Environment

Trump campaigned to "Drain The Swamp" and people loved that concept.  Heck, that's the basis for Senator Warren's largest legislative push in 2018 - end corruption...ie drain the swamp.  Our citizens rightly want to end corruption and drain the swamp.  Unfortunately for all of us, Trump was knowingly, entirely lying, and is doing the complete opposite.  Also, about 40% of the country is too dumb to understand that.

Here's a prime example of precisely the swamp, the Republican Trump swamp.

Nearly all of us missed this one two months ago.  While enjoying a brief celebration that Jeff Sessions was leaving the Attorney General position, he was doing one last thing to significantly harm our nation.  And of course, by the next hour, Trump had done something else stupid and then we had a corrupt acting-AG and this story below never hit the mainstream news.

The New York Times published a shocking, incredibly thorough piece on December 26, 2018.  Kudos to the authors for the painstaking efforts to report on this direct harm being inflicting on so many communities, our children, our future.  The link to the full article is included at the end and Smart Dissent highly recommends it as essential reading.  Here's a brief summary:

Smart Dissent was hoping to make our last 2018 post a positive one but that's not going to be the case.  Instead, let's make sure everyone is aware of what the relatively scandal-free Andrew Wheeler is doing to elminate as many environmental protections as possible while running the Environmental PROTECTION Agency. 

Scott Pruitt is gone and now so is Ryan Zinke.  That just means their headline news of corruption has ended but the destruction of our environment pushes ahead with full force, stronger than ever.  Despite a public dialog on climate change and our future more than ever before, Republicans continue to eliminate every environmental regulation possible to benefit corporations who lobby them.

THIS IS THE SWAMP.

Ryan Zinke is the definition of the Swamp.  We've written about him so many times it's sickening and we've included links to some of those posts if you scroll down.  Finally he is gone from wrecking our environment, national parks, and wildlife although the next up to run the Interior won't be any better, just not as openly corrupt, similar to Wheeler at the EPA.  But for now, a moment of good news:

Zinke HAS accomplished much:

There’s the Connecticut casino matter

Another bit of good news, our second post to the database this week with a positive rebuke of Trump and Republicans.  

A federal judge temporarily blocked construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, ruling late Thursday [11/8/18] that the Trump administration had failed to justify its decision granting a permit for the 1,200-mile long project designed to connect Canada’s oil sands fields with Texas’s Gulf Coast refineries.

BE SMART ABOUT is an important series highlighting examples of those in power (or in danger of acquiring power) who you need to stay informed about so you can share this knowledge and together we can Be Smart and Actively Dissent.

Today we discuss Bernard McNamee, a CLIMATE CHANGE DENIER, confirmed by the Senate 50-49 last Thursday to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  Trump’s pick to join the nation’s top energy regulator has a significant political agenda.

The Trump administration continues to target as many regulations as they can that were intended to protect us but might cost some companies money.  For example, toxins and pollutants that cause significant health concerns or DEATH including coal power plant emissions and car exhaust, are regulated for necessary reasons.  Trump and Republicans don't care because their corporate overlords tell them it's costly and burdensome for businesses.

After Scott Pruitt's disgraceful period destroying the Environmental Protection Agency came to an end, his right-hand-man Andrew Wheeler took his position and has been doing the same work but more quietly, quickly, and effectively.   Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, is overseeing a "reorganization" of the agency according to the EPA.  We know the truth - he's destroying it just like Pruitt was.