Sunday we all got a chuckle (or a scare depending on your world view) from the Superbowl Green Police commercial. Some thought it was fine satire, others thought it hit a little too close to reality.
After watching this report about Cathy Zoi in the Obama administration, perhaps the “too close to reality” worry has merit. In this report from John Stossel, she visualizes and vocalizes the need for “swat teams” in neighborhoods to enforce energy efficiency retrofits for homes and businesses.
Zoi, formerly of the “Alliance for Climate Protection”, formerly Al Gore’s point person for his “Repower America” nationwide campaign, now heads up Obama’s DOE energy efficiency/renewables division.
Cathy Zoi, center, Al Gore, at right. Photo via Flickr
Treehugger has a report on her move from GORE to DOE.
So why is John Stossel reporting about her? It seems some cronyism might be afoot related to company that’s been getting some government handouts as part of the “stimulus”. Watch John Stossel’s eye opening report below.
I should add that I’m all for energy efficiency, which I demonstrate with deeds, but I’m against “swat teams” forcing retrofits on homeowners. People are smart enough to make a change if it will save energy and thus money.
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Al’s song:
♪♪♪”When I was just a little boy
I asked my mother what shall I be
Shall I be handsome, shall I be rich?
This is what my mother said:
Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be,
the future it’s not ours to see,
but, president you won’t be, won´t be…
Que sera, sera?,
What will be will be…..♪♪♪
@Henry:
The clip is from the Stossel episode about Crony Capitalism. Nobody disputed the facts about Zoi and her connections to “Serious Windows” through her husband.
Isn’t even the appearance of favoritism enough? How about documented actual favoritism? How is it “Serious Windows” gets such favorable treatment (again, undisputed) while companies that make identical windows get nothing?
I wish you had bothered to know some facts before weighing in.
Brilliant!!! Al Gore as Police Commissioner!!!!
Zombie… Consider yourself posted!
… at Sonicfrog
You are absolutely right, this ain’t capitalism. I did not want to be the first to use the “f-word” (fascism) that that is exactly what this is.
It is perfectly fine to make money, even large sums of money, as long as your business is officially “approved.” Having influential friends in government doesn’t hurt, either.
I don’t keep up with American corporate-political tie-ups so forgivr the naieve question. How much money is wrapped up in this windows business compared to (say) the Haliburton scandals?
[ahem]
Ms Zoi is my fourth level superior at the US Department of Energy, where I work as general engineer in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
As skeptical as I am, to the point of being irascible about it, I point out, that there are two sides to every story, and the story from Ms Zoi and her husband’s window company is much different.
Anyway, “swat teams” are simply hyped lingo for community rebuild programs, and we can’t really read any “para-military” connotation etc in this type of wording.
{really!]
Link to Zoi’s swat statement.
http://eco-converts.blogspot.com/2010/01/swat-teams-and-climate-change-go-hand.html
Rachel Maddow on stimulus: “Government gives money to company so they can ramp up production. That’s how it works…”
Rachel forgot the most important word ……….. “your”, as in “Government gives YOUR money to company…..”
Dumbass still thinks the government has it’s own money!
Although the bad science is being exposed to the light of day at last, it is this sort of corruption and lining of pockets which will bring the Obama administration crashing down.
These sort of people are so arrogant that they think they are bullet proof, but history proves they are living on borrowed time.
We are many, but they are few.
As this thread seems to have morphed from Anthonys original intent, (the SWAT team element). Can I say that government endorsement of one company is at the least discomforting?
DaveE.
zombiehellmonkey (11:21:55) :
You’re a naughty monkey 😉
The AGW social movement is not at all unique. At its heart small groups of people are making large sums of money. A few people misuse their social stature and influence to sell obviously bogus stuff to believers who choose to suspend their critical thinking skills. Apocalyptic claptrap is always interesting. Gore is a specialist in claptrap. that one of his protege’s can use his influence to gain access to serious government power is not surprising at all.
Actually, the (Audi’s title) “Green Car” ad deserves most credit IMO for the hilarious last scene – where the Green Police roll up on the street cops and bust ’em for Styrofoam cups. I could not stop laughing at this.
I don’t mind Obama trying to grow jobs with energy efficiency as long as they are real jobs. He has to do a better job himself of spreading the love around. If every window company makes efficient windows – don’t they get a piece of pie?
