"A Snow Mobile for George" is a rambunctious road trip that collects the stories of fishermen, cowboys and firemen who have to face the consequences of environmental de-regulation by the Bush Administration. Started by a question about the filmmaker’s own used two-stroke snowmobile engine, this trip steadily reveals the political strategy and rationale behind a massive sell-off of public resources.
But if close ties between corporations and the Bush White House don’t surprise you, the film’s approach may. "A Snow Mobile for George" begins modestly as a one-man, one-machine road film that simply asks why rules to clean up a smoky off-road machine got shelved. With no presumption of guilt or blame, filmmaker Todd Darling tows his family snowmobile across the United States and persists in asking that question. The film’s humble point of departure gives little hint as to its ultimate destination. What starts off as a personal quest gradually morphs as this journey takes the viewer to the sites of more serious environmental change.
The common thread among these stories is dispelling the myth of de-regulation – the notion that common citizens benefit when "the government gets off their back." In sometimes surprising ways, the film uncovers how the Administration worked efficiently to match up the goals of select industries with the political demands of the White House at the expense of the little guy.
Featured Speakers:
Todd Darling, director, "A Snowmobile for George"
Francesca Grifo, Senior Scientist and Director, Science Integrity Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
Reece Rushing, Director of Regulatory and Information Policy, Center for American Progress
Moderated by:
Daniel J. Weiss, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress