GOP plans to slash funding to EPA and cut environmental rules.

[Gargamel]

Originally Posted by August

US Earthquake Warning System,

That made me laugh!! Thanks August.

Sounds kinda like the same sorta of severe weather system I've seen in the back country.







Is the ground shaking?

Yup? Earthquake.

Can you stand up?

Nope? Bad Earthquake.




I'm all for making a safe and reliable prediction system, but I highly doubt it will end up being accurate enough to make a reliable Early Warning system. Psuedo Science Pork FTW!.


This is exaclty what Bush did in his first few months in office. He revoked/repealed the majority of the huge environmental gains that Clinton made, all so his Oil Cronies could make more money. I sat there and fumed as I saw law after law being repealed all in the sake of money. Then a few years ago, I saw this documentary which details the affects of the Bush "environmental" legislation on a personal level.

[GoldenRivet]

Our lives are overly regulated by these EPA a-holes

They shut down a local construction site for a whole day because they had the wrong style of gas cans for christs sake.

The gas can the EPA recommends is a pure POS and has resulted in me accidentally dumping at least a half gallon per fill up into the local lake.

In most cases- I think the morons at the EPA cause more harm than good.

And face it... Virtually every aspect of your life is regulated by these turds. These sub-human pieces of trash mandate everything from the type of light bulbs you buy to the type of gas cans you can store fuel in within your own GD garage.

If we don't strike back they WILL regulate us right into extinction.

They shut down a local construction site for a whole day because they had the wrong style of gas cans for christs sake.

That happens everywhere, its normal. There are damn good reasons why there is legislation concerning the storage of chemicals in the workplace.
Sure everyone tries to get away with using any old drum thats lying around.
But when something does go wrong then you are responsible and liable, and if you get caught even if nothing has gone wrong then you are still responsible and liable.
People who complain about getting caught have no grounds to complain.

The gas can the EPA recommends is a pure POS and has resulted in me accidentally dumping at least a half gallon per fill up into the local lake.

That probably reflects your own abilities rather than the quality of the container

These sub-human pieces of trash mandate everything from the type of light bulbs you buy to the type of gas cans you can store fuel in within your own GD garage.

If we don't strike back they WILL regulate us right into extinction.

You sound like Skybird

[Takeda Shingen]

First $20k-a-year teacher salaries, now a return to rivers that burn. Not exactly the vision for America that I was hoping for.

[Penguin]

How wise and long-term-thinking! Even from a strict financial POV this is bs. The costs lax enviromental laws cause outweigh the short term savings.
This is typical for bean counters who only think of their own budget. Showing "financial sensibility" by cutting a budget and not thinking of the costs the general public has to pay.
Who pays if people's health get affected by lax regulations? Right, everybody for themselves...

@GR: I give a flying **** about PC, but I think the term subhumans is not appropriate for this forum. Maybe it's just the Kraut in me, but I can't stand this expression.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

First $20k-a-year teacher salaries, now a return to rivers that burn. Not exactly the vision for America that I was hoping for.

Funny. I was about to post this picture without comment:

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

Our lives are overly regulated by these EPA a-holes

They shut down a local construction site for a whole day because they had the wrong style of gas cans for christs sake.

The gas can the EPA recommends is a pure POS and has resulted in me accidentally dumping at least a half gallon per fill up into the local lake.

In most cases- I think the morons at the EPA cause more harm than good.

And face it... Virtually every aspect of your life is regulated by these turds. These sub-human pieces of trash mandate everything from the type of light bulbs you buy to the type of gas cans you can store fuel in within your own GD garage.

If we don't strike back they WILL regulate us right into extinction.

The problem is proper regulation. Running a paint contracting business, I'm set up as a small quanity generator of haz. waste. The cost, paperwork, visits and fines for writing a label wrong is amazing. I refused to dump 1000's of gallons of chemical on the ground, so guess who the EPA only checks on...guys like me that signed up to do it right. Meanwhile, 100's of illegal mexicans dump tons of chemicals on the ground, backyards, dumpsters, sinks, etc....never bother them.

With government it's either too much or too little.

Read a story not long ago in Alaska where the water cleaning plant is, they applied for federal funds like all. They needed to reline or something. The problem was their water wasn't dirty enough by standards. In order to get the funds they were required to lessen standards to make the water dirty.
They did and were approved.

[AngusJS]

Originally Posted by Gargamel

Then a few years ago, I saw this documentary which details the affects of the Bush "environmental" legislation on a personal level.

That's a good film. Sometimes environmentalists talk about what chemicals are in our water without considering if they're at dangerous levels or not, but I think everyone can agree that you should not be able to set your tapwater on fire as it's coming out of the faucet.

And Bush exempted these gas companies from the Clean Water Act so they could do whatever they want, public health be damned.

[August]

Originally Posted by Gargamel

I'm all for making a safe and reliable prediction system, but I highly doubt it will end up being accurate enough to make a reliable Early Warning system. Psuedo Science Pork FTW!.

Well from what I read it's an improved version of the system they have already installed in Japan and that did save some lives. I think your calling it "pseudo science pork" without even checking into it, sort of belies your claim that your "for a safe and reliable prediction system".