Oh, FYI for our friends in CCP, the Audi advert was created by San Francisco’s hot ad agency Venables Bell & Partners. Offices not far from Al Gore’s waterfront town house. These guys seem unafraid to call the spades and remind us that market-based trade is doing just fine in the USA.
Is a little bit of corruption OK, or just a lot? Does the amount of money matter?
Does it matter that Chaney no longer worked at Haliburton? Does it matter that no other American company could do much of the work that Haliburton was contracted to do?
I have not heard anybody imply the Obama administration invented cronyism. I also do not see the point of arguing over what the last administration did or did not do. Bush, Chaney, Rumsfeld are out.
@ur momisugly Brian G Valentine (12:24:48) :
Well, please tell us the other side of the story then! I saw the Stossel segment and the official reply was Zoi was careful to ensure no conflict of interest (I am paraphrasing, of course).
Most taxpayers see it differently. Please explain how this is not cronyism, pay for play or pay-back for Obama political supporters. The floor is yours
Henry (08:24:21) :
Come on! I like this site for its attention to reality, and use of real facts.
Henry, what was factually wrong with the commentary?
Zombiemonkey – why can’t you be like the rest of the primates?? Consider the other fellow:
http://xrl.in/4ha6
Just a little more about cronyism. Don’t you just love this one! How much worse can it get?
“Today, even though President Obama is against off shore drilling for our country, he signed an executive order to loan 2 Billion of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for oil off the coast of Brazil! The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole purpose and use of China and NOT THE USA! Now here’s the real clincher…the Chinese government is under contract to purchase all the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of barrels of oil”.
We have absolutely no gain from this transaction whatsoever! Wait, it gets more interesting.
Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this Brazilian Oil Company and who would benefit most from this? It is American BILLIONAIRE, George Soros, who was one of President Obama’s most generous financial supporter during his campaign.
If you are able to connect the dots and follow the money, you are probably as upset as I am. Not a word of this transaction was broadcast on any of the other news networks!
Forward this factual e-mail to others who care about this country and where it is going. Also, let all of your Government representatives know how you feel about this. Below is the Wall street Journal article to confirm this.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html
Technocracy at work, through the arm of fascism.
As I see it, the facts are these:
EERE was appointed by the Congress to administer “stimulus grants” to communities to help create some jobs – at the same time, have an energy efficiency bent to them.
Zoi was probably put under the gun to get up a “feel-good” story about the stimulus grants, so she probably came up with her husband’s company (too quickly) which received a tax break (not money) that would supply windows to a community grant recipient to install them in housing projects etc. The window company hired people back to work to make the windows that would go to the community projects.
Then the Obama admin grabbed the story and interpreted it as the stimulus grants putting people back to work.
All of it true.
Should Zoi have ensured that her husband’s company was the last place the Obama admin would turn for a feel good story? Sure. Should Zoi have made it absolutely clear that her husband was involved with this feel good story if the story was indeed advertised by the Obama admin? Yes.
I remain (violently) opposed to the promotion of energy efficiency based on the false premises of AGW, other than that, I’m in no position to cast stones at people’s integrity, and not because I have anything to feel ashamed about, either.
Hansen’s taking cash for speaking to advocate groups is another matter, however, and I’ll throw stones at that.
Ray (09:45:05) :
Firetruck? What has that got to do with it…..
Brian, facts do not begin “probably”. You were asked for the facts of the matter and gave only your opinion.
@ur momisugly Erik The Viking (10:27:02) :
@ur momisuglyJonesII (09:59:30)
‘“More than a neighbour will become a “friendly” whistle blower like it happens in Cuba or in Venezuela.”
..or DDR
Das Leben der Anderen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others‘
A council in GB’s GB have tried to set up neighbourhood spies of this type, to report anti-social behaviour and various other vaguely defined problems. Don’t know whether this project has ever got off the ground . Still, saves the Old Bill having to do any actual crimestopping.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6530518/Council-accused-of-recruiting-army-of-2000-snoopers.html
You’re probably right, Phil.
: )
Curiousgeorge (08:36:58) :
Wrong buttom.
Meant to say by the time an eco-swat team had marched up the other 1/4 mile or longer driveways (after jumping fences or gates marked no trespassing) there wouldn’t be any left for me to deal with.