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Originally Posted by Zachstar
Unethical? BS he is a private citizen who pushed for green tech. He has been out of the white house for close to a decade now.
That is like saying Boeing is profiting off military contracts it supports.. um ok?
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I think you are mostly correct about this ZS. No one can blame Gore for taking advantage of market trends, or for privately pushing his climate change agenda. He should, and does, have the right to do those things.
However, his behaviour, and the behaviour of other leaders of the "green" movement becomes unethical when they begin pushing for legislation to promote their industry, which Gore has on multiple occassions and by multiple methods. He is taking a lawful business investment and trying to fiat its' success by using legislature.
Honestly, I can't even really blame him for doing that. I'm not even surprised. Many business firms have, for more than a century, been doing the exact same thing. For a recent example, look at the corn-ethanol lobby. Beyond that you can look at the steel and aluminum industries, oil industry, transportation industry, etc etc.... The blame falls on us, as taxpayers and citizens, for providing the state with power that can be co-opted by self-interested entities.
I don't even really have a problem with the green industry. If consumers want "green" products then I say more power to the firms that will supply them, no matter how silly I think the green movement is. Where I draw the line, however, is allowing green consumers or politicians to mandate the production methods of products that I purchase or services I use.
The state has already demonstrated a complete lack of ability to legislate green transitions in a sustainable (or even reasonable) manner, as evidenced by the Energy Standards Act of 2005, the Renewable Fuels Mandate of 2007, and the entire State of California, just to mention a few examples.
I know that you are a forward-thinking and very intelligent individual, and I applaud that. I encourage you to pursue the energy and green agendas you have posited before, but please do it the right way. Invest in firms that show a promising ability to market green tech, or give public speeches about the need for green industry, or just continue presenting your views on this forum, but don't support mandates of any kind, or people who encourage such mandates.
If state intervention is somehow required for social benefit, then support the right way to do that, too. Give the Federal government the legal power to regulate energy or industry through constitutional amendment. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences.