"Green" Hypocrisy Is Alive & Well in B.C.

Let me join Pete McMartin in raising a white flag of concern (or is that surrender?) to the seemingly never ending bevy of new "green" initiatives coming at us from every corner of the public sector. Let's not kid ourselves, with this bevy comes a whole lot of new levies. And for poorer families struggling to get by, a lot more money going toward taxes means less available for rent. Let's hope that none of them have to start living in a tent!

In principle, I support the idea of us going more green, but let's ensure that the cost is less than obscene. And for goodness sake, can we finally be rid of this silly notion of personal carbon offsets (PCOs). It's nothing but a phoney excuse by the liberal-minded wealthy to do whatever they please and not feel guilty about it. Contrast PCOs with the diet plan of an overweight tycoon. Do you think he will stay "weight neutral" if he keeps on overeating but pays others to eat less?

A poor person can't afford to fly to Mexico every Christmas and then buy PCOs to relieve their guilt. No politician or media personality should try to convince us of their "green-ness" while continuing to live their multi-home lifestyles. To be specific, this means means no more yearly Hawaii vacations for Gordon Campbell, no more weekend cottage visits for Carole James, no more Sunshine Coast breaks for Bill Good, and Christy Clark and her hubby should put their Gulf Island home up for sale immediately. If they're not prepared to do this then they should all stop preaching to us about our lifestyles.