I know Cherise and she lives a lifestyle that is very sustainable compared to most people!!! She is just pointing out that there is a real effort to distract the public with misleading information and outright lies at times by industries that benefit from our addiction to oil and other non-renewable energy sources. The point is that we need to see through the big $$$$$ advertising and seek ways to create more renewable energy sources. We need to fund research and development to further renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies. Don't tell me that the government should stay out of creating clean energy either! "An examination of the American tax code indicates that oil production is among the most heavily subsidized businesses, with tax breaks available at virtually every stage of the exploration and extraction process." (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/bus...)
Another notorious funder of misleading advertising is done by Americans for Prosperity, which David Koch of Koch Industries co-founded. With annual revenues over $100 billion, America’s second largest privately held company is owned by brothers Charles and David Koch. Koch Industries owns oil refineries in Alaska, Texas and Minnesota, controls about 4,000 miles of pipelines, and manufactures products of well-known brands such as Dixie Cups and Brawny Towels. Called a “powerhouse among conservative advocacy groups” by The Washington Post, this organization actively opposes clean energy solutions, denies the science behind climate change, and helped foment the Tea Party movement's attacks on clean energy. (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thef...). Koch Industries spent nearly $17 million lobbying Congress in the last two years, and more than $48 million funding climate deniers from 1997 to 2008. (Senate Office Public Records, last accessed August 1, 2010). ARE THOSE ENOUGH FACTS, Mr. Fleming!?! We could publish a lot more facts if necessary to get the point across.
Mr. Terry Fleming’s LTE headline would more appropriately be titled, Energy Producers: I Work for Them Mr. Fleming is a registered lobbyist for the petroleum industry, working for the Ohio Petroleum Council, (http://ohiolobby.org/fleming-terry-p/) and recently organized one of those faux “grassroots” events for the front group called ENERGY CITIZENS in Lima, OH (http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-...). His credibility is called into question here. Additionally, he never really refutes anything Cherise stated in her letter to the editor. He in fact admits to the “advertising” of his industry by stating that they have an obligation to keep “Americans informed of our energy reality” – more like energy nightmare! He also said that “Oil and natural gas companies represent some 9.2 million Americans whose livelihoods depend on the industry’s ability to deliver a reliable and affordable supply of energy to American consumers,” which sounds nice until you recount the recent disasters that prove it is not so reliable and tragically destroyed the livelihood of many of its own employees not to mention those in the community’s impacted by the disasters (ex. Gulf Coast area). Even one of the unions that represent a large sector of the oil refinery industry’s workers, the United Steelworkers, have recently been critical of the industry’s health and safety record: http://www.usw.org/media_center/relea... Mr. Fleming’s Ohio Petroleum Council is affiliated with the notorious American Petroleum Institute, the main trade organization for the U.S. oil and gas industry, working to defend oil companies and their interests. API funds advertising and promotes government policies that many oil and gas companies support, even if the companies are embarrassed to associate themselves by name. For example, API complains of an unlevel playing field on tax rates for the oil industry, despite the fact that the industry is one of the most heavily subsidized in the nation. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/bus...). API staged public "Energy Citizens" rallies to provide the appearance of public support for the oil industry, even though many of the people who attend the rallies are energy company employees. (http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwir...) CONTINUE TO NEXT POST...
Excellent points made in this article. The current power structure is not working to advance a progressive, responsible economic revitalization of Youngstown. Holding onto or vying for power for the sake of power does not improve one's community. I am happy to see that there are several groups of organized citizens working to create positive change. However, we need to become more inclusive and diverse, more politically savvy, and increase the level of our organization efforts to be truly collaborative in order to effectively hold policy-makers and city government more accountable. Make the local politicians work for us! Or support the development of NEW leadership and vote them into office!
