Anyone watching the 21st Century Flat Earthers on CSPAN now.

[Skidmore]

The Competitive Enterprise Institute is trying real hard to debunk "An Inconvenient Truth." The only thing I've learned from this presentation is that AlGore is one word. Oh, and that they're biggest concern is that addressing global warming will make fuel prices too expensive for the average Joe.

[Trajan]

1. Isnt the 'CEI' ....

Simply a front group for multinational oil conglomerates ?

You know: the kind that George and Dickie Boy adore ?

The kind that manipulates prices and moves to Dubai to avoid paying US taxes on US Income ?

[Skidmore]

2. Looks that way. From wikipedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_Enterprise_Institute

"According to page nine of a report from the CEI contained on the University of California, San Francisco's Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (LTDL), the following companies and foundations were among those listed as supporting CEI's work with annual contributions of at least $10,000, currently the CEI's "Entrepreneurs" level:

Aequus Institute, Amoco Foundation, Inc., Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Coca-Cola Company, E.L. Craig Foundation, CSX Corporation, Earhart Foundation, Fieldstead and Co., FMC Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, Gilder Foundation, Koch Family Foundations (including the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, and Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation), Philip M. McKenna Foundation, Inc., Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Philip Morris Companies, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Precision Valve Corporation, Prince Foundation, Rodney Fund, Sheldon Rose, Scaife Foundations (Carthage Foundation and Sarah Scaife Foundation), and Texaco, Inc. (Texaco Foundation).

The listing on the Philip Morris Glossary of Names: C at the LTDL gives the note "Received public policy grant from Philip Morris (1995); Pro-market public interest group dedicated to advancing the principles of free enterprise and limited government."

ExxonMobil Corporation was a major donor to CEI, with over $2 million in contributions between 1998 and 2005. <8> In 2002 the company gave $405,000;<9> in 2004 it gave CEI $180,000 that was earmarked for "global climate change and global climate change outreach." <4> In 2006, the company announced that they had ended their funding for the group.<10>"

[annabanana]

3. maybe we should ask them. .

http://www.c-span.org/community/submitwj.asp

[tech3149]

4. In an honest world we would be paying over $5;00 a gallon

Much of that would be going to taxes and fees to maintain the roadsa and environment. Sometime soon we have to stop letting companies "externalize" there expenses on the public or the government.