President Obama: New Carbon Regulations

Image from source, LA Times

In the past, we've had ecological problems, generated by industry. We've had acid rain, intense smog, polluted rivers and lakes. And for the most part, we've cleaned them up, with the help of EPA regulations. Every time, industry screamed bloody murder, but in the end, we successfully beat back the bad things we were doing to the planet.

Why is climate change different?

[Excerpt]

Obama says his new carbon regulation is about 'health of our kids'

President Obama began a campaign for his newly proposed climate change proposal with an appeal Monday to parents and grandparents worried about “the health of our kids and the health of our planet.” In an afternoon conference call with the American Lung Assn. and other public health groups, Obama argued that restrictions on power plant emissions would help children with asthma and other health problems exacerbated by carbon pollution. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Chemical Spill in West Virginia Water May Have Started Weeks Ago

Mmmmm, licorice! Image from source, ThinkProgress

The chemical spill into the water supply in Charleston, West Virginia is lending credence to criticism of the "get rid of government regulations" crowd. It's always struck me as an overly simplistic, knee-jerk kind of mantra anyway. Sure, get rid of any regulations that are antiquated or that don't work as intended. But getting rid of regulations for the sake of it? It's preposterous. Regulations exist for a reason, and in this case it is quite obvious that more regulation (and enforcement of regulations) was needed. And how perfect is it that this company is called "Freedom Industries" and that the chemical was apparently a Koch Industries product?

Of course, this isn't over. Rivers flow into other rivers, and on from state to state, affecting poor and rich people alike. And what do you bet they're already formulating an odorless version of this chemical without the tell-tale licorice smell?

[Excerpt]

Water Contamination In West Virginia May Have Started Weeks Ago, Residents Believe
 
When Rich McGervey first heard about the major chemical spill into his water supply, he immediately thought of his five-year-old daughter. “My mind starts running in reverse,” McGervey, a Charleston-based attorney, said. “She had taken a bath Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. And Wednesday night as we were going to bed, she rips up her shirt and starts scratching all over and she says ‘my whole body is itching!’ And she’s never done that before. . .”

Read more at: Think Progress

Ohio Strengthens Regulations on Fracking After Earthquakes

Image from source, Raw Story

The conservative line is: regulations are bad. Not over-stringent regulations. Not over-burdensome regulations. Just regulations. As though the main purpose of regulations is to be a burden, to be a hindrance in and of themselves. Conservatives also are--for some reason--pro-fracking. That's the term for a controversial natural gas gathering procedure that involves injecting high-pressure fluid into the earth, and breaking the trapped gas free. There are places where fracking has occurred where home owners' tap water is flammable.

And of course, many experts think it leads to earthquakes. Not just in Ohio of course, but in other parts of the country and in England, that we know of. I've actually read a conservative argument that these earthquakes are good, because they release pressure that would cause a bigger earthquake later! Because conservatives, by-and-large, are experts on geology, apparently.


[Excerpt]

Ohio stiffens regulations after concluding that fracking caused earthquakes

Ohio state regulators announced tough new regulations on Friday after concluding that the injection of wastewater underground as part of the controversial gas-drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” had almost certainly caused a dozen earthquakes near one well. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

The Best Excuse Not to Do Laundry: It Causes Cancer

Image from Raw Story

Yep, good old new and improved laundry detergents and dryer sheets may cause cancer. At our house, we use an unscented/undyed variety. But let's face it, it's from Big Lots. Do you really think we're safer? Oy. Anyway, these scents are not regulated, and neither emissions from dryer vents. And some people want less regulations (or like Rick Perry, no regulations). Great idea.


[Excerpt]

Top-selling scented laundry products release hazardous chemicals: study

Laundry vents emit hazardous air pollutants when people use popular fragranced laundry detergents and dryer sheets, according to research published in Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Rick Perry's Big Idea: A Moratorium on ALL Regulations

Why oh why couldn't it be a corn dog?
Image from source, ThinkProgress

Brilliant! Stop government regulation of everything! Does our national politics really need to be this stupid? Really?

[Excerpt]

Perry Reveals Plan For Total U.S. Anarchy: ‘Put A Moratorium On All Regulations’ 
 
Today, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) issued the first policy position of his presidential campaign by asking the White House to issue a “moratorium on regulations across this country”. . .

Under such a moratorium, the Food and Drug Administration would stop approving new drugs and preventing human experimentation. . .

Read more at: ThinkProgress

UPDATED TO ADD: Oh. Dear. GOD. 

I was only joking before! Image from Queerty

Sen. Al Franken Champions Net Neutrality

For as long as I've known of the term, "Net Neutrality" has not been a partisan issue, and has been nearly unanimously thought of as a good thing.  Net Neutrality would ensure that big corporations can't subdivide the internet into categories like cable television; no basic, extended and premium delivery.  Going to Greenlee Gazette should be just as fast and easy as going to any big corporation's site.  

