Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Skewed priorities, a/k/a it is hard to get rid of 'em over the egregious way they discharge public duties - so attack the flanks.

Scott Pruitt. Donald Trump.

Each has been a disaster in decisions. Pruitt, for example:

Consider smog, a type of air pollution formed when exhaust from vehicles and power plants heats up in the sun. It is a major contributor to asthma and premature death. One 2014 study found that people of color live in communities with 38 percent more nitrogen dioxide, a compound that is a precursor for the formation of smog.

The nation has made strides in reducing this type of pollution and was on track to do an even better job when the EPA, under former President Barack Obama, set more protective smog standards in 2015.

Last October, the EPA was required to pinpoint those areas of the country that weren’t meeting the 2015 air quality standard, so action could be taken to clean up the air.

But instead of identifying all those problem areas, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt simply ignored federal law by missing the October deadline. In fact, Pruitt has stalled numerous environmental regulations by delaying action or deciding to revisit rules that were set for implementation.

This prompted Earthjustice, the nonprofit I work for, to sue him on behalf of a number of health and environmental groups, including the American Lung Association, National Parks Conservation Association and Environmental Defense Fund.

Pruitt’s inaction is one of many examples of how the Trump administration has attempted to stall the implementation of required health protections so that corporations can focus on their bottom lines, rather than on the communities or neighborhoods they may be polluting.
Egregious servitude to Koch brothers and other environmental villians. He should be ridded from DC for that.

Yet, Pruitt faces an indirect attack, on grounds outside of intentional partisan malfeasance/misfeasance; e.g., Breitbart countercontentions.

Trump, his record of egregious appointments stands as worse in the nation's history. So, attack him over Don Juanism? The problem is not his personal habits, it is his absolute dereliction of duty and disdain for the best future for the bulk of the people of nation. If he lied about Stormy Daniels and is bending truth along with others about hush money that is less an offense than appointing John Bolton or Scott Pruitt to any position in government.

Fault for what really matters, people, please. Thugs put into power matters. Hush money, less so. One shows disdain for duty and for the well being of the earth and the populace. The other shows a mere weakness of character. Follow the money and not the bedsheet stains.

UPDATE: A critique from George Will is not one from a partisan of the Democratic Party, myopic in any way, that way.