I guess I'm just an ignorant dummy . . . I don't understand
the inner workings of a politician's mind. I always felt that one of the first
goals of politics and government is to protect people. Kind of like a doctor’s
goal of “do no harm.”
How then do some politicians rationalize that by trying to
eliminate laws that make polluting the air and water and the very land upon
which we live?
I hear and read the arguments . . . These regulations are
too restrictive . . . too costly . . . too much government over-reach . . .
But those arguments focus on the short-term, not the long
term. They ignore the big picture. Often that big picture means easing
regulations now, usually to help and “unencumber” businesses. Does that make
sense? If we lift restrictions, say on how drilling companies handle their
fracking waste water, a toxic blend of water and chemicals, and companies can
dispose of it however they please, then what’s to protect people in that area
from being poisoned? Often companies will take the path of least resistance if
they can, and that means they’ll dispose of waste as inexpensively and quickly
as possible, as an example.
That’s because companies, as they should, are supposed to
make money. Doing things cheaply, without being “encumbered” by regulations,
means more money can fall to the bottom line. Fine. Unfortunately, it can mean
the long-term cost of those business practices may not only be costly to the
company, but to the air . . . or water . . . or land. If that happens, as we’re
seeing with fracking, ground water gets polluted and that means people who once
lived with good water now can drink or even bathe in what’s coming out of their
faucets.
So while companies should, of course, make money, they also
should bear the responsibility of their actions and policies. They don’t need
to be handed freebies by government, or bailed out by taxpayers when they make
errors, or when their businesses cause damage. BP and Transocean could have
used a better and safer pump/well safety valve, but didn’t . . . That decision
cost them tens of billions of dollars and killed 11 people. The blowout
preventer valve they used had failed just prior to installation on the deep water
well in the Gulf.
Similar, though not as devastating, accidents or failures
happen every day . . . leaks and runoffs into streams, rivers and lakes . . .
waste from fracking and landfills . . . chemical
dumps . . . air pollution from plants, and even runoff from farms and private
homes. It all goes into the land, air or water and that means it goes into the
things we eat, drink and breathe.
So while I understand some of regulations of these things
might be considered by some to be “burdensome,” history shows that is political
sword rattling, and doesn’t prove to be a challenge overwhelming or damaging to
most businesses and business profits. Companies predictably complain that any “restraints”
on their ability to do business as they wish will create a business environment
that will destroy them. Businesses adapt, and adapt quickly. They need to do
that to survive and prosper. Government change tends to be glacially slow.
So why do politicians continually challenge environmental
oversight? As I said, I am at something of a loss. It’s one thing to be
pro-business, but not anti-people. If politicians make laws that strip people
of basic protections, like clean water and air, then what’s left? What’s
happening in Flint, Michigan, is an example, except this time it’s the government
that made bad decisions, overlooked and trivialized complaints and concerns
from residents for well over a year, poisoning thousands of residents with high
levels of lead.
Keeping people safe should be a primary focus of government
at all levels. There need not be a conflict between the needs of business and
the safety of the population at large. When I turn on my faucet, I should
expect the water coming out to be safe to drink. The plant in town should throw
stuff into the air that makes it unsafe to breathe, and the factory that just
cl0sed should leave a chemical footprint that lasts for decades and costs
millions of dollars to clean.
If politicians can’t keep us safe, then they should find new
jobs. It’s up to us to make sure they don’t stay in office.
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