NegativeSpin - Aug. 6, 1999

They're Going To Lie And Cheat Anyway — August 6, 1999

George W. Bush challenges
Homer on environment

"DOH!"

"DOUGH!"

ost people when they step in a puddle of raw sewage or nuclear waste really hate it. They don't consider it a good thing. Or when the children play with their chemistry set during dinner, that's a real problem.

But when George W. Bush steps in something nasty, or trips over a bucket of chemical waste, or sniffs in some polluted air, he thinks, "Umm, money-money-money!"

Why would we say something so harsh, so against basic common sense? It has to do with what activists are saying about Gov. Bush's poor environmental record, and the big bucks he's bringing in from special interest groups opposed to any form of decent regulation. He's about as lax as Homer Simpson on the job at the nuclear power plant, often seen tossing a green glowing thing from his car window.

In Bush's favor, we assume that he likes to breathe, that when he goes fishing (his "favorite hobby") he doesn't want to catch a dead fish, and that he wants his family to enjoy the same things for generations to come. But against him, we have the reports that show an strange disregard for environmental concerns.

According to a report in the Washington Post, an executive of the chemical industry, which has more plants in Texas than in any other state, said, "We like Bush because of his evenhandedness, his grasp of our issues. We see him as someone we can work with" on the environment. "We want to do things voluntarily rather than by command and control out of Washington." Bush supports this "voluntary" system. (The way these folks "volunteer" for anything is the same way George W. Bush volunteered to go to Vietnam; he didn't.)

The article in the Post states: "Environmental activists say Bush's failure to crack down on polluters is one reason Texas has some of the country's dirtiest air. Texas is one of the biggest industrial polluters among the 50 states, and the federal government has threatened to cut off highway funds to the Dallas area because it has failed to address the problem." Activists cite how Bush has allowed the oil and gas industries to operate more than 800 aging plants without complying with clean-air standards. Instead, he holds forth a supposed voluntary agreement with companies to work on pollution, though opponents note that only 100 plants have participated. Environmental activist Peter Altman of Austin said, "The chemical and oil industries like Bush's long record of protecting polluters at the expense of public health."

"Read my nostrils,
no new drugs!"

*George W. Bush challenges* *Homer on environment*

"DOH!"	"DOUGH!"
ost people when they step in a puddle of raw sewage or nuclear waste really hate it. They don't consider it a good thing. Or when the children play with their chemistry set during dinner, that's a real problem. But when George W. Bush steps in something nasty, or trips over a bucket of chemical waste, or sniffs in some polluted air, he thinks, "Umm, money-money-money!" Why would we say something so harsh, so against basic common sense? It has to do with what activists are saying about Gov. Bush's poor environmental record, and the big bucks he's bringing in from special interest groups opposed to any form of decent regulation. He's about as lax as Homer Simpson on the job at the nuclear power plant, often seen tossing a green glowing thing from his car window. In Bush's favor, we assume that he likes to breathe, that when he goes fishing (his "favorite hobby") he doesn't want to catch a dead fish, and that he wants his family to enjoy the same things for generations to come. But against him, we have the reports that show an strange disregard for environmental concerns. According to a report in the Washington Post, an executive of the chemical industry, which has more plants in Texas than in any other state, said, "We like Bush because of his evenhandedness, his grasp of our issues. We see him as someone we can work with" on the environment. "We want to do things voluntarily rather than by command and control out of Washington." Bush supports this "voluntary" system. (The way these folks "volunteer" for anything is the same way George W. Bush volunteered to go to Vietnam; he didn't.) The article in the Post states: "Environmental activists say Bush's failure to crack down on polluters is one reason Texas has some of the country's dirtiest air. Texas is one of the biggest industrial polluters among the 50 states, and the federal government has threatened to cut off highway funds to the Dallas area because it has failed to address the problem." Activists cite how Bush has allowed the oil and gas industries to operate more than 800 aging plants without complying with clean-air standards. Instead, he holds forth a supposed voluntary agreement with companies to work on pollution, though opponents note that only 100 plants have participated. Environmental activist Peter Altman of Austin said, "The chemical and oil industries like Bush's long record of protecting polluters at the expense of public health."