesting."
Oh Bernie, didn't your mother tell you that when you point your accusatory finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you? Apparently not.
The solution to the problem, if you believe that oil and gas are causing catastrophes, is to stop using oil and gas and anything made by or using oil and gas.
Irina; The land and oceans are heating up rapidly, rapidly in the context of years/decades not hundreds or thousands of years, who knows at what point the ocean currents will change dramatically. The Artic ice sheets are melting, rapidly, but maybe don’t appear to when viewed from above, they’re melting from beneath, accelerated by warmer water. Where I’ve lived for over 50 years we use to have frosts, especially air frosts regularly in winter, frosts are now rare, air frosts rarer. And snow, every year light to heavy, one, two, thee, four feet arriving several times through a winter. From 1970’s it was noticeable things weather wise were changing. For last seven years we’ve had light snow, like 6 inches max, but gone within 24 hours. This year to date we haven’t had any, if we don’t it’ll be eight years of little to no snow.
I’m not saying we should stop burning FREE FINITE Flammable Fossils (FFFF). Coal, Oil and Gas have allowed us to in my lifetime to grow a population from 2.5 billion to 8 billion and maybe higher, but our carbon footprint print means we’ve overshot the Earth sustainability by around 3 Earth Planets. We absolutely need those FFFF’s, but they’re FINITE and rapidly depleting, those in the know, know, so not investing. What government, especially a democratic government, wants to tell its citizens the bad news, so instead they’ll print money, one in particular USA, after all its the reserve currency the petrodollar hiding the real cost of FFFF’s especially Oil which Coal and Gas costs are dependent on. By 2035 it will be obvious to all what’s happening, there’s nothing we (humanity) can do. The Baby Boomers and Gen X should live their lives to the full, because the generations after will pay our hedonistic lifestyle c/o FFFF’s with their lives🤔
Well, this goes to show, the Super Majors are all in the crosshairs of every movement that roams the earth. As they all try to build out on renewable energy, spending billions of new technology for carbon capture (a dud), emissions controls, funding environmental groups - they still get nailed! As we all know, the bullies don't stop until you stand up, and for the Super Major's that is something they will never do.
They should sue the sun for fusioning so damn much. It's really the root cause of all these "problems".
Great essay!
Nothing like seeing my darling state (Vermont), once again leading the way (to perdition).
I have great admiration for Phil Scott. When the former governor, Shumlin, was leading a vote to shut down Vermont Yankee, Scott was one of only four state senators who voted against shutting it. He has a lot of courage.
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/video-why-sen-phil-scott-voted-to-relicense-vermont-yankee-2180179
I think Scott is somewhat worn out with battling the Democratic supermajority that can override his veto. I think he chooses his wording very carefully, in the hopes that some Dems will not join the supermajority.
Despite being a Republican, Scott is popular in Vermont. We are also the home state the home of Bernie Sanders, after all. I think Scott would lose any chance of influencing policy if he always spoke as strongly Republicans would like him to speak.
“Hugues Falys would have blamed that supermajor for his misfortunes, the likes of which no farmer from preindustrial times has ever experienced, of course.”
The farmers of the devastating Dust Bowl era experienced much more misfortune than this farmer. Most of them lost everything to the most extreme weather that region has ever seen on record. I even knew a woman whose husband went out to the field one morning and got caught in a sandstorm. His body was found days later in a sand drift. I doubt if she would think this modern farmer’s “misfortunes” were worse than any previous farmers have ever experienced.
Great article!!
"The victim is the perpetrator and the perpetrator is the victim"
The person who stabs their victim is guilty of the crime - not the person who makes the knife or who sells it. Likewise, we are all guilty of causing climate change by using hydrocarbons and products made from hydrocarbons (which is just about most stuff). We would all get pretty angry if we were denied access to hydrocarbon products.
You know I just can't remember being bullied - but like most things I don't like - I just instantly ignore and forget them! Sorry you were, but it didn't hurt too much later... did it?
But being in the trenches fighting solar, brings a whole other dimension to the term bullying. The lying, cheating and shear depth of the deception is just breath taking! Your description of Vermont uses less petroleum.... but actually the fact is they use more per capita.... but simple omissions are not lies - right?
The same story from the wind, solar and battery gallery right now is that they are saving the day and look how much of a percentage they are on the grid.... (in Texas... that's all I know...)
look deeper - it's spring - low daily demand - it is mandated wind and solar be used first (RPS adopted in 1999), nuclear is at just over 1/2 capacity, coal about 1/3 and gas is at about 9-10%.
