I don't use the term "conspiracy." It isn't a conspiracy any more than the liberal media is a conspiracy. It's just that people who think a certain way have collected in certain groups. No planning, no secret meetings. Just like-minded people who tend to thrive in certain fields while others are discouraged. I'm pro-nuclear power. How long do you think I'd survive working for Greenpeace? Never mind rising to any position of power. Hell, how many Republicans do you think work there, no matter what their opinions on the environment?

There's been a long history of argument on environmentalism here, but suffice it to say that around here the motives of the environmental side are usually assumed to be pure, and the industrialists are usually assumed to be the kind of people who will kill millions of customers to make a buck. An odd corollary that also creeps in is the assumption that turning more power over to the state is a recipe for less corruption and self-interest.

When I enter the discussion, that's usually where the starting point is, and I have to catch up from there.

To emphasize: whenever a private business comes into the discussion, it is automatically assumed that they are criminals.

In fact, now that I think about it, this is almost a cultural imperative. Try and remember the last movie or TV show you saw where all the "businessmen" weren't crooks. Offhand I can think of just one example of each, and one was a cartoon. "Black and white" gets played from both ends, here.

I also worked for Green Giant when I was young, doing factory work. The company was fanatical about quality, cleanliness, healthy product, and worker conditions. Believe me, I know. I had to scrub the machinery after the winter closings.

I worked for 3M later, and Control Data. Same thing. Trying to turn out the best possible product for the best price. I have never run into any situation in all my life where somebody suggested cutting corners to make more cash at the expense of quality or the customer.

I'm sure some people have worked for companies who firmly believed that taking a big dump on your customers was a great way to make money, but I don't think such firms are as numerous as we're led to believe.