Oh the joys of winter. We are methodically and slowly being buried in snow, which makes our disposition a little testy.  An overnight snow storm has not let up and even our German neighbors who are prone to shoveling snow at the first flake, have given up and decided to call it a day.  On a day like today I would like to take all global warming minions and bury them in my back yard, hoping that when they eventually emerge in the thaw they will be less apt to remain dire activists.

Activism of any kind can be annoying, and I find nothing more irritating than the holier than though arrogant climate change aficionado. Anyone lived long enough to remember any climate being so drastically different than it is right now?  Sometimes warmer and sometimes colder. Makes no difference, because we tend to bitch about it any way. And if they are so intellectual superior, they should realize that rivers, seas, mountains, lakes, and anything that erodes will eventually change topography and weather.  And to think that I have no graduate or doctorate scientific shingle hanging on my door! Maybe it is the cold, or the incessant snow, but I am getting very dubious of the global warming and climate change mantra.  Maybe because I am a business woman or because there is always an angel and it is generally money, that I am suspicious. The global warming/climate change dialogue is a billion dollar industry, and as Jerry McGuire once said: “follow the money”. 

I can follow the money directly to pinheads like Al Gore and Michael Moore. Both have done well for themselves as global warming alarmists.  Al Gore owns mansions, flies in private jets, and has several gas guzzling automobiles.  All fossil fueled. Al Gore’s predications of a 2012 glacial Armageddon fizzled out into nothing, almost like his 2000 election bid against George Bush did.  High expectations and little to show for it.  The dialogue had to change from global warming to climate change in the hope of keeping his activism financially viable.  He was successful at that.

An environmental industry has definitely sprung.  A good example, and one which I know much about is the automobile hybrid industry. The hybrid industry exemplifies the nebulous environmental movement. Hybrids are the “orange is the new black” of the EPA which has gone after the automobile industry with a vengeance. Hybrids have given a peace offering, a gesture, and a “that a boy” to the government as the industry looks for new marketing opportunities and less government interference.

Hybrids are a combination of battery and benzene. Combustion and electricity.  The models are extremely expensive because this battery/petrol combination must harmonize without diminishing performance, safety, or power.  Batteries are mounted on the rear axle and charging cables are used to charge the batteries overnight, or if lucky at a public charging port.  If the vehicle had to run on battery alone it would not go further than 20 miles.  Therefore, the vehicle is generally operating as a combination.  Now comes the moment of truth. The truth most environmentalists are not eager to divulge is that the battery takes approximately seven hours of electracy to charge, depending on the model and size of the engine.  When charged at home, it requires a special heavy duty mounted outlet that can take the battery’s large capacity  and surge.  This is not a kitchen outlet for a toaster or a coffee pot.  Depending on how many times a week one charges the battery, it will impact both the usage and cost of utilities.

Hybrids are becoming popular because the US government is giving a one-time tax deductible incentive of I believe $5,000, in the hope that more consumers will bite into the scheme. Do not fool yourselves: the car manufacturer is getting tax breaks as well. There is no free lunch here. The government is not exactly forthright with consumers either, because charging these batteries can use up to 30 hours a week in electricity.  Eventually the hybrid owner will realize that he or she is using more fossil fuel than the average Joe and his combustion engine. 

Hybrids cost at least 24% more than vehicles with combustion engines. Realistically they do very little for the environment because unless one takes the $80,000 plus hybrid only down the street and back, the vehicle must use battery and combustion to go further.  So why the popularity? Because this generation loves to feel good about themselves.  Because we are bombarded by the Al Gore’s of this world who feed us a narrative, and we are either too ignorant or lazy to dispute. Because it is the popular thing to do, like bath tub gin and the Charleston during prohibition. And because we have been brain washed in believing that we are saving the planet from the big bad oil companies.  You know, like the ones Al Gore was so friendly with when he was Vice President.

So on a day like today, I have difficulty reasoning global warming. The fact that it is snowing, cold, and I really want it to be summer dwells a little on my mind.  Today I yearn for a smidgen of global warming.  I want all the white stuff to dissolve. How can I take global warming seriously when Eskimos are building igloos in my back yard?  There are still exceptions. Some pinhead on a major news network was asked about the current arctic cold weather in places like Chicago.  The Polar or Arctic Vortex, whatever it’s called. His answer? Wait for it…if you said global warming off the top of your head you should go to the head of the class.  Brace yourselves for the explanation. It seems that because the arctic is allegedly warming up, the cold air was suddenly dispersed and it had no place to go but south to North America and Europe. How convenient. Cannot make this up.  It took the pinhead 20 minutes to put the global warming spin on this crap.  At least he did not blame Donald Trump for it, but I am sure given air time, he could stretch that string far enough if he tried.  I blame Al Gore for  the morphing from global warming to climate change. When the earth did not melt away in 2012 he had to change the script to remain relevant.  After all no one can argue that climate often changes and sometimes drastically.  Ask the  dinosaurs.

As I sit and watch the falling snow,  I realize that I am in Bavaria, and snow is second nature to this region.  Further down from us in Garmisch, people had to be dug out of their homes as snow piled feet high on the roofs.  This is a region where winters are long, cold, and harsh.  Not many Germans are discussing climate change at the moment, but I am sure that most are looking forward to spring, summer, and warmth. Global or otherwise. But for now, we curse the weather and we go about our business.  Where’s the snow shovel?