Americans for Prosperity (AFP) has been conducting a state-by-state Hot Air Tour over the past few months. The purpose of the tour is to call attention to the what climate change legislation means for ordinary Americans: “Lost Jobs, Higher Taxes, Less Freedom.”
It is being called the “Hot Air Tour” because advocates of these policies are using the “threat” of climate change as a front to push a hidden agenda of expanding government control over the economy and individual freedom. This they do in spite of being certain that the proposed policies would have no appreciable effect on global average temperature. They would, however, lead to massive job losses.
Today, AFP was expected to launch their hot air balloon (the centerpiece of the Tour) to kick off the Nashville, TN leg of the tour. However, the Nashville Parks Department shut down the balloon launch this morning. AFP had filed the necessary permits beforehand, but the Parks Department cited a loophole. Here is what AFP Director of Policy Phil Kerpen told Paul Chesser earlier:
The Nashville Parks Department is denying us permission to launch the balloon, citing the fact that our permit says balloon rides but not specifically the word “launch.” This despite the fact that we have explained to them on the phone multiple times our precise flight plan and before today there was no indication that there was a problem or any defect in our permit. Clearly, Gore is calling in favors to stop the embarrassing visual and negative coverage surrounding our event and ratcheting up the beating he is taking over his home energy use.
