The people who did this are not our friends.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, just because you say something often and loudly doesn’t make it true.
Take the curious case of “environmentalist” Rep. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) who, along with Rep. Joe McCord (R-Maryville) and several other GOP state reps, were graded by the Tennessee Conservation Voters and found to have not-so-good records on the legislation that would keep Tennessee beautiful and its drinking water safe.
Tom Humphrey at Knoxville News Sentinel has the quote:
“The people who give these ratings are paid environmentalists,” Niceley says. “I was an environmentalist before most of these boys were born.”
Oh yeah? Well put your actions where your words are, fella, and maybe we’ll believe you.
Woods at the Nashville Scene breaks it down:
These are the cave men who made it easier in this year’s session for road-builders and real-estate developers to pave over Tennessee’s streams. Under the fabulous new law they rammed through the legislature, here’s how we’ll deal with pesky burbling brooks interfering with development plans: The developer only has to hire a “consultant” to write a report concluding that the stream isn’t a stream at all. No, it’s merely a “wet-weather conveyance” and therefore unworthy of any protections under environmental law….
And that’s just one of the environmental degradations brought to Tennessee by these lawmakers. Once again, they also managed to kill legislation to prohibit coal companies from blowing the tops of our mountains. Thanks to them, they’ll soon have to sing “Rocky Top-less” at Neyland Stadium on Saturdays.
McCord fell only one vote short of a majority for his bill to weaken standards for the amount of selenium that coal mines may release into Tennessee streams. Critics warned it could cause massive fish and wildlife kills and jeopardize human health, too. But McCord assured everyone that selenium is perfectly safe. It’s so good for you they put it in vitamin pills! You need “your daily dose of selenium,” McCord said. Oh well, there’s always next year.
Next year. Ah, yes. Can’t wait to see – not hear – what these tree friends come up with in January.
You don’t really blog.. you copy and paste other people’s thoughts.
That’s what most blogging is: commenting on other people’s posts. Nothing wrong with that. Heck, all news reporting is saying what other people did. At least, that’s what I think news reporting should be…
A blog is actually a type of online diary of personal thoughts…
The problem I have is that most of the time this blog consists of ten lines written then twenty lines copied and pasted.
Ryan! Can’t wait to.read your blog. Where can I find it?
Mary.. I only wish I had time to maintain my own blog. Maybe one day I will have that much disposable time, and I promise it will be original thought.. not copied and pasted.
No need to start a blog, Ryan, we already know what you’d write: “Noun, verb, Obama sucks.”
No need to take English classes. Mary, we know you would fail.
Mary, I assume you will be blogging about the Health Care bill…
I need you to check this out and blog about it..
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/55398
I thought President Obama wasn’t raising taxes?
Ha! You’re funny, Ryan. Go to http://wordpress.com/ and get yourself one. I look forward to reading it.
Mary.. I told you I don’t have time.. I barely have time to keep up with yours.
Where is that President Obama isn’t raising taxes response?
You only talk about stuff you can get away with, huh?
This may sound cynical, but most of these new taxes (and penalties and fees) really seem like changes in accounting terminology. If the overall cost of healthcare slows down, isn’t that good?
And the assumption in many of these increases is that insurance companies will just raise their rates. Sounds to me like single-payer is a better option. It most certainly has it’s flaws, but I like it more and more as this healthcare reform goes through the sausage grinder. Insurance companies seem to raise their rates *even higher than the rates of medical inflation*. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Testimonies/2009/Sep/On-the-Road-to-a-High-Performance-Health-System-Changing-Course-and-Making-History.aspx
“If premiums had increased annually at even 150 percent of medical inflation from 1999 to 2008, family premiums would have been $2,600 lower in 2008.”
And Mary could just link to the articles, but she helpfully posts the relevant text so I don’t have to go hunting for it at the source (or if the link goes stale).
Ryan, one really does have to stop and ponder your sanity/priorities if the best use of your time is trolling the Liberadio(!) blog…
Freddie, you didn’t respond to the Obama health care comment, either.
What? Someone who doesn’t think the same as you isn’t welcome around here?
How liberal of you.