By Rob Roper
You can’t go on social media without seeing some post poking fun at our current situation along the lines of “how do you like this preview of the Green New Deal?” These are funny because they are true, as demonstrated by the latest op-ed by Vermont’s David Blittersdorf, of AllEarth Renewables.
Blittersdorf is gleeful about the destruction of our economy because of its impact on lowering our carbon footprint. “We may have failed in the past,” he writes, “but in the wake of our newfound global collective awareness of what is essential, we have a new opportunity right now to carry out the big changes necessary.” What’s not essential in Blittersdorf’s world — and of those who share his ideology — is you, your job and your standard of living. And the big, necessary change he sees for the future is making sure those unessential things don’t come back.
Rob Roper is the president of the Ethan Allen Institute.
What does he want instead? More of your tax dollars to subsidize his own business and protect his own multimillionaire lifestyle. “It’s time to write new laws and invest in new infrastructure to support renewables, combat climate change, switch to electric heating, new transportation systems. … Let’s use this crisis to pivot to increase in-state wind and solar installations.”
Vermont state revenues have been devastated by this economic shutdown. Surveys show that nearly half of small businesses are not confident they will be able to reopen or re-hire employees when this is over. Unemployment services are overwhelmed. Schools have been rocked, and there’s a real worry Vermonters won’t be able to pay their property taxes to support them. Three state college campuses may close, resulting in tremendous economic disruption to large swaths of Vermont. Our hospitals, which aren’t making money doing elective surgeries or providing routine care, will need help getting back on their feet.
How out of touch does one have to be to think that as we try to climb out of this awful hole, that raising taxes to pay for EV charging stations, solar panel subsidies for wealthy homeowners, inefficient wind towers on our ridgelines, and David Blittersdorf’s idiotic, $90 million, seven-mile, train service between Montpelier and Barre will be a priority for anyone?
Well, perhaps the politicians Blittersdorf funds will continue to promote his schemes — if elected. Here’s a small taste of who that is from a 2016 story by Paul Heintz of Seven Days:
Blittersdorf, a wind and solar developer who cofounded NRG Systems and now runs AllEarth Renewables, is putting his money where his mouth is. Over the past two years, he has contributed more than $102,000 to Vermont candidates, political action committees, super PACs and parties, according to federal and state records. That makes him the most generous Vermont donor to state political races this election cycle, according to a Seven Days analysis….
In addition to the $4,000 he’s given to Scott’s rival, Democratic nominee Sue Minter, Blittersdorf has contributed $20,000 directly to the Vermont Democratic Party — and another $20,000 to the party through two businesses he controls, Aeolus Labs and Georgia Mountain Community Wind.
He’s helped out traditional political action committees, such as Vermont Conservation Voters PAC and Renewable Energy Vermont PAC, to the tune of $4,000 apiece. And he’s also dabbled in super PACs: Two weeks ago, he cut a $25,000 check to Vermont Conservation Voters Action Fund.
If you want to understand why Vermont is so screwed up and doesn’t seem to serve the needs of the people, this is a big part of the reason. The people who are buying the majority of our politicians don’t think you’re essential. In fact, they think the opposite — that you’re a problem that needs to be eliminated in order to create a “new normal.”
Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.
“We may have failed in the past,” he writes, “but in the wake of our newfound global collective awareness of what is essential, we have a new opportunity right now to carry out the big changes necessary.”
Probable Cause:
Observational evidence
Circumstantial evidence
Informational evidence
Motive
If the shoe fits….
Everyone needs to watch these two physicians explain what they’re seeing. What they’re seeing is a normal acute respiratory virus, such as what kills four million people in a normal year according to the WHO, now being blown way out of proportion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfLVxx_lBLU
How are we going to beat this thing? We’re going to beat this by having courageous people, like these two doctors, stand up and tell the truth.
Fantastic covid 19/ immunology 101 video, well worth the watch thanks for posting Jim.
None of this environmental garbage will end until enough people get good and, mad. The trouble is, is that most are too fat and too happy. If an angry mob gathers outside Mr. Blittersdorf’s home, and yells and screams at him, will he and other green extremists skulk away. The same treatment needs to apply to others. Our elections are a joke, we need some serious civil disobedience here, not words.
It still all comes down to the Vermont voters. If Mr. Blittersdorf’s money will buy your vote, then shame on you. Vermont voters need to become more aware.
