Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Bush Punishes Everyday People to Help Polluters

by Steven D
Mon May 15th, 2006 at 08:13:01 AM EST

What is our Dear Leader doing to us now? According to the Washington Post (via Raw Story), he plans to make it impossible to obtain information about the environment by slashing the budget for EPA's nationwide network of libraries:

Proposed budget cuts could cripple a nationwide system of Environmental Protection Agency libraries that government researchers and others depend on for hard-to-find technical information, library advocates say.
The $2 million cut sought by the White House would reduce the 35-year-old EPA Library Network's budget by 80 percent and force many of its 10 regional libraries to close, according to the advocates and internal agency documents.
That, in turn, would dramatically reduce access to certain EPA reports, guidance and technical documents that are used by the agency's scientific and enforcement staff as well as private businesses and citizens, they say. [...]
The public has a lot at stake in the future of these libraries, said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit advocacy group that obtained internal EPA documents on the proposed cuts.
"We view this as another example of the Bush administration marginalizing EPA research so that the agency scientists and other specialists can't do their jobs," Ruch said. "And then in the absence of information, plans by industries and others that have environmental implications go forward."

Note that last point. These libraries are used not only by the public, but also by the EPA's own scientists and enforcement staff. So not only will Joe and Jill American find themselves unable to get copies of EPA reports relevant to the businesses and communities, but the EPA's research and enforcement staffers will be limited in their ability to research current violations of environmental laws.

Who does this measure benefit? Solely POLLUTERS. The people and corporations who don't take the time or effort necessary to prevent harmful chemicals from entering our air, ground and water. Chemicals that get into our food, our water, our lungs and our bloodstreams. Chemicals known to cause cancer, asthma and a host of other illnesses. Chemicals that exact a terrible toll on ordinary people.

And spare me the "budget cutting means you have to make hard choices" routine. This is a measly $2 million we're talking about. That is what we spend on Iraq every ten minutes or so. Two million dollars is approximately .003125% of the $64 billion in lost tax revenue our government will lose just this year by making Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy permanent.

This is, pure and simple, a measure designed to help criminals. People who violate the laws that protect the health and well-being of all Americans. Think about that the next time you hear someone talk about Bush and Republicans as compassionate conservatives. The only thing they show any compassion for is the almighty dollar.

EPA EPA Libraries Environment Pollution Bush Administration Bush Administration's Proposed Budget Cuts

Bush Punishes Everyday People to Help Polluters | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Bush Punishes Everyday People (4.00 / 4)

The increasing number of Asthma cases tells the tale even if Dubya will make it impossible to research it. I suppose he'll have to find a way to make those statistics unavailable to make it a fait accompli.

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 09:17:58 AM EST

Re: Bush Punishes Everyday People (4.00 / 2)

My daughter and my wife both have asthma and we live downwind of many of the big midwest coal fired electrical utilities. Thanks to Bush the requirement (By Clinton) that those plants add new scrubbers to reduce their emissions has been tossed in the circular file.

With Bush and I, its personal.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

by Steven D on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 09:48:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bush Punishes Everyone to Help Polluters (4.00 / 2)

Effing bastards don't have the guts to just eliminate the EPA and take the political fallout that goes with gutting our environment. Instead, they have to think of all of these cheapshit underhanded ways to accomplish the same deceitful goals. It's enough to make me wish I believed in Hell so these evil slimeballs would eventually receive a fitting punishment.

by Shalimar (srbaxley@yahoo.com) on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 09:49:27 AM EST

Re: Bush Punishes Everyone to Help Polluters (none / 1)

It's enough to make me wish I believed in Hell so these evil slimeballs would eventually receive a fitting punishment.

Shalimar, you have no idea how many times I've had exactly the same thought (sigh)...

...but then I ask myself "What is it in the American political system that allows such people to even get near the levers of power?" - those circuits must be removed from the system for the very planet, and our children, to survive.

Ecological collapse is already happening. Your resentment of the word doesn't change the fact that it is occurring.

by Knoxville Progressive (green_planet_2000 (at) yahoo (dot) com) on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 10:27:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Exactly! (none / 1)

I remind myself continually that BushCo didn't emerge from a vacuum; they're an entirely American product, having taken full advantage of the basic dysfunctional imbalance of the entire system as it exists, to achieve their current positioning. In fact, imo, the individuals themselves don't matter; the decadence & corrpution is entirely systemic & manifests precisely as it has, regardless of the names.

Bush himself is in the position he's in precisely because his family has done the same throughout their domestic history: they've benefitted from our collective dysfunction. Were our system of governance fully functional & sustainable -- actual representative democracy, iow -- he'd be just another anonymous social failure.

by wilderness wench on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 10:46:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Exactly! (none / 1)

I would have been happy to settle for Baseball Commisioner George W Bush.

Ecological collapse is already happening. Your resentment of the word doesn't change the fact that it is occurring.

by Knoxville Progressive (green_planet_2000 (at) yahoo (dot) com) on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 02:23:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sources (none / 1)

Always be mindful of the source. Good thing we have WaPo feeding RawStory, both of which may have seen FCW's article back in March, referencing PEER's article on March 16. What is PEER?

"Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals."

I had not read anything about these folks until about 4.5 minutes ago. Wealth of information on that site, and I'm sure the reporter(s) have it bookmarked. So why wasn't that source attributed and/or linked on either "news" site?

And they wonder why some of us are a little peeved.

by rba on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 11:59:50 AM EST

and impede research (none / 1)

This measure will aid criminal polluters by hampering enforcement but will also impede the scientists' ability to do their work. Scientists often hit the library to find additional information or studies on specific issues that they are working on. It's almost akin to shutting down law libraries for lawyers so that they can not research and read the law, or at least make it harder by limiting the number of libraries that are open or have access. Remember how Bush has been using minders on scientists at NASA and other federal agencies to stop them from talking to reporters about climate change occurring now and other impacts of global warming. Well, now Bush is restricting access to the data scientists need to formulate opinions.

by Patriot Daily (patriotdaily@patriotdaily.com) on Mon May 15th, 2006 at 01:14:04 PM EST

Bush Punishes Everyday People to Help Polluters | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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