IS THIS THE AMERICA WE WANT?

Matt Nager for The New York Times

Toxic Chemicals Were Injected Into Wells

By IAN URBINA 7:41 PM ET 

Oil and gas companies put hundreds of millions on gallons of hazardous or carcinogenic chemicals into wells during a drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking, according to a Congressional study.

In the past month, the nation’s focus has been on the budget battle in Washington, where Republicans in Congress aligned with the Tea Party have fought hard for rollbacks to the Environmental Protection Agency, clean air and water regulations, renewable energy and other conservation programs.

At State Level, G.O.P. Seeks Big Environmental Cutbacks - NYTimes.com

When Republicans wrested control across the country last November, they made clear that reducing all government was important, but that cutting environmental regulations was a particular priority.

What is wrong with these people? Don't they breath the same air and drink the same water as the rest of us? What kind of people put the interests of business and the pursuit of profit over the health of our environment and people?

In the Republican version of America toxic waste sites would be a much more common occurrence than they are today. In the Republican version of America, not only would such sites be created in wider areas and much more frequently, there would be no money to clean them up. In the Republican version of America many areas of the country would be poisoned and unlivable for decade upon decade in the misguided pursuit of profit.

The Republicans say their quest to eviscerate the EPA is all about freeing business so that they can create jobs. So, poisoning our air and water, this is the big Republican jobs program? This is the only way they know how to create jobs by allowing industry to dump who knows what into our rivers and lakes and to spew toxins into our air? 

This is America, the land of innovation and technical prowess. I am confident there is a better way. Toxic air and fouled water should not and can not be the price of prosperity. It is much too high a price and one that we can not afford.

Under the Republican version of America, the long term health of our environment is to be sacrificed for short term profit. It is clear that profit and not jobs are the real reason Republicans want to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency. If it was jobs they were after they would have produced them long ago.

Recently, I was in a meeting where many members of a nearby community learned that their community was among the newest federal super fund sites, the result of years of unregulated discharge of toxic chemicals into the ground by private industry, into their ground. Clearly, the people there were not happy, concerned both for their health and the health of their children as well as their property values.

The obvious concern of the community could be measured in the number of questions asked of the local water commissioner and the seriousness of those questions.

On my way out, I asked the person I was with if they thought that this community generally voted Democratic or Republican.  We both agreed that the answer was generally Republican. I wonder what they would say if they knew that the people they were voting for all these years were in favor of doing away with protecting their ground, air and water. After all, who in their right mind would vote for people who want to poison them?

It is time for these people and the people of the United States to wake up. Republicans are not ever on the side of the people. Pick a subject, given the choice, they choose the interests of business and profit over people every time!

Is this the kind of America we want to live in?