From this view, it looks like Cruz was trying the old bait-and-switch. Use real-life stories of people who have legitimate concerns about regulations affecting their businesses, but once the dog-and-pony show is over pivot to the only folks that count, their big money donors from the fossil fuel industry and Wall Street.
What, Cruz playing a con? Well, he is a Republican, and a morally bankrupt, lying, hypocrite to boot. I say the shoe fits here.
Almost everything the Republicans do comes back to their ultimate goal of more money in the pockets of their rich benefactors, which in turn leads to bigger campaign donations to them, and who knows what else. Keeping their friends’ taxes as low as possible and regulations, which could cost money to implement, to a minimum, is their two-pronged plan
Smaller government? All part of the scam. Smaller government means doing less for the people who need the most help, thus a smaller budget and less tax revenue needed to fund it. Deregulations, as Whiteside clearly showed us, are the tit for the tat of payoffs they get from corporate America – or vice versa.
That’s what happens when you have a campaign finance system that really amounts to legalized bribery.
It’s as clear as the nose on your face. Let’s take a look at some of the regulations former President/Unindicted Criminal/Would-be Destroyer of Our Democracy and Rule of Law Donald Trump got rid of during his dumpster-fire of an administration.
*Canceled a requirement for oil and gas companies to report methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to climate change.
*Revised and partially repealed an Obama-era rule limiting methane emissions on public lands, including intentional venting and flaring from drilling operations.
*Replaced the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which would have set strict limits on carbon emissions from coal-and-gas-fired power plants, with a new version that would let states set their own rules.
*Loosened a Clinton-era rule designed to limit toxic emissions from major industrial polluters.
*Revised a permitting program designed to safeguard communities from increases in pollution from new power plants to make it easier for facilities to avoid emissions regulations.
*Amended rules that govern how refineries monitor pollution in surrounding communities.
*Directed agencies to stop using an Obama-era calculation of the “social cost of carbon” that rule makers used to estimate the long-term economic benefits of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
*Revoked an Obama executive order that set a goal of cutting the federal government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent over 10 years.
*Rescinded water pollution regulations for fracking on federal and Indian lands.
*Revoked an Obama-era executive order designed to preserve ocean, coastal and Great Lakes waters in favor of a policy focused on energy production and economic growth.
*Permitted the use of seismic air guns for gas and oil exploration in the Atlantic Ocean. The practice, which can kill marine life and disrupt fisheries, was blocked under the Obama administration.
*Lifted ban on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
*Relaxed the environmental review process for federal infrastructure projects.
*Revoked a directive for federal agencies to minimize impacts on water, wildlife, land, and other natural resources when approving development projects.
*Rejected a proposed ban on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to developmental disabilities in children.
*Ended an Occupational Safety and Health Administration program to reduce risks of workers developing the lung disease silicosis.
*Revoked a rule that prevented coal companies from dumping mining debris into local streams.
*Withdrew a proposed rule aimed at reducing pollutants, including air pollution, at sewage treatment plants.
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These are some of the dozens of anti-environmental actions Trump took during his presidency. Corporations, seeking to avoid having to pay for various environmental protections, were very happy to accept these favors.
It goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – climate change is of no concern to the Republican Party. They’ve shown no hesitation to not only ignore it, but to make things worse and hasten its destructive effects.
Deregulation is a GOP buzzword. They say it quick and offer no details. Just like Cruz, they think that in the end, the joke will be on us, and they’ll be the ones laughing.
All the way to the bank.
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Musings of a Nobody 