"What's it all about, Alfie?"
Fox News is reporting that Al Gore is being accused of having a conflict of interest over his involvement in two companies. Here are the details.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/09/apples-hydrogen-power-plans-fueled-by-al-gores-conflict-interest/
So is this another example of how people are making huge bucks in the green energy business? Is Al Gore, who sits on the board of Apple, involved in a conflict of interest when Apple purchases expensive goodies and services from another company that Gore has an interest in? Don't ask me; I'm just a broken down old DEA agent and soon-to-be broken down old English teacher. I don't know squat about business.
I can smell a fish though.
Or one might say, people who believe in and advocate any cause ought to be willing to put their money where their mouth is, and Al would be a hypocrite if he had NOT invested in green energy himself.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to punditry, damned if you do, damned if you don't. I don't have anything to invest, just a small share account at the credit union, but if I ever win the lottery (not that I play)...
The issue appears to be not whether Gore should have invested in "green" energy, but rather whether there is a conflict, no??
ReplyDeleteLike Gary, I sure don't know, and I suspect this kind of stuff goes on with considerable frequency among all folks, particular.ly wealthy ones, of all political stripes.
If you invest in something you vote for, there is a conflict.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't, you expect other people to risk THEIR money when you have no dog in the fight.
It is one of the conundrums of conflict of interest.
Ditto for the civil service. One thing you could say for the spoils system: it put people in at all levels who were committed to the program of the incoming government.
Of course the problem was, most were not committed to anything -- just hacks getting a pay-off at taxpayer expense.