Just last night on WCAX long time serving Senator Mark MacDonald was asked, “So why hasn’t the legislature put more funds into the state college system.” His response and I quote, “ We haven’t had a Governor who wants to raise any taxes to put into state colleges for um… eighteen years.”
So, step up to the polls this November Vermonters and keep voting for the candidates that can buy your vote and keep electing candidates who think the solution to every Vermont problem is to raise taxes and spend more money.
One of my favorite movies, especially this scene that is very pertinent today. It speaks volumes today and should be reproduced in the real world.
Howard Beale Rant – Network 1976 – I’m Mad As Hell and I’m Not Gonna Take This Anymore!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS4aiA17YsM (5:04)
This is one of my all time favorite scenes from any movie – Peter Finch as Howard Beale is absolutely electrifying. What is chilling to me is how pertinent his rant is today… see for yourselves.
Animal Farm, Brave new World, and Atlas Shrugged
?all Set in Vermont 2021? Secret People, stupid people, lots of unaware hard working people
Ah yes – Mr. Blittersdorf – the screaming environmentalist who loves plastering our meadows, farms and hilltops with acres of hideous sun reflectors and windmills that scar the once bucolic Vermont scene!
Precisely. The environmentalists scream over new buildings, businesses, harvesting of trees. But where are they when the land is cleared for this trash?
Thanks for this article. It’s his money, and as far as I am concerned he can spend it any way he ways–but it sure helps to know who he is buying with it.
Hardly his own funds if he is collecting tax dollars. Let him do what he wants with his own income, but government subsidies must be terminated. No partnership of business and government!
All is profit was on the backs of tax payers, without the tax payer subsidy he would have never been able to operate. He wouldn’t have made one single dollar.
Nobody would grudge the man if it were his own money. It was all crony capitalism, which is the first cousin to socialism. His ties to the government were what made him rich. The only thing that made him rich.
We have an opportunity to elect decent representation for the governor of Vermont I think everyone needs to look at this true Republican who is a lifelong Vermonter and believes in R conservative goals
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1750764701826212/permalink/2708060999429906/
Absolutely right
KLAR2020 😉
Benedict Scott needs to Open the states economy up now but being the rock solid Leftist he is he won’t,Remember in November and vote accordingly.
This post on FB must have struck a nerve. The FB gestapo has removed the post completely.
It’s only going to get worse in the coming months. Facebook totally banned our political party, the whole thing, despite being registered with the state. They shadowed banned other Republican candidates. They gave misleading data to others running conservative campaigns.
It’s what makes this site so valuable. It’s open and free.
The propaganda facebook allows to be fed to every cell phone is staggering and often of high quality. Democratic Socialists, Media Matters, etc, etc……if that’s all you see, then it’s pretty easy to take some of it as gospel.
Face book is not your political friend, it will not serve you unless you are part of the NWO cabal, ask others how well facebook worked for their campaigns. I think you’ll find it doesn’t
Blittersdorf made millions and millions off those in Montpelier by our tax money. None of his projects would have been viable without what 50% of the money coming from the government and people paying much higher rates for the electricity generated.
This is yet another huge insider deal, tied in with Lobbyists, think VPIRG, VNRC and the Vermont Conservation voters who watch over those in office, by get this…..checking to see if those in office are voting for the things VPIRG and VNRC (whom are lobbyists) want. What they want is Agenda laid out, Agenda 21, Sustainable Communities, 2050…they keep changing the name when they can’t get their first idea done.
Blittersdorf was going for the choo-choo fantasy too. getting rich of the tax payers, has nothing to do with being green or saving the planet.
Well, I stand corrected, it has everything with being green, being the dollar bills going into the pockets of those connected in Vermont.
How many huge fleecing deals do we have going on in this state at once? Oy!
Let this fool rant. He’s totally out of touch with reality. Best he find some remote island in the middle of nowhere and disappear!!!!
As stated by Rahm Emanuel ” ‘Never allow a crisis to go to waste ” and these
leftest and there New Green Deal boondoggle, that won’t pass on face value
or a $90M train track or the Carbon Tax !!!
So, Liberals see an opening, so let’s push the agenda now while the nation & State
are in a crisis maybe they won’t notice out nonsense.
Wake up, people they don’t care it’s all about the agenda !!