Scott Pruitt, who has called for the dissolution of much of the agency’s authority, has been destroying our Environmental Protection Agency since February 2017. He is a seasoned legal opponent of the agency and likely Trump's most effective minion until recently, working every day to dismantle regulations on climate change and clean water.
Ryan Zinke, the abomination of a Secretary of Interior, has created a new advisory board to rewrite federal rules for importing the carcasses of dead animals killed by trophy hunters. That board is filled with trophy hunters themselves and Trump's friends and family.
A new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinos is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to Trump and his family.
In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are examining the White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface and later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions. This is our third to focus on proposals related to 2019. Since Congress never got their act together for 2018, most of Trump's proposals didn't go into effect fortunately and hopefully the same is true for 2019.
In December 2017, Trump announced his administration, at the recommendation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, will dramatically shrink the size of the state's two national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Trump's orders mark the largest reversal of national monument protections in U.S. history.
If America seeks to enhance its greatness, perhaps our supposed leaders should take a look at what Mexico is doing. Yes, Mexico.
Mexico City got a substantial warning before the shaking from a distant earthquake arrived [February 16th] — some 30 to 60 seconds broadcast over loudspeakers from an earthquake early warning system.
It was another success for Mexico City’s earthquake warning system — one which California, Oregon and Washington state still lack, and one that is an ongoing target for elimination by Trump.
As we have stated a dozen times before, Scott Pruitt is in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency yet he would love nothing more than to erase it from existence. He's living out his wildest fantasy with this sadistic opportunity to destroy it from the inside. In Pruitt's mind, nothing, even the future our the one planet we have, should stand in the way of corporations doing whatever they want to maximize profits. This is as simple as we can explain it.
In August 2017, Smart Dissent had this post discussing Scott Pruitt and the EPA's attempt to suspend a rule that restricts methane emissions to fight climate change.
There's intelligence involved with identifying problems and solutions. But what if someone sees a problem, overstates its size, and proposes a terrible solution? Then you have another way the Trump White House is causing great harm to our nation.
In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are examining the White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface and later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions. This is our first to focus on proposals related to 2019. Since Congress never got their act together for 2018, most of Trump's proposals didn't go into effect fortunately. For 2019, who knows?
Simple protections for animal welfare is something that extends to all political spectrums. In my involvement with dog rescue groups, I've been struck by meeting key volunteers who devote their lives to animal welfare yet are staunch conservatives politically. While it doesn't make much sense to me, I do not let that conversation get too far as we have a focus on the animals and can work together on that. I've "joked" to current and aspiring politicians that they could win votes by taking action towards animal rights and rescue. As simple as that, support for a candidate can take off.