The Wilder Blue Yonder

Don't count on the nation's CEOs to answer the call to conserve energy.
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Don't count on the nation's CEOs to answer the call to conserve energy.

Edward Zander, head of Motorola, likes to have the company jet take him from the Chicago area headquarters to a golf course in Monterey, California. Each time he flies out there and back, Mr. Zander uses up 2,400 gallons of jet fuel at a cost of more than $46,000 so he can spend a few hours hitting a little ball in and out of the furze. (We can thank the diligent fiends at The Wall Street Journal for digging out this information.)

Such flitting around the nation's golf courses is in keeping with Motorola's recent announcement it is about to dump almost 2,000 people off its payroll.

If he gave up golf our doubtless over-extended Mr. Zender might have more time to get rid of his car radio division, which is being taken down into oblivion by the dying American automobile industry. The analysts have been screaming at Motorola to get out of the car radio business for years before it eats up the rest of the company. Less golf and less energy consumption might also mean more attention to Motorola's new Rokr music phone, seemingly on its way to becoming a big, expensive flop.

The company says that keeping Mr. Zender in his private jet is a security matter. Sitting first class on a scheduled airline flight would expose Mr. Zender to flu bugs and the possibility of an encounter with a disgruntled customer.

The Journal has found more golf loving, jet fuel gulping CEOs than you would want to read about. The reason routinely given for this, the world's most expensive form of travel, is protection of the corporate leader. Security but from what? How many of these ginks are worth the powder to blow up?

The government has brought forth the Energy Hog as the conservation mascot. Who better to play the role than Mr. Zender, a model of porcine selfishness -- a guy in the sky practicing putts?

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