Good time for scheduled maintenance before summer.
So the bully in the room is the renewables industry - they know they can get away with anything and try to cover up whatever they don't want you to know.
They have to do environmental studies for the EPA I am told, or at least a review - but if you ever want to see their review - good luck, you are not going to get it.
I can do the same review by pulling up Texas Parks and Wildlife for the county!
They do have decommissioning plans and a bond with the owner... from a few who have told me - they are not enough - but owners are not in the know of what it will take....
They do have recycling plans...
They do have drainage plans...
No they are non-toxic panels - just glass made out of sand.... (right!!!)
No it is not a conflict of interesting if the voting board member leased to another solar facility.... or their father leased....
Yes they can give you a non-participating lease worth hundreds of thousands, but you have to shut up and not say another word....
They don't tell you that this lease agreement is null and void when the company sells....
They want to be a big part of the community and donate to the church or youth 4-H and then the funds don't actually materialize for that purpose....
do I need to go on....
NO - they are the bully in the room and think they can buy everything and every one and you know they are mostly right on that one!
Imagine how much the poor farmers back would hurt if he were plowing with a team of oxen, or pulling the plow himself instead of driving that air conditioned tractor.
I sometimes wonder why the energy companies don’t fight back. OK, Vermont. We see the problems our product has caused. We are sorry. We will immediately shut down operations in Vermont and encourage other energy companies to do the same to prevent more damage and suffering.
Liked the bully analogy. Nice piece.
You've hit the nail on the head. Victimology is the force behind every bulling action. If you feel powerless, you will be and once there, you'll be happy to give authority to anyone who will beat up your bully.
Subsidies, counter-subsidies, rebates, ad nauseam - all forced by government. Frederic Bastiat had it right: "The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else."
Excellent! Keep up the good work!
I love the "subsidies" that oil companies receive, like depreciation and depletion being deducted as expenses in the operation of their business before computing tax owed on remaining profit.......like every other business is allowed. Oh, just like those taxpayer funded direct payments made to the solar and wind companies, right? Not quite by a long shot! Then again there's this inconvenient truth:
"The state has no oil or gas industry but over half of the energy consumed in it is petroleum-based, per the EIA, with figures for 2021. Not only that but “Although the state uses less petroleum than all the other states, Vermont uses more petroleum per capita than almost two-thirds of the states.” Well, isn’t that interesting."
Oh Bernie, didn't your mother tell you that when you point your accusatory finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you? Apparently not.
The solution to the problem, if you believe that oil and gas are causing catastrophes, is to stop using oil and gas and anything made by or using oil and gas.
See how that works out.
Great article, thank you!
Irina; The land and oceans are heating up rapidly, rapidly in the context of years/decades not hundreds or thousands of years, who knows at what point the ocean currents will change dramatically. The Artic ice sheets are melting, rapidly, but maybe don’t appear to when viewed from above, they’re melting from beneath, accelerated by warmer water. Where I’ve lived for over 50 years we use to have frosts, especially air frosts regularly in winter, frosts are now rare, air frosts rarer. And snow, every year light to heavy, one, two, thee, four feet arriving several times through a winter. From 1970’s it was noticeable things weather wise were changing. For last seven years we’ve had light snow, like 6 inches max, but gone within 24 hours. This year to date we haven’t had any, if we don’t it’ll be eight years of little to no snow.
I’m not saying we should stop burning FREE FINITE Flammable Fossils (FFFF). Coal, Oil and Gas have allowed us to in my lifetime to grow a population from 2.5 billion to 8 billion and maybe higher, but our carbon footprint print means we’ve overshot the Earth sustainability by around 3 Earth Planets. We absolutely need those FFFF’s, but they’re FINITE and rapidly depleting, those in the know, know, so not investing. What government, especially a democratic government, wants to tell its citizens the bad news, so instead they’ll print money, one in particular USA, after all its the reserve currency the petrodollar hiding the real cost of FFFF’s especially Oil which Coal and Gas costs are dependent on. By 2035 it will be obvious to all what’s happening, there’s nothing we (humanity) can do. The Baby Boomers and Gen X should live their lives to the full, because the generations after will pay our hedonistic lifestyle c/o FFFF’s with their lives🤔
E&OE
Well, this goes to show, the Super Majors are all in the crosshairs of every movement that roams the earth. As they all try to build out on renewable energy, spending billions of new technology for carbon capture (a dud), emissions controls, funding environmental groups - they still get nailed! As we all know, the bullies don't stop until you stand up, and for the Super Major's that is something they will never do.