On November 23, while speaking in Greece, Al Gore admitted: "First-generation ethanol, I think, was a mistake." And whose mistake was it, Mr. Gore? In 1994, it was Gore himself who ended a 50-50 tie in the Senate by voting in favor of an ethanol tax credit that added almost $5 billion to the federal deficit last year. And that number doesn't include the many ways in which corn-based ethanol mandates drive up the price of food and livestock feed. Whether Gore meant well or not can be debated, but according to Reuters, Gore also said, "One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president." Why should we believe anything this man has to say? He is a joke.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A moment of Algore honesty
On November 23, while speaking in Greece, Al Gore admitted: "First-generation ethanol, I think, was a mistake." And whose mistake was it, Mr. Gore? In 1994, it was Gore himself who ended a 50-50 tie in the Senate by voting in favor of an ethanol tax credit that added almost $5 billion to the federal deficit last year. And that number doesn't include the many ways in which corn-based ethanol mandates drive up the price of food and livestock feed. Whether Gore meant well or not can be debated, but according to Reuters, Gore also said, "One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president." Why should we believe anything this man has to say? He is a joke.
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6 comments:
I am no fan of Mr. Gore, nor am I a big global warnming believer, but I don't think he voted for anything more than allowing the EPA to start requiring oxygenated fuel in cars. I don't know if part of that vote included a $5 billion tax creditor not. Where did you get that info from? From what I have read we started subsidizing ethanol in 1979 and have increased it over the years, especially during the last decade.
As for a politician voting for something that might garner votes over what might be right for the country....I am surprised he admitted it. I mean, it's not like Gore is the only one who has ever done that. The bigger question going forward is, will the Congress extend all these subsidies for ethanol that are due to expire at the end of this year?
On September 3, 1994, an amendment was proposed to impose a limitation on the use of funding to promulgate, implement, or enforce an EPA regulation mandating a specified percentage market share for ethanol oxygenates in reformulated gasoline. The amendment was defeated in a 51-50 vote. It has been suggested that the result of that amendment being defeated is the expenditure of an additional 5billion federal dollars.
No one is suggesting that Algore is the only politician in history to support something because it benefits his constituents or because he is seeking to curry favor with those whose votes he is hoping to get. The point is, Algore is now admitting that he never really favored ethanol because it would help him save the planet, he did it for his own political purposes. I give him credit for now owning up to this. It might be nice if a few others would follow his lead. Ethanol is a travesty.
yea, but you could also put that alleged $5 billion at the feet of any of the 50 who voted the same as Gore. Let's face it, it was a great move for any midwestern corn state. As I said earlier, what will they do now that all this is expiring. Will all these fiscally responsible politicians end the subsidies is or keep them going for their constituents?
by the way, Gore is a total idiot. He was 6 years away from running for prez, so saying what he said was just plain dumb, honest, but pretty dumb.
Tom, the point is, this amendment was a dead tie. It was Algore alone who had the power to swing it either way. He was the Anthony Kennedy of the Senate, which gave him a unique power.
But, I am happey to lay this at the feet of the other 50 Senators. They are:
Akaka (D-HI)
Bond (R-MO)
Bryan (D-NV)
Bumpers (D-AR)
Burns (R-MT)
Campbell (D-CO)
Chafee (R-RI)
Coats (R-IN)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
Danforth (R-MO)
Daschle (D-SD)
DeConcini (D-AZ)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dole (R-KS)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durenberger (R-MN)
Exon (D-NE)
Feingold (D-WI)
Ford (D-KY)
Glenn (D-OH)
Gorton (R-WA)
Grassley (R-IA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Helms (R-NC)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (R-VT)
Kassebaum (R-KS)
Kempthorne (R-ID)
Kerrey (D-NE)
Kohl (D-WI)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lugar (R-IN)
Mathews (D-TN)
McConnell (R-Ky)
Metzenbaum (D-OH)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Moseley-Braun (D-IL)
Packwood (R-OR)
Pressler (R-SD)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Riegle (D-MI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Sasser (D-TN)
Simon (D-IL)
Thurmond (R-SC)
Wellstone (D-MN)
What an odd ball assortment of scoundrels, misfits, and political hacks.
Well, the constitution says he breaks ties. I will at least give him credit for coming clean 16 years later.
so we compare this list with who votes for extension this time around (if there is a vote) and then we can see who the real "odd ball assortment of scoundrels, misfits, and political hacks" are that have stayed around the last 16 years.
Or, will they just stick it in some obscure bill and hope no one notices?
Algore: Profile in courage.
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