Baptists and Bootleggers

"Bruce Yandle authored the Baptists and Bootleggers Theory of Regulation, which said that two groups often work together to have regulations passed, but for two very different reasons. For example, both Baptists and Bootleggers might pressure government to outlaw alcohol; Baptists due to religious beliefs and bootleggers because of the potential for profit."

- Rob Blackstock


Over the last 40 years or so, as the socialist enviros started gaining the ear of legislators, business and industry have been forced to either go on the defense (fight socialist enviro legislation), or go on the offense (join the opposition and seek to benefit by squeezing out competition).

Offense by corporate interest is what we are seeing with the corporate social responsibility movement. Companies that are savvy enough, can capitalize on regulations by twisting them to their advantage. Cat may be misjudging the current AGW environmental regulatory landscape but in the past other companies have benefited from similar deals with the devil. However, these deals rarely benefit the consumer.

A notable example is DuPont, with their promotion of the bogus CFC Ozone depletion scare. Of course, CFCs have no impact on stratospheric ozone since CFCs are too heavy to rise to that level (similar problem with C02 by the way) but that didn't stop the environmental alarmists and DuPont from joining forces. Seeing an opportunity to make multi-billions in selling newly patented refrigerants, Dupont was only too happy to work with environmentalist interests and weak-minded legislators. We have been paying dearly ever since R-12 was outlawed due to this con.

For a good summary of the Baptist and Bootlegger aspects of the CFC debacle, see this article.