The siren song of big oil
I know Cherise and she lives a lifestyle that is very sustainable compared to most people!!! She is just pointing out that there is a real effort to distract the public with misleading information and outright lies at times by industries that benefit from our addiction to oil and other non-renewable energy sources. The point is that we need to see through the big $$$$$ advertising and seek ways to create more renewable energy sources. We need to fund research and development to further renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies. Don't tell me that the government should stay out of creating clean energy either! "An examination of the American tax code indicates that oil production is among the most heavily subsidized businesses, with tax breaks available at virtually every stage of the exploration and extraction process." (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/bus...)
November 12, 2010 at 2:49 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Energy producers work for you
Another notorious funder of misleading advertising is done by Americans for Prosperity, which David Koch of Koch Industries co-founded. With annual revenues over $100 billion, America’s second largest privately held company is owned by brothers Charles and David Koch. Koch Industries owns oil refineries in Alaska, Texas and Minnesota, controls about 4,000 miles of pipelines, and manufactures products of well-known brands such as Dixie Cups and Brawny Towels. Called a “powerhouse among conservative advocacy groups” by The Washington Post, this organization actively opposes clean energy solutions, denies the science behind climate change, and helped foment the Tea Party movement's attacks on clean energy. (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thef...). Koch Industries spent nearly $17 million lobbying Congress in the last two years, and more than $48 million funding climate deniers from 1997 to 2008. (Senate Office Public Records, last accessed August 1, 2010).
ARE THOSE ENOUGH FACTS, Mr. Fleming!?! We could publish a lot more facts if necessary to get the point across.
November 12, 2010 at 2:16 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Energy producers work for you
Mr. Terry Fleming’s LTE headline would more appropriately be titled, Energy Producers: I Work for Them
Mr. Fleming is a registered lobbyist for the petroleum industry, working for the Ohio Petroleum Council, (http://ohiolobby.org/fleming-terry-p/) and recently organized one of those faux “grassroots” events for the front group called ENERGY CITIZENS in Lima, OH (http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-...). His credibility is called into question here. Additionally, he never really refutes anything Cherise stated in her letter to the editor. He in fact admits to the “advertising” of his industry by stating that they have an obligation to keep “Americans informed of our energy reality” – more like energy nightmare! He also said that “Oil and natural gas companies represent some 9.2 million Americans whose livelihoods depend on the industry’s ability to deliver a reliable and affordable supply of energy to American consumers,” which sounds nice until you recount the recent disasters that prove it is not so reliable and tragically destroyed the livelihood of many of its own employees not to mention those in the community’s impacted by the disasters (ex. Gulf Coast area). Even one of the unions that represent a large sector of the oil refinery industry’s workers, the United Steelworkers, have recently been critical of the industry’s health and safety record: http://www.usw.org/media_center/relea...
Mr. Fleming’s Ohio Petroleum Council is affiliated with the notorious American Petroleum Institute, the main trade organization for the U.S. oil and gas industry, working to defend oil companies and their interests. API funds advertising and promotes government policies that many oil and gas companies support, even if the companies are embarrassed to associate themselves by name. For example, API complains of an unlevel playing field on tax rates for the oil industry, despite the fact that the industry is one of the most heavily subsidized in the nation. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/bus...). API staged public "Energy Citizens" rallies to provide the appearance of public support for the oil industry, even though many of the people who attend the rallies are energy company employees. (http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwir...)
CONTINUE TO NEXT POST...
November 12, 2010 at 2:15 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Deconstructing City Council
Excellent points made in this article. The current power structure is not working to advance a progressive, responsible economic revitalization of Youngstown. Holding onto or vying for power for the sake of power does not improve one's community. I am happy to see that there are several groups of organized citizens working to create positive change. However, we need to become more inclusive and diverse, more politically savvy, and increase the level of our organization efforts to be truly collaborative in order to effectively hold policy-makers and city government more accountable. Make the local politicians work for us! Or support the development of NEW leadership and vote them into office!
November 23, 2009 at 9:49 p.m. permalink suggest removal