Friday, February 3rd, 2017
Stephan: When I read this I had two reactions. The first was what whores the Congressional Republicans are, how little interested they are in the plight of ordinary people, and how submissive they are to their corporate masters -- 50 shades of Red.
The second was the people of West Virginia and Kentucky (the two states that will be particularly strongly impacted by this change) are getting what they deserve given how they have voted.
Then I did some research and the implications of that last thought was suddenly put into even sharper focus. Virtually no one in media talks about this, I had to go into primary research publications to get the data, but where you live literally can cost you years of life.
The life expectancy of of the populations of West Virginia is 75.4; in Kentucky it is 76 years. Compare that with California 80.8 years, Hawaii (the best) 81.3 or New York 80.5
That's five to six years of life. Think of what your life would have been like if your grand mother, or your mother, or your spouse had died five years earlier than they actually did. Would you have missed those five years, would they?
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, following GOP strategy session.
Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Moving to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s legacy on the environment and other issues, House Republicans approved a measure Wednesday that scuttles a regulation aimed at preventing coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams.
Lawmakers also voted to rescind a separate rule requiring companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments relating to mining and drilling.
Republicans said the votes were first in a series of actions to reverse years of what they see as excessive government regulation during Obama’s presidency. Rules on fracking, guns and federal contracting also are in the cross-hairs as the GOP moves to void a host of regulations finalized during Obama’s last months in office.
“Make no mistake about it, this Obama administration rule is not designed to protect streams. Instead, it was an effort to regulate the coal mining industry right out of business,” said […]
My only comment is this: How do we fire congressional members who are in office but doing things that will damage our water and food supplies?