Tony DiTommaso – 1/10/07

This page was last updated on January 10, 2007.

Global warming a hoax; Tony DiTommaso; Beaver County Times; January 10, 2007.

In a previous letter, Mr. DiTommaso told us increasing the minimum wage would increase business profits. This letter is of similar quality.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Global warming is the greatest hoax that climatologists have invented in their own mind.”

[RWC] Mr. DiTommaso made a common mistake. There’s global warming, which can be measured, and the belief in manmade global warming. The existence of manmade warming is what is in dispute.

“These are the same people that would have told you that the Earth was flat. Letter writer Sharon Pillar will sit there with a straight face and tell you that they know what happened 650,000 years ago (‘Act now on global warming,’ Sunday). That alone should qualify these people for a free trip to the insanity ward of a state hospital.”

[RWC] Actually, I believe we can do a reasonable job of figuring out what’s happened in the past.

“Last year, they projected that we would have a horrible hurricane season, when in fact we had a very mild season. But they can tell us what happened a million years ago. Right?”

[RWC] Bad comparison. Mr. DiTommaso would have been better off to ask why we should give credibility to temperature predictions decades into the future when we can’t accurately predict next week’s weather.

“The funniest part of her letter is when she claimed ‘dealing with global warming will create an economic boon by reducing energy expenses and creating new manufacturing jobs’.

“The fact is that environmental laws have added billions of dollars of cost for Americans. A hybrid car costs $15,000 more. What you pay for gasoline, water, lumber, electricity, food, etc. all cost more, not less, because of these environmental wackos.”

[RWC] Hybrid cars don’t cost “$15,000 more.” It varies, but a Toyota Camry Hybrid costs $1,500 more than a Camry XLE and a little more than $5,000 more than a Camry SE. When I checked in 2005, the hybrid model of a Ford Escape carried a $7,000 premium.

“Manufacturers fled this country for ‘greener’ countries because environmental laws were the final straw that broke their back.”

[RWC] Remember, this is coming from the guy who claimed increasing the minimum wage would increase profits.

“China is building 150 nuclear plants because it’s the least expensive and cleanest fuel. We are building none. Can anybody guess why?

“Our national security is threatened today because of these environmentalists. We are dependent on Middle East oil because they will not let us drill for oil off our shores or build oil refineries here. Gasoline would be under $1 a gallon and we would not be fighting in Iraq right now. The Middle East would be totally irrelevant.”

[RWC] Environmental wackos aren’t helping our energy independence, but it’s unlikely (I’m being kind.) even unlimited domestic exploration and production would result in “$1 a gallon” gasoline. We need more domestic production, but no one claims it would come close to making us energy independent.

I don’t know what this has to do with Iraq. We have trouble in the Middle East because terrorists over there want us dead. I don’t believe our energy independence would change that. If we became 100% energy independent tomorrow, would Islamofascists stop trying to kill us?

“As the editors of this paper will tell you, fear sells. Environmentalists, I’m not buying it, as I take a swig of the most expensive liquid (thanks, Sharon) in my house, bottled water.”

[RWC] In summary, Mr. DiTommaso didn’t help his cause. He sounded as shrill as those he opposes.