Screen shot from the State Farm Insurance Facebook page.
State Farm is ending its association with the Heartland Institute. This is because of a recent billboard campaign launched by the Institute.
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Obviously this is good news, but I want to ask: why would insurance companies see a political self-interest in supporting a group which denies that global warming is caused by man (or even exists)?
I find that extremely bizarre. Do big companies give those kinds of sums merely because they best buddies with certain politicians?
Good question. The Munich Rueck e.g. is taking global warming very serious as the claims due to weather extremes have been sky rocketing in the last years. It’s probably a well placed pr gag of State Farm.
Would be a fascinating story for investigative journalism. For ideological reasons (apparently), a major corporation supports a political stance which appears to be associated with lower profits and even, potentially, destruction of its business. On the one hand, it’s nice to know that idealism is alive and well–but on the other, pretty crazy.
It’s possible they’re still thinking short-term, and they think that the GOP platform is better for short-term profits.
On the other hand, AGW could be a massive source of profits for them, if it suddenly becomes accepted as reality after it’s too late to prevent. At that point, you could go the full distance and not only offer flood, fire, drought, and tornado plans separately, but you could do region-specific integrated “climate change” packages including projected changes, safeguards against food price hikes, packages for increased disease risk, “drinking water” plans, etc.
Not saying they’re doing that, but it’s one possibility.
Crises can be useful for the kind of person who’s not above trying to bring them about.
Diageo and Microsoft end funding of Heartland Institute after climate change outburst.
=> http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/may/06/diageo-end-funding-heartland-institute
Funny who all was funding the Hamburger Institute.
Now even GM is pulling back.
Good for State Farm. I guess Scott Mandia doesn’t have to drop them.
I wish some of my letters had had the same effect as that of Scott Mandia.
Yes, I too am becoming jealous of his power. I hope he will use it wisely and for the benefit of all.
So far that power has had no influence on the NY State Lottery. 🙂
I take these DE-funding announcements with a bit of “skepticism” since I fully expect non-publicized RE-funding to quickly ensue.
On a related note, even IF the announced DE-funding is indefinite, these companies should STILL be vigorously boycotted for donating to the likes of the Heartburn Institute in the first place!