Republican Congress Destroying Human & Environmental Health

by: Progressive86

Tue Jul 19, 2011 at 12:21:29 PM EDT

As if any more evidence were needed to demonstrate the purely ideological basis upon which so many within the Republican Congress have based their policy decisions upon, the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act is another ringing example. Eric Cantor (R-VA) voted against this act, an act that would have phased out the energy inefficient incandescent light bulb in favor of more efficient light bulbs like LED's. Thus, making the U.S. a less energy intensive country appears to be a low priority for many within the Republican controlled House.

The irony of the situation is that while most Republicans in the House call for "energy independence" and "energy security," they continually vote down what they apparently perceive to be "liberal" acts that would, in fact, promote more efficient energy use in the U.S. Even in this toxic political environment, what is best for the country shouldn't be a matter of where the ideas come from. But the Republican Party, in both houses of Congress, has epitomized the idea of irresponsible governance.

Not only has this morose party attacked more efficient energy use, they have attacked one of the few agencies whose mission is to protect environmental and human health, the EPA. The Republicans in Congress claim that the EPA is simply attempting to increase its power, totally ignoring the facts on the ground. What the Republican Party is really saying is that their friends and campaign contributors in Big Business feel ill at ease in complying with environmentally friendly business practices. God forbid if big businesses have to also focus on protecting the ecosystems and human populations that surround them!

This is, of course, where we are at right now, a battle between big business and environmental stewardship. What is often lost in the raging debates is that environmental health is also part and parcel with human health. If the former is sick, the latter will no doubt be as well. The Republican Party is in effect destroying human health with their assault on environmental protection.