Lately though, as every issue seems to do these days, there's a partisan fight a-brewin'. Anti-neutrality arguments are now being made, turning the tables, saying that Net Neutrality amounts to "government regulation." Some paranoids assign more sinister motives, and claim that President Obama is "taking over" the internet. Whatever.  With all of the non-troversies coming from the right these days, I don't think I'm going to let them sway me without proof. For now, I'm gonna go with Senator Al Franken's take on this.  Because he's good enough, he's smart enough. . .

[Excerpt]
Franken talks net neutrality as FCC visits Minneapolis

Sen. Al Franken spoke out on net neutrality ahead of a Minnesota visit by officials from the Federal Communications Commission to discuss the same issue. The FCC will hold a hearing at South High School in Minneapolis at 6 pm tonight. Franken said on Tuesday that if telecoms have their way, consumers will end up paying much more and have less open access to the internet. . .

Read more at: Minneapolis Independent

Sharron Angle: Still Obtuse, Not Right

The only flattering image
of Sharron Angle in existence
from source, Think Progress

I need some new "angle" jokes, I'm running out of them. But she isn't! Wow, wouldn't you think that after mining disasters and a massive oil disasters that showed fairly conclusively that these industries are not regulated enough that politicians might notice that too? Not Sharron Angle! Less regulation is the answer!

[Excerpt]

Sharron Angle’s energy plan: Deregulate the ‘mining industry,’ as well as the ‘oil and petroleum industry.’

On May 26, a few weeks after BP’s oil disaster began, U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R-NV) told a local media outlet that her solution to America’s energy policy would be to “deregulate” the oil industry. While both conservatives and liberals agree that this catastrophe could have been prevented if BP had invested more in safety and if regulators had been more attentive, few, if any, have taken the extreme view at there is actually too much regulation on the oil industry. However, last Wednesday, while appearing on the hate-filled website ResistNet’s Internet radio station, Angle reiterated her position and explained that if elected, she would ensure that “government isn’t over-regulating” the “oil and petroleum industry,” as well as the “mining industry.” Angle appeared to attack her opponent, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), for supporting the Mining in the Parks Act, a law that prohibits mining in National Parks. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

EDITOR'S NOTE: Is my caption to the photo mean-spirited? Perhaps. But as a fellow unphotogenic human, I feel I have some wiggle room. For a person who sees a normal person in the mirror, and a Lord of the Rings character in photos, I can sympathize with Angle's plight. As one who has searched the Googles for pictures of her for previous posts, I've found almost exclusively scary/crazy pictures of Ms. Angle. Not that I'm complaining.

Let's Deregulate EVERYTHING!!!

This may be the dumbest "consumer awareness" ad I've ever seen.  Yes, there are a lot of regulations on a lot of things.  And when all plastered on the screen at the same time, it can look overwhelming. But even without the banking collapse, and the huge gusher of oil in the gulf (both very likely attributable to lack of adequate regulation), all you need is a little common sense to see that the things being regulated in this ad are a good thing.

I want clean air, clean water, safe food, non-combustible furnishings, safe cars. . .you know, reasonable regulations. It has been shown time and again that when businesses are deregulated, they do anything they can to boost profits, the public be damned. Even with regulations, they exploit every loophole available. But sure, deregulate everything. Lets go back to child labor while we're at it. With none of those pesky safety devices on the bone-crushing machinery! Yeah!  Idiots.

Sen. Scott Brown is Sort of Confused

Image from source, Huffinton Post

Politicians, like newscasters, can sometimes rise to prominence on little more than a pretty face.  It doesn't always work (witness the smart and pretty Scott Kleeb), but sometimes it does. And one-time Cosmopolitan model, Scott Brown (R-Mass.) seems to be between a rock an a hard place. Or rather, between Massachusetts voters and the tea baggers.  It has to be something of a political mine field for poor Brown, trying to please the tea baggers while also trying to. . .you know. . .make sense.

[Excerpt]

Scott Brown Struggles To Explain His Position On Wall Street Reform


Share Comments 2,388 I gather that Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) thought that this legislative game was going to be easy? Just straight up drive his pickup truck to Washington and set about casting the 41st vote and all would be well? And then he took a moment to think like a guy who might want to be re-elected to the Senate from Massachusetts, and cast a vote for a jobs bill, and watched as his supporters lost their ever-loving minds on his Facebook wall. Now he doesn't seem to know if he's coming or going -- and having difficulty explaining things to reporters. Nobody said that there would be "explaining"! . . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Sarah Palin's Second Major Interview: Katie Couric

No, I didn't watch the thing. And, no, I do not count Sean Hannity's infomercial as an interview. But it looks like I didn't miss much, based on this writeup. Sarah Palin is still answering questions like a beauty pageant contestant, meandering around, acting like she knows what she's talking about.

[Excerpt]



Palin unable to name any examples of McCain ‘pushing for more regulation’ in the past 26 years.

In her interview with Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) tonight, CBS’s Katie Couric noted that the governor has said, “John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business.” “Can you give us any more examples of his leading the charge for more oversight?” Couric asked. Palin, however, refused to answer the question directly, instead going on about how McCain is seen as a “maverick.” When pressed further by Couric, Palin was unable to name any examples of McCain pushing for more regulation. . .

Source: Think Progress