[GoldenRivet]

@ Tribesman...


these little POS EPA Gas Cans that are not vented, and require you to tip the gas can with one hand, while pulling back and twisting the sheath on the pour spout with the other hand... they SUCK and are a horrible idea.

the reality of it is that 5 gallons of gas weighs about 30 lbs, they pour at a rate of about one gallon per 2-3 minutes and it requires considerable effort to operate such an awkward device for 10-12 minutes in such a twisted half assed manner as they recommend.

thus, you get people who say to hell with it, pop off the spout, up end the container and pour the fuel freely into the tank. on a rocking boat, this can result in some spillage unfortunately.

with the old style gas cans that the government didnt have their hands all over, i could unscrew the vent cap, tip the gas can up with both hands (adding substantial stability) placing the ENTIRE pour spout into the fuel tank and just hold it there... the whole can would be empty in 1.5-2 minutes flat.

on the subject of the EPA regulating things in general.

yes... some regulatory items are important.

NO.. i don't think it makes a hell of a lot of difference what sort of gas can a construction company uses to fuel up their bulldozers and chain saws and weed eaters.

and i especially dont think the government should have its say on every little thing people can or cannot go to the store and buy.


shut down the EPA? no

Trim the fat and tell them to chill the F out? absolutely

[Platapus]

From an economics standpoint, cutting the EPA is like being on the Titanic after she struck an iceberg and deciding to fix a leaky faucet.


Focus needs to be on the Military Industrial Complex, Social Security Programs, and Medicare.

Anything else is small spuds.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Platapus

From an economics standpoint, cutting the EPA is like being on the Titanic after she struck an iceberg and deciding to fix a leaky faucet.


Focus needs to be on the Military Industrial Complex, Social Security Programs, and Medicare.

Anything else is small spuds.

while there is some truth to that... i think that there is also the whole "death by a million paper cuts" concept here too.

cutting a lot of things from the budget adds up too

EDIT:

i think it shows something interesting about our two parties when one wants to cut over $50B from the budget and the other about $5B

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

while there is some truth to that... i think that there is also the whole "death by a million paper cuts" concept here too.

cutting a lot of things from the budget adds up too

EDIT:

i think it shows something interesting about our two parties when one wants to cut over $50B from the budget and the other about $5B

I also think it is interesting that this $50 billion is but a drop in the bucket compared to the total budget, and that nearly all of those cuts are from the welfare and heath sectors. The 24% of the US budget that goes to defense spending remains largely untouched. This seems far more ideological, and far less practical. I think that Platapus' point stands.

[Rockstar]

I hope this equates to reducing certain regulations.

I live on an island that is speedily washing away with the tides. About 3 acres a year and there isn't much left. They say environmental studies need to be done before a protective barrier may be constructed. Got to protect the greenery and ecosystem heaven forbid if we harm that! Farking environmental bureaucrats don't get it that in ten years there won't be any greenery or an Island. Homes will wash in trash sewage everything. All these idiots are concerned with are environmental impact studies about a seawall and and several acres of sandy bottom. Thanks to idiotic environmental regulations!

Look at Tangier, VA on Google Earth. Look on the north end of the island. In the 50's there was a village grocey store, movie theatre, church homes with about 500 people living there. But now all you see a small structure it WAS a hunting lodge. Scroll through the maps, start I think in 1997 and it goes up 2007. The last map shows it falling into the water. Today 2011 I can tell you it doesn't exist.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

I also think it is interesting that this $50 billion is but a drop in the bucket compared to the total budget, and that nearly all of those cuts are from the welfare and heath sectors. The 24% of the US budget that goes to defense spending remains largely untouched. This seems far more ideological, and far less practical. I think that Platapus' point stands.

Im not disagreeing with Platapus.

Im only stating the fact that both parties are releasing these insanely small budget cut figures.

What we are basically illustrating right here in this very thread is that Americans in general really want to cut the budget, trim the fat and try to "right the ship" economically speaking

BUT...

nobody wants to be the one to cinch that belt up. Nobody wants their little baby pet project to be the one getting cut or getting the axe altogether. They want everyone else to be the ones to suffer.

the left and the right both have their different ideas of what to cut and none of it is enough. and even if it were the right number they cannot agree on ANYTHING.

and Joe American is reading the morning news saying to himself "WOW!!! they can really cut $50B from the budget? thats great news!!" but only because they are too stupid to realize that $50B is CHUMP CHANGE... with the numbers we are talking about that is "walkin' around money."

WE are our own worst enemy. None of us can agree on ANYTHING and in the meantime the ship continues to sink.

and next on the congressional agenda? this useless waste of space... This pile of stinking trash that is our United States Congress... whats next for them? ---- to pass whatever budget bill they can to avoid a shut down of the government* no matter how crappy or nonsensical the budget might be they will pass it in there at the last second just for the sake of passing something - On saint Patricks day - while you're not looking!. and this is the process that is going to break the back of this country.

Bicker

Argue

fuss

complain

reach the deadline and pass something because something is theoretically better than nothing.

rinse, wash, repeat - the same cycle next year... until the federal deficit becomes a number so large that it has to be expressed in scientific notation

The reason there are so many disagreements on fundamental policy issues is that the Government has too many irons in the fire... they have their hands on SO MANY private issues that it cant be kept up with. the budget is stretched so thin to so many different directions and there are so many special interests tied up in this whole mess that these politicians are trying to make everyone happy and THEY CANT!