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So..........................I'm watching the Republican debate [aka canned info-mercial]
. . . . .
Would America as a whole truly be better off without the EPA? (I understand this last question is more in the politcal/social realm......but...I think business health does has to be weighed against other concerns.)
Answer: No.
America, as a whole, would truly be better off without . . . the Republicans.
What we need is an EPA where the marketplace dictates which sources of energy are worthy of exploration and expansion, as opposed to a narrow-minded President who considers himself to be a condescending know-it-all who wants to browbeat all of us with his energy agenda, which is guaranteed to oblieterate our wallets and bank accounts.
The EPA's multiple string of mandates regulating gas station nozzle emissions is just one example of regulatory overkill. Many cities, including here in LA could do wonders with improving their own air quality with better programming of traffic signals.
There are thousands of intersections throughout SoCal where folks are forced to sit in left turn only lanes or 'no right turn on red' lanes for 2-4 minutes when traffic is nonexistent, and you can see oncoming traffic 1-2 miles away!!!!!!
What we need is an EPA where the marketplace dictates which sources of energy are worthy of exploration and expansion, as opposed to a narrow-minded President who considers himself to be a condescending know-it-all who wants to browbeat all of us with his energy agenda, which is guaranteed to oblieterate our wallets and bank accounts.
The EPA's multiple string of mandates regulating gas station nozzle emissions is just one example of regulatory overkill. Many cities, including here in LA could do wonders with improving their own air quality with better programming of traffic signals.
There are thousands of intersections throughout SoCal where folks are forced to sit in left turn only lanes or 'no right turn on red' lanes for 2-4 minutes when traffic is nonexistent, and you can see oncoming traffic 1-2 miles away!!!!!!
The point of government oversight is that private enterprise is supposed to operate with a no holds barred mentality and the will of the people is brought to bear through government mitigation, is it a perfect system, no it isn't. Can you detect holes in the positions held by both private enterprise and government, yes you can, but that's not to say we need to scrap either parties position. Simplistic views regarding the private sectors need to make profits is not akin to the holy grail, nor is the president acting on his own in these matters, thousands of people work on our energy policy directives not just Obama..
Programming traffic signals is not going to alleviate the tons of carbon being produced in Los Angeles' basin area from motor vehicle emissions, when we think the answer is so simple it just means we haven't had a good look at the data...
Wow, overwhelmingly people reject this particularly noxious brand of right wing rhetoric! That is actually encouraging! I suspect the two folks who are calling in this thread for EPA disbandment are involved in industries that would seek to enhance profits by not having to deal with environmental regulations. Lots of folks affiliated with the traditional energy industry, manufacturing, chemical production and even farming resent the EPA for making them operate in an environmentally responsible fashion. Truth be told, it is more profitable to dump and pollute than act responsibly.
The crazy part is that republican candidates are working this angle when the folks who subscribe to the concept are already solidly in the Republican camp. Nothing to gain and everything to lose. Now that the Republicans have made it clear that they intend to eliminate traditional Medicare, Social Security and clean air/water, I have a hard time believing they will get any of the swing voters they need to acquire seats in the senate or elect a president. It seems likely they will lose the house back to the democrats as well.
If I were a Democratic strategist, I would start preparing the ads now showing the Cuyahoga River burning and barrels of toxic waste sticking out of the earth at Love Canal with shots of Republican candidates calling for less environmental oversight.
Last edited by shaker281; 06-22-2011 at 12:03 AM..
Programming traffic signals is not going to alleviate the tons of carbon being produced in Los Angeles' basin area from motor vehicle emissions, when we think the answer is so simple it just means we haven't had a good look at the data...
I drive to work during periods of exceptionally light traffic. I can watch my MPG drop every time a red light changes when there is no cross traffic and I sit idling for 90 seconds before having to accelerate back up to speed. Seems we could save a whole bunch of gas with reasonable traffic light programming. The automakers expend a huge amount of resources to gain a couple MPG.
Like the Department of Education, the EPA hasn't been in existence that long. Has education improved compared to other countries since we had the Department of Education? Noooooo. Then why are we spending our tax dollars on them?
I have a suspicion that the right wing likes to beat on our education system because the science teachers teach science and not creationism, and history teachers teach history and don't disparage Thomas Jefferson for believing in separation of church and state. And because teachers unions tend to endorse Democrats. So it is not really about education, rather politics and religious beliefs.
Education may be improving in the US and at the same time additional factors may be causing added strain on top of that. That doesn't mean education isn't getting better, but perhaps students are just less prepared/motivated as a whole, causing a back step that is irrespective of education advancements. Without taking into account such demographic factors, in a well designed study, it is impossible to conclude that education is not improving.
But, that won't stop those with an agenda to fulfill.
Good points - EPA sets many standards without any cost-benefit analysis, such as their current jihad on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants - currently plants put out something like 1% of what comes from volcanoes and other natural sources, but that's not good enough for the tree-huggers, cut it to .0001%, and damn the cost.
That said I am old enough to remember Atlanta air back in the mid-60's, it was pretty bad. And the rivers that caught on fire.
So, at first they were making important and effective changes to the emissions of "stuff" into the environment, and were improving things. But the closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program once set up, so they still have people chasing for example car emissions when since the mid-80's cars have been putting out way less than 5% of what they did in the 60's. At some point you need to declare victory and quit spending money on a "problem" that's been for all practical purposes solved.
Very well said.
I assume that everybody who is sticking up for the EPA has never had to work under their regulation. Otherwise, they wouldnt be sticking up for them. I work in the oil field where we have these guys called well inspectors. They are not EPA but instead work for the state. They do a good job keeping oil companies clean and on track and are very tough. The problem is when the EPA gets called in and all reason goes right out the window.
The EPA uses an iron fist to get done what the states could do on their own. We will still have law and order if they are gone.
There's a big difference in "sticking up for them", and wanting some environmental regulations.
I don't support the EPA, exactly, I support environmental regulations.
I support environment regulations also but i dont support the EPA. We dont need a federal agency dictating over states without any legistlative process. They create laws without being elected, thats why they are unconstitutional. They also execute and regulate those laws. Thats a real problem.
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