knapplc Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I remember the smog of the 1970s. It was nothing, at all, like what we're seeing in China. Putting Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA is like putting a tree-hugging hippie in charge of a coal mine. You honestly think that hippie is going to continue digging out coal? Or will they find some excuse to shut that mine down? It is disingenuous things like support for Pruitt as an EPA chief that makes me think people aren't being honest. With themselves or with us. 2 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 You may not be old enough to know of or remember the smog alerts in LA, river fires, etc. Oh, yeah. I'm definitely not. The only context I have for it when you say something like that is, "Was LA then like what <insert Chinese city> is like now?" Actually, I'd heard the term LA smog. And worried about the air quality. But it never seemed like a nightmare scenario, and I suppose that is a credit to the efforts undertaken here decades ago, which as you point out, didn't happen in parallel in countries like China and India. That's a big part of the importance of the Paris treaty to me. There's one way to bring those countries to the table, in my view, and that's American participation. Those countries need to catch up in a big way, and perhaps they'll assert a leadership of their own (the U.S. itself arrived at this point from somewhere, after all) -- but it will happen most credibly and most quickly under US pressure and leadership. We have for a long time, actually, not "led" but rather been in the way, and therefore, an easy out for countries that see themselves as peers. Europe is familiar with U.S. recalcitrance on the environmental issue. I think there's a long history of hurting and holding back global efforts there. Where did I say the bold - LA is like China now?? I didn't nor do I believe it was like a China city is now. LA had its smog problems but they don't compare to China currently. http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/scott-pruitt-epa-positive-reviews/2016/12/08/id/763037/ Those who know Pruitt speak out for him. A few quotes: Oklahoma Senator James Lankford said that he hoped to work with Pruitt to "restore a balanced approach to regulations and governance that fosters economic growth, advances energy independence and ensures stewardship for the environment. "Scott Pruitt knows the difference between a state responsibility and a federal responsibility," he added. "The American people deserve an EPA that rejects extreme activism and instead returns to its proper interpretation of environmental law." Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said that Trump was "listening to the American people, who want fewer overbearing government regulation from Washington and more jobs on Main Street USA. "Scott Pruitt will fight for the working people and job-creators, while ensuring that the air and water are clean and safe," he said. Nan Hayworth, the former New York congresswoman who now sits on the board of the GOP environmental group ConservAmerica, likened Pruitt to former President Teddy Roosevelt. "Scott Pruitt is very much in the mold of our nation’s first environmentalist president, Theodore Roosevelt, an outdoorsman who understands the critical importance of stewardship." Noting that the EPA was established by a Republican, President Richard Nixon in 1970, Hayworth called Pruitt "a strong partner for President Trump in effectively balancing protection of America's land, water, air, and wildlife with economic prosperity." 1 Link to comment
knapplc Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 "The American people deserve an EPA that rejects extreme activism and instead returns to its proper interpretation of environmental law." The American people deserve clean air, land and water more than corporations deserve profits. "a strong partner for President Trump in effectively balancing protection of America's land, water, air, and wildlife with economic prosperity." That is a very scary line. How many people need to get cancer, how many earthquakes do we need to suffer, how many babies need to be born with defects do we need before we understand that economic prosperity has to take a backseat to environmental health? Theodore Roosevelt would have punched Scott Pruitt in the face. He is no more a Roosevelt Environmentalist than I am a Trump Republican. 2 Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Boy, Bannon sure is hard at work slaying those evil globalist banker types controlling the world that he hates so much. It's breathtaking how badly these people got duped. At least they're starting to figure it out... I think. 3 Link to comment
zoogs Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I was only asking about LA in the 1970s, because I don't know what it was like Link to comment
TGHusker Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 I was only asking about LA in the 1970s, because I don't know what it was like Like Knapp said - not as bad as some of the Chinese cities are now but in comparison to today - pretty bad. Part of LA's problem can be blamed on the geography - mtns to the east can trap the smog from being pushed out by winds from the west. Calm days, and high smog was a bad mix. Speaking of the EPA, Trump might be doubling down with the Interior Secretary pick. So if you had a stoke with Pruitt, you'll have a major heart attack with this one. I don't know anything about her except what is reported below http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Oil-Drilling-Advocate-McMorris-Rodgers/2016/12/09/id/763128/ U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a strong advocate of increased oil and gas development who is skeptical about climate change, to run the Department of the Interior, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday. The appointment could mean easier access for industry to more than a quarter of America's territory, ranging from national parks to tribal lands stretching from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, where energy companies have been eager to drill and mine. McMorris Rodgers, the fourth most senior member of the House leadership, has been a supporter of efforts to expand the U.S. energy industry. She voted for the Native American Energy Act, a bill that was vetoed by President Barack Obama in 2015, that would have made it easier to drill on tribal territories. On her website, she also touts her support of the recent repeal of the decades old ban on oil exports, and for a bill to reject the EPA's Waters of the United States Act as some of her key achievements on energy and environment She has also expressed skepticism about climate change, consistently opposing Obama's measures to combat it, and once arguing that former Vice President Al Gore, a longtime advocate for steps to combat global warming, deserves an "F" in science and an "A" in creative writing. The League of Conservation Voters, which publishes a score card ranking the environmental record of each member of Congress, gave McMorris Rodgers a zero in its most recent ratings. McMorris Rodgers has been a member of the House/Senate energy conference committee working to pass bipartisan energy legislation that included provisions to boost hydropower and update forest policy. In her role as interior secretary, she would oversee over 70,000 employees Link to comment
TGHusker Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Boy, Bannon sure is hard at work slaying those evil globalist banker types controlling the world that he hates so much. It's breathtaking how badly these people got duped. At least they're starting to figure it out... I think. It appears he is all over the map on some of these picks - some very non-establishment types, some very much establishment types, and some that makes me wonder what is he thinking - Dr Carson for HUD and not for some medical related field (VA, HHS, or related). The fast food burger CEO for Labor is another one. If we want a quality jobs program and return manufacturing to the states, I'd think he'd go after someone in manufacturing who understands what it takes to rebuild that sector. Next pick will be Jon Voigt for Sec of State. ( I like Jon as an actor and he is a strong patriot, but he is as qualified as some of these picks - as in - not qualified) Link to comment
Making Chimichangas Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 What Trump says: "We renounce bigotry, racism, hatred, and the politics of hate!" What Tump does: Fills his cabinet with racists, bigots, anti-LBGTQIA, and women abusers. Clearly, Trumps actions are at a 180 degree opposition to his words. Link to comment
zoogs Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I think it's giving him too much credit to even call that his message. The fact that he's rallied racists (big and small 'R') to his cause has to be the least incongruous thing about him. Link to comment
TGHusker Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 No Rudy in the cabinet. That is a good thing IMHO. http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/new-york-giuliani-trump/2016/12/09/id/763185/ Link to comment
TGHusker Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 What Trump says: "We renounce bigotry, racism, hatred, and the politics of hate!" What Tump does: Fills his cabinet with racists, bigots, anti-LBGTQIA, and women abusers. Clearly, Trumps actions are at a 180 degree opposition to his words. Do you come unhinged often? I'm no fan of Trump but my goodness - get a grip Link to comment
Recommended Posts