Or so said Al Gore to Reuters, defending himself against criticism about the energy consumption at his Nashville residence. Responding to the now-famous analysis by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, Gore claimed not only that the presence of an office in his home should have been taken into account in the analysis but also that he and Tipper had made sure to buy only carbon-neutral energy such as wind power. But wind power costs a lot more than the average. The point is that Gore, a wealthy man, can afford to play at Green-preening, but average Americans would suffer from much higher energy costs if Gore got his regulatory way.

Though it always seemed to me that, with regards to wind power, some individuals and households ought really to be capable of self-generation.