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I don't think moderate republicans have always been antienvironment. Tom McCall in Oregon was instrumental in protecting the Oregon Coast from development. And Nixon helped launch the EPA and a number of other things.
I think the conservatives tend to abhor regulations generally. There is a prevailing view that the resource user will always regulate themself most efficiently, the polluter will not pollute more than necessary, ranchers always knows best how to ranch, the logger how to log,etc. Research and an array of Superfund sites coast to coast has repeatedly shown these claims of self-policing user to be false. The desire to internalize the short-term profit and externalize the damage (or walk away completely) is overwhelming. Regulations are necessary.
I think the current climate is so juiced up with partisanship that almost any sort of environmental protection will be label ******* job killing, tree hugging mumbo jumbo. In the us vs. them world view, this is a "them" issue. But of course we all lose from a bad environment. It is another example of a self-defeating outcome of partisanship.
Interesting. Is this the old 'externalizing costs' deal,
where they create a mess and the US taxpayer is billed
with the decades long clean up? After the gov't is blamed
for the whole thing that is.
This is not an all or nothing topic as much as many environmentalist would like it to be. Environmental regualtions need to be practical and manageable. For example in another topic we are discussing the new regulations over mecury, I've shown with the EPA's documentation and other third parties who can be deemed reliable by mostly anyone that the decrease in the deposition of mercury in the US will be negligible. Therefore I argue against them, I guess that puts me in the "hates clean water and air" category.
As with all regualtions there is a practical limit, we can still produce products, energy and all the needs in the world with much less pollution but that is pointless if no one can afford to buy them.
I remember when President Bush drew up a plan to have the forestry service clean out all the deadwood in fire prone areas.
What happened? tree huggers , environmentalists and certain CA DEM politicos came out of the woodwork against it using the justification "hurting Mother Nature" and it went nowhere.
As we've seen over the past few years massive forest fires fueled by dead brush and such.
If there is an attitude with Conservatives on the environment it's because they know the greenies, the huggers, and the friends of Mother Earth will funnel massive amounts of money to their lobbyists in DC to "convince" them to shoot it down.
They're at least supposed to be monitoring corporate maleficence.
Not their fault that we have allowed the fox to guard the chicken coop, so to speak.
With Exxon board members revolving in and out of the EPA, etc etc etc.
Anyways, I ask because there are a few things I really side with conservatives about.
But environment is really a huge issue with me. And it seems like the hot rail issue for the Right.
So, I was hoping to get some good links and book suggestions are Green Republicans, or whatever.
Screw 'em. This country needs moderate republicans desperately. The far right goons will insult anyone that disagrees with them, but they are out to lunch on these issues. You are not. And you are right.
Interesting. Is this the old 'externalizing costs' deal,
where they create a mess and the US taxpayer is billed
with the decades long clean up? After the gov't is blamed
for the whole thing that is.
Interesting. Is this the old 'externalizing costs' deal,
where they create a mess and the US taxpayer is billed
with the decades long clean up? After the gov't is blamed
for the whole thing that is.
Yup. Republicans have their own supply of air and water. This way they won't care when the water is poisioned and the sky turns brown. They have their own supply of lumber, so it won't matter when every tree is cut down.
Republicans don't care about the environment and it's shameful. What an assinine thread. I think too many progs are drinking too much purple kool-aid while they read the tripe from the Sierra club.
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