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Fossil fuel profiteers attack us for living in a world they created and sustain.
Ayn Rand collected and cashed her Social Security checks. Now, I believe her “philosophy” is despicable and wrong but I don’t think that she can be accurately characterized as a hypocrite. Yes, she opposed government and idolized business — but she took and cashed those government checks anyway. Why? Because she lived under a system that takes money out of our paychecks for retirement and then pays us money once we retire.
She didn’t make or approve of the system. She just lived in that system.
Our Carbon Footprints
The concept of the personal carbon footprint was heavily promoted by oil companies to divert attention from their culpability as destroyers of our climate. They have largely succeeded. Many caring intelligent people focus on the carbon footprint, make heavy demands of themselves, and criticize others for not making similar efforts.
Are WE, ordinary people, addicted to oil? Are we selfishly consuming more than our fair share because we are thoughtless and greedy — no better than the big corporations we criticize? Shouldn’t we fix our own behavior before taking others to task?
