The Lexington Herald Leader knows the feeling. The online version's editorial page this morning reprinted Nicholas Kristof's column from yesterday's New York Times.
It starts like this:
Saving energy doesn't have to mean shivering in the dark.
Vice President Dick Cheney once scoffed that energy conservation can be a "personal virtue" but is no basis for an energy policy.
Growing evidence suggests he had it exactly wrong.
Actually, growing evidence suggests the "professional" media is using the blogger's trick to slap a political enemy.
Here is what Cheney actually said:
Now, conservation is an important part of the total effort. But to speak exclusively of conservation is to duck the tough issues. Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis all by itself for sound, comprehensive energy policy. We also have to produce more. The American people have worked very hard to get where they are, and the hardest working are the least likely to go around squandering energy or anything else that costs money. Our strategy will recognize that the present crisis does not represent a failing of the American people.
And now Kentucky's General Assembly has worked up an energy policy compromise measure that is worse than the first two proposals. Tax credits are one thing, but now we are bonding $100 million to give away in advance of any energy production or job creation. Creating jobs is a good way to sell any kind of economic development project, but the fine print in the bill reveals we will be funding many of those jobs with borrowed government money.
