I shudder to think how many American politicians and bureaucrats squandered our tax dollars by attending the enivornmental boondoggle in Copenhagen last December, but the behavior of one EPA official is a perfect illustration of how the political elite have no intention of abiding by the rules they want to impose on the rest of us. The hypocrisy of Ms. Jackson is offensive, but her callous disregard for tax dollars also deserves comment. She had free use of “environmentally sensitive” cars, but she rented a car (and driver!) for more than $1,000 per day. Here are some of the sordid details from Pajamas Media.
At last December’s UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ran up a $13,000 bill for conventional combustion engine cars, a private driver, and old-fashioned baggage vans, according to government records. The EPA paid more in two weeks for cars than most Americans make in a month. Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator, chose to ignore Copenhagen’s readily available crunchy alternatives, like hybrids or algae-fueled vehicles that were available — for free — to VIPs and governments through the Danish Foreign Ministry, or demonstration cars that ran on new green fuels produced by California companies. Jackson rented from the very conventional Avis, and drove around in a 158-horsepower, 16 valve conventional gas-powered Ford Mondeo. The car that Lisa Jackson and her driver used in Copenhagen would have failed the president’s new fuel efficiency standards released yesterday of 35.5 miles per gallon. Her Mondeo only got 25.2 miles per gallon. Copenhagen isn’t Los Angeles, where mass transit is as prevalent as ice storms. All UN delegates received free passes for public transport throughout the Danish capital… Ms. Jackson charged taxpayers $8,732 for a car — and driver — over six days, as she conventionally crawled through traffic congestion in downtown Copenhagen. An additional $3,457 went towards another Ford and at least two vans to carry the delegation’s baggage.
Not coincidentally, environmentalism is becoming more and more reminiscent of the Soviet Union environment of my youth:
The only people who could escape equality were those en charge of redistribution. Of course, we “common people” were told that it was just a fare payment for their all-important service of safeguarding egalitarianism.
Pravda does a better job of reporting news in our country then our commercial sycophant media. The communit organizer legacy of President B.O. in his hometown of Chicago is bloody carnage on a scale that is terrifying. Over 30 people are being shot everyday by gangsters spraying bullets, and criminals using this anarchy to loot and plunder. The welfare programs let moms become drug dealers and prostitutes, while the dads choose gangs instead of unemployment. We need to bring work and paychecks, instead of welfare and dope. Jack Kemp would let business get incentives to bring jobs and pride to replace handouts and crime. The Secret Service could not secure this area for the President to have publicity photos from his appreciative victims of community organizing.