Friday, October 20, 2017

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for October, 2017


With the continuing rise in the level of ambient ass-clownery in the world, it's getting harder all the time to select a single deserving Ass Clown every two weeks. I know that I keep mentioning that unfortunate fact, but it's nevertheless true. I tend to change my mind on the selected recipient each time more often than Donald Trump changes his mind on his approach to health care.

But it's time to present the award, and unlike some people I could name, I'll take on that responsibility.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, our choice for

The Left Cheek Ass Clown for October, 2017


is

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator


The Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970, during the presidency of Richard Nixon*, to "consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. Since its inception, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people."

No longer.

According to the EPA website, Mr Pruitt "will lead EPA in a way that our future generations inherit a better and healthier environment while advancing America’s economic interests." But today's EPA is far more in tune with the business interests of miners, manufacturers, and other businesses who chafe at the costs and difficulties imposed by measures intended to promote "a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people." Under Mr Pruitt's direction, environmental and health protections have been routinely diluted or rolled back in response to business desires and in ignorance of established science.

Before being appointed by the business-friendly Trump administration to administer the EPA, Mr Pruitt had a long record of filing lawsuits aimed at protecting the environment and human health ... you can read a detailed list here. And since taking office, he has moved swiftly to roll back more than 30 Obama-era environmental protection regulations that are insufficiently business-friendly.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the 1950's and 60's, and remember the foul air we breathed and the poisonous water of our beloved three rivers. I also remember the streams that ran bright red and yellow through the coal regions of central Pennsylvania, heavily contaminated by the poisonous runoff of vast mountains of mine tailings.

I have the usual level of old-guy nostalgia for some of the past ... but a return to the past of air we couldn't breathe and water we couldn't drink is not part of it.

For his steady emasculation of the agency that helps to ensure we have a healthy environment - an agency we really need at a time when the administration is intent on wrecking the national health care system that treats the problems caused by reckless environmental contamination - Scott Pruitt is named as the Left-Cheek Ass Clown for October, 2017.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, when Cartoon Saturday continues with the Halloween theme.

Bilbo

* Not widely known as a tree-hugging hippy longhair crazy person.

5 comments:

eViL pOp TaRt said...

It's terrible to go backwards on environmental protections. He merits the Ass Clown award; but many others are in the running.

Mike said...

I think you could go through trumps whole cabinet with an ass clown of the day for a whole month.

Elvis Wearing a Bra on His Head said...

Whatta dork

allenwoodhaven said...

Worthy!

UplayOnline said...

but many others are in the running.


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