A Connecticut Law Blog’s Worst Person in Connecticut: State Representative Richard Ferrari

“Global warming is the biggest scam since Ponzi,” railed Rep. Richard Ferrari of East Granby. Hartford Courant, April 29, 2008

Alright, I’ve resorted to flat out stealing from Keith Olbermann.

I give this honor of Worst Person in Connecticut, to Mr. Ferrari based solely on his belief that global warming is a “ponzi scam.” I realize that I have trouble conveying tone when I write on the internet.  Representative Ferrari is probably a nice guy who happens to be horribly wrong on the issue of global warming.

Maybe I should give Mr. Ferrari the benefit of the doubt and assume that he doesn’t have the slightest idea of what a Ponzi scheme is.

Last week, Martin Mador, Legislative and Political Chair of the Connecticut Sierra Club, emailed me in response to last week’s blog entry concerning right to dry legislation in Connecticut.

According to Mr. Mador, Representative Ferrari, spoke in opposition to the right to dry legislation by saying that once a condo buyer signed the contract that was the end of it and that Mr. Ferrari did not want to hear anything further.  Which all makes sense if you believe that global warming is a “ponzi scam.”

According to the biography on his website, Mr. Ferrari’s hobbies include “reading….and an interest in space and space-related issues” (UFOs ???).

I suggest that Representative Ferrari should spend some time reading the EPA’s Website on Climate Change. Or maybe George W. Bush’s EPA is simply part of the “Ponzi scam”:

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For over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and deforestation have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping “greenhouse gases” to increase significantly in our atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse.

Greenhouse gases are necessary to life as we know it, because they keep the planet’s surface warmer than it otherwise would be. But, as the concentrations of these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth’s temperature is climbing above past levels. According to NOAA and NASA data, the Earth’s average surface temperature has increased by about 1.2 to 1.4ºF in the last 100 years. The eight warmest years on record (since 1850) have all occurred since 1998, with the warmest year being 2005. Most of the warming in recent decades is very likely the result of human activities. Other aspects of the climate are also changing such as rainfall patterns, snow and ice cover, and sea level.

I challenge Representative Ferrari to defend his position that global warming is a “ponzi scam.” I am willing to post Mr. Ferrari’s defense of his thesis that global warming is a “ponzi scam” on this website.