I have been becoming more deeply concerned with the fossil fuel industry (oil, coal & gas) and the increasing evidence of its finacial power to influence the public and politicians. As in the previous post, I noted a massive increase in PR spending by the industry, as evidenced by a multi-media blitz of television, radio and internet advertising touting the virtues of natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region of the Appalachian mountain range in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. It's no coincidence that this upswing comes as the election heats up for its culmination in November.
What's most disturbing to me is a conservative Republican running for PA govenor who is claiming to be an "environmental" candidate as he has "done more" to protect the environment than any other candidate. The psychological gymnastics are astounding!
I'm personally endorsing PA Democrat Dan Onorato as closer in line with more progressive values. Though not perfect, he doesn't put up with the nonsense of a conservative anti-tax candidate. But even Mr. Onorato seems to be bowing to the potential billions in profits by an industry with a horrendous track record when it comes to basic values of clean air and water.
We have seen what happens when industry is unregulated. Conservatives appear to want to "trust" the industry and only take action after clear violations of the law have been documented. We have seen those results. A true environmental candidate would take pre-emptive action to prevent air and water pollution by industry regulation up front, not after the fact. Conservatives therefore tend to place the environment more at risk. Because we know the best way to protect an ecosystem is to not pollute it in the first place. We should not have had to deal with the BP oil rig explosion and subsequent oil spill which devastated the lives of millions on the Gulf coast, not to mention the outright killing of 11 men. We should not have had to deal with the coal mine explosion in West Virgina killing 29 men. And we should not have had to deal with the death of men from exploding gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region. Clearly, the financial and political influence of the industry weakened our (federal and state government's) ability to enforce any regulations at all. Without a more powerful government to hold billion-dollar industries (like fossil fuels, as well as finance) accountable, we are all at risk of losing whatever we have been able to save through our own hard work. We have no future, unless we hold these larger entities accountable.
How are we to compete with million-dollar PR budgets? Vote, and encourage your friends to vote. We will never outspend fear-mongering billion-dollar corporations and those who support them. But we can support those who refuse to place profits over safety and human lives. Whoever you vote for, vote for a candidate who supports critical thinking skills in educating our children to be leaders rather than blindly following irresponsible corporate action like de-regulation and anti-tax positions. Your children and grandchildren will thank you for it.
Amen!
ReplyDelete