As the results of the Iowa straw poll started to separate the potential presidential candidates from the hopeless ones, Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) announced his intentions to not only run for president, but to lead the pack of presidential hopefuls in extreme anti-environment rhetoric and vocal denial of settled climate science.
Gov. Perry is one of the best-funded politicians in history, in no small part due to Big Oil's funding. Since 1998, the Texas governor has raked in nearly $117,091,642 in campaign contributions -- with over $11 million of those funds coming from Big Oil.
In addition to Perry being Big Oil's $11 million man, corporate polluters have so far received a significant return on their investment in Rick Perry, with the newly anointed candidate doing their bidding and repeating pro-polluter talking points at every opportunity.
The Washington Post examined Perry's environmental record and found that Perry:
Perry goes above and beyond simply denying settled climate science; he has referred to it as "a contrived phony mess" and that climate scientists are part of a "secular carbon cult". Talk about conspiracy theories!
And Perry makes clear that he would take down every environmental and public health protection implemented in our nation if given the chance. One of the first policy positions he's asserted since announcing his candidacy is to call for a "moratorium on all regulations," including EPA safeguards meant to protect the air we breathe and water we drink.
Not altogether surprising considering who's been funding his political career thus far, and it looks like Perry will continue to count dirty energy interests as some of his most loyal campaign contributors during his presidential campaign -- the governor's first stop in New Hampshire was at the Energy Freedom Family Festival in Manchester, an event sponsored by none other than the American Petroleum Institute.
We're predicting there will be plenty of jostling to be the most anti-environment, anti-science candidate with the addition of this Texas governor to the pool of presidential hopefuls. More to come.
Robert Walker: Perry: I'm Against It
Further Thoughts on Rick Perry and the Perry Record
How Rick Perry's Book Proves His Betrayal of Federalism
Rick Perry's "Fed Up!" may actually win him some votes
Perry is wrong on Obama and the military
I think the reasoning on the part of these people is since they don't want to make their millions by being mega-church religious thieves, they go into politics and there they sell themselves like prostitutes to the bidders, line their pockets so that when they leave office they are rich for life. Plus they all have helath insurance. They are taken care of while everyone who is not in their league are just suffering big time.
Wait until Rick P'a'rry or any other Republican candidates got elected to the White House and full control of the Congress and we, Americans, will have to shell out more money from our wallets to pay for gasoline because the GOP leadership will continue to feed our addiction to foreign oils especially coming from the Middle Eastern Islamic countries. The Republicans leadership and their allies will take us down the well-worn path of the past relying heavily on petroleum which is dwindling in supplies world-wide or being controlled by anti-American regimes. Natural resources are finite and won't last forever while the world population continues to dangerously grow on an unsustainable path.
The Republicans leadership and their allies, particularly petroleum and traditional energy industries, don't have a vision for an energy security for America and Americans, not because the lack of resources but because the lack of imagination in American ingenuity and innovation.
Say NO to Republicans to the White House and Congress in 2012!
I just have a problem when I look at wind energy - you know that renewable source the Europeans are so strong on.
In 2000 California had 1616 MW of wind generated electricity and Texas only had 184 MW. By 2010 California almost doubled their generating power to 3177 MW but Texas tripled California with 10085 MW.
Now hasn't Governor Perry been governor since President Bush became President? Did an oil man increase wind energy in his state by greater than 50 times!
Could he not have vetoed some of this increase - slowed it down - or done something - I mean he's an oil man for crying out loud!
Maybe oil men know something about energy? I'll ask my progressive friends.
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp
Look at President George W. Bush. He built that modern efficient home in Texas that shamed Vice President Al Gore to make his home energy efficient.
And then when we gave him veto power on the purse strings he raises subsidies on renewable energy from $1.4 billion in 1999 under President Clinton to $4.9 billion by 2007!
At the same time petroleum & natural gas subsidies stayed the about the same around $2 billion over the same period.
http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/subsidy2/pdf/execsum.pdf
Meanwhile subsidies for petroleum & natural gas under President Obama I hear is approaching $3 billion this year!
What's up with that?
Maybe Governor Perry will raise renewable energy another 3 and a half times like President Bush. I mean the truth is it appears he can't do worse than President Obama.
Seems in politics up is down and down is up!
Just in case you missed it the GOP/TP said eliminating those subsidies would be a tax and they will not allow the energy companies to have to pay more.
A great article in Forbes Magazine was talking about how President Obama was right and that we are to inefficient in obtaining oil here in America and the subsidies should be eliminated. Now what Forbes is talking about is to make Big oil stronger! Is that what we really want? Hey under President Obama the U.S. is less than 50% dependent on foreign oil for the first time since the 90's!