Who is the True 'Green' Presidential Candidate?
By Lisa Sarrach
April 29, 2004

Over the course of the last two weeks, presumptive democratic nominee Senator John Kerry has blasted President Bush on his environmental record stating, "In three short years, this president has put the brakes on 30 years of environmental progress," They're using the same tired old argument that you can't have a clean environment if you want a strong economy. Well, they're wrong. You can have both." He went on to say that the Bush Administration uses "empty slogans" to mask environmental degradation and that "The truth is, our air is more polluted today and getting more polluted, our water in many places is getting more polluted," he said.

On Earth Day, Senator Kerry said, "We don't have to choose between having a job and protecting the environment. It can go hand in hand," Kerry said. "These are jobs. What we need to recognize is that being responsible about the environment is not some goo-goo, do-gooder, silly notion that you embrace once a year on Earth Day.

Well, for fear of being attacked as being part of the Republican attack machine by the Kerry people, let's look at some personal facts about the presidential candidates and separate some truth from fiction as it relates to their political rhetoric and their personal behavior.

Senator Kerry last week denied owning an SUV, when pressed about the 1995 Chevy Suburban at their Idaho vacation home, he said, "The family has it, I don't have it." When he lectures people to buy American cars, he conveniently forgets that his wife owns a 2001 Audi, a German made vehicle. Again, not his - it's the family's.

In addition, the Kerry "family" owns, a 1993 Land Rover Defender (12 mpg highway, 10 mpg city), a 1989 Jeep Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 16 mpg city), a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser (25 mpg highway, 20 mpg city), a 1985 Dodge 600 Convertible (26 mpg highway, 23 mpg city), and a 2002 Chrysler 300M (26 mpg highway, 18 mpg city).

Let's not forget to mention the 2002 Harley Davidson, two powerboats, a power inflatable 2001 Novurania and a Gulfstream II private jet.

Hypocrisy - The badge of honor for all "limousine liberals." They advocate lowering your air conditioning, conserving gasoline, lowering our dependence on foreign oil, hybrid cars, air drying your clothes; a litany of environmental dos and don'ts.

Meanwhile they ride to their speaking engagements in their stretch limousines or SUV's, fly around in private jets, and keep all their homes lit up and well staffed on the off chance they may want to drop in for a swim or a run down the slopes.

In addition to their 8 vehicles, powerboats, motorcycle and jet, Senator Kerry and his wife, Teresa, own 5 homes across the country. They enjoy and fuel their $6.9 million dollar townhouse on Beacon Hill in Boston, their $4.9 million vacation home in Ketchum, Idaho, their $9.5 million dollar beachfront home in Nantucket, Mass., their $4.7 million Georgetown, D.C. townhouse and last but not least their $3.7 million farm in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania. A home in Italy valued at $4.7 million was sold to actor George Clooney shortly before Senator Kerry announced his candidacy.

Let's make a quick comparison and take a look at President Bush's personal possessions. Back in 1999, during his second term as governor of Texas, he and Mrs. Bush purchased almost 1600 acres of land near Waco, Texas in Crawford for $1.3 million, about $500-600 an acre. This was their main and sole residence before the White House and will most likely be after their stay in Washington.

Discussions for the ranch house with associate dean of architecture at the University of Texas, David Heymann, revealed the Bushes desire and commitment for the home to fit into the landscape. He said at the time, "The Bushes told me they had this beautiful piece of land and they wanted the house to add to the land, not disrupt it. Given the complexity of their lives, they wanted a place where they could feel grounded. They wanted to be in the land and related to it."

The passive-solar house is built of honey-colored native limestone and positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the 4,000-square-foot residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground. These waters pass through a heat exchange system that keeps the home warm in winter and cool in summer.

A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom home.
(Informational resources from www.cowboysindians.com)

In addition to this VERY environmental friendly home in Crawford, President Bush also uses a propane-fueled Ford F-250 pick-up while at the ranch. Propane burns clean, with 60 percent lower ozone forming emissions than reformulated gasoline.

One home, one car, both of which are on the forefront of environmental and ecological advances - very Green.

But what you hear in the media is that he's a son of wealth on par with John Kerry and an enemy of the environment. He's quite the materialistic elitist and environmental criminal, our president - the Democrats and their accomplices in the media would have you believe.

When John Kerry goes on vacation, he has a multitude of choices to jet off to within his own "family holdings" - his latest jaunt - a snowboarding trip to the place in Ketchum.

However, when President Bush takes some down time, he heads to his ranch to clear some brush, gets in some fishing at his bass pond and winds up the day on his front porch with Laura, enjoying the scenery he continually works to enhance and heads in for a simple dinner with family and friends.

It is so important for Americans to remember all this when they head to the polls in November after months and months of the Democrat Party machinery pounding into them that President Bush doesn't relate to everyday Americans and can't understand their concerns from the bubble of the presidency.

We contend that President Bush doesn't need lessons from elitist limousine liberals on how to relate to ordinary Americans - they need one from him.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.