Here's a story for you—not ripped from the headlines, but a personal example that illustrates the larger agenda being rolled out.

I happened to be home today and Fed-X made a delivery. Normally they gain entrance to the building and leave packages but this time for whatever reason the buzzer didn't work and I went outside. He handed me a package and I said: I'm not expecting anything, what is it? He said, oh, all the residents are receiving them, everyone on my route.

It was a box from both my power and gas providers, SoCal Gas and LADWP that said: Water and Energy Efficiency Starter Kit. Inside were two 60 watt LED bulbs (which I've never used because they give off terrible light), and two cheap shower heads (with built-in restrictors that make taking a shower feel like someone is spitting on you). This is hilarious, I said to the guy. I told him I bought incandescent bulbs on Ebay when I couldn't buy them in the store any longer and stocked up despite the inflated cost. I told him how I'd recently bought a new shower head and spent considerable time removing the restrictor inside so I could have a decent shower.

You know this is all part of the climate scam, don't you, I asked Mr. Fed-X. He smiled and nodded vigorously. This is for the proles—shitty bulbs and showerheads—while the rich people use as much energy as they want. They're not taking restrictive showers or limiting the amount of water they use on their lawns, either. Mr. Fed-X spoke up: You know, he said, these packages are not being delivered to anyone in Beverly Hills. Of course they're not, I said, they're exempt, and they'll continue to eat steak and water their lawns luxuriously and fly their private jets and drive their Lamborghinis no matter the cost of gas while the rest of us are supposed to tighten our belts. Mr. Fed-X agreed. Too bad you had to waste your time delivering this box which is going right into the garbage, I told him. I gave him a smile and he left.

That could have been the end of the story, but it's not. We all know the phrase cui bono—who benefits—so I decided to dig a little deeper. On one of the flyers inside were instructions on how to install the shower heads. At the bottom was the name AM Conservation. Turns out they’re an SC outfit that “focuses on providing energy and water-saving solutions. They offer a wide range of products, including energy-efficient lighting, EV chargers, and water-saving devices, along with services like education programs and online marketplaces. AM Conservation's goal is to help utilities, property managers, homeowners, and businesses save money and reduce their environmental impact.” We also learn that “AM Conservation Group, Inc. has a history of being owned by private equity firms. Initially acquired by Kohlberg & Company in 2015, it later merged with Franklin Energy Services LLC to form Franklin Energy Group in 2016. Abry Partners then acquired majority ownership of Franklin Energy in 2019.”

Why is private equity involved in a company whose goal is to reduce energy unless the benefit of that savings is just another way for the capitalists to turn a profit? I remember New York landlords were given a huge financial incentive in the form of lower taxes to install low-flush toilets in the 1990s—they turned out to be cheap Chinese ones that had to be flushed multiple times to clear the bowl and backed up often—at least mine did. Who benefitted? Landlords, city governments and the Chinese corporations that sold these toilets to them. So much for low-flush!