Political Theater

Congressional committee head to chair hearing over EPA mandate for Great Bay communities

I am sure you are  all interested  in our guest  visiting the Nowak Room tomorrow.

Congressman Darrell Issa (R) A New Yorker article 8 pages.

If you have time  to read a 300 page report I have linked below, then you could attend the meeting tomorrow morning . Really, showing up without a basic understanding of the  issue  would be a waste of your time. This document was prepared by John Hall who will also be in attendance. The report is  skewed to buttress the positions of the naysayers. Throughout his presentation of this material to the House Oversight  Committee Mr Hall refers to the lack of public participation. This  report requires  several cups of coffee to plow through. The average Joe will have glazed eyes early on in the task . His presentation rather than refuting the science that was  done,merely poses  more questions. So, we have a former EPA guy, with lots of credentials, now out on his own battling his former  employer, the EPA. We got  Guinta struggling to  bond with his constituents, and  Issa, the wealthy( wealth still, unfortunately, implies alot to some) Chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committee ( most news outlets place the word “powerful” in front of the committee name, they use the “wealthy” tag too for Issa) who is tasked with the distasteful( to some) job of  needling our President and all Cabinet Departments.

We have to clean up the Great Bay, we have to  start with the Treatment Plants.We have to begin.  We also  have to  address the  notion held by many that if you have a septic field you are exempt from cost sharing. Everyone will pay to clean up our waters. Here, there and everywhere.That’s my opinion. Some politicians are not helping to move us forward  in this goal. They are obstructionists.Both parties engage is this behavior.

We  really need a new way forward, this is not working.

Term limits is a great start, and checking a bio before you vote someone in, you can do that  now.

http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/6-4-12-Field-Hall.pdf 300 pages

I am growing very tired  of this continued wrangling and  inaction on the Great Bay and the low public participation in the discussion. I have tried to understand why people won’t step off the corner and move. I thought it might be that the Great Bay is largely concealed, if you don’t own a boat, or kayak. There are no great  vistas  from the comfort of your car, the Bay is honestly quite hidden. Is that it? Or is it money, is that it?  The numbers floated around  for the treatment plants are all messed up. They include 20 years of operating costs. That’s really lame stuffing that  number in to scare people.

I have been to Alaska and many National Parks. I imagine those that have not yet had that wonderful opportunity still hold those places dear. I certainly did prior to my journeys and still do. Just  knowing it’s there, protected, cared for, you might someday  get there,and you want it preserved for your arrival.

“Welcome to Yellowstone”

Scheduling this  meeting in the Nowak Room (tiny) on a Monday morning really says alot about the oft  stated desire for more public participation.

Here is one more, phosphates, they made your dishes  come out clean from the dishwasher, and your clothes cleaner. They  aid in suspending solids. Phosphates were  banned in 16 States in 2010. They  are not good for waterways. The Net  is rife with message  boards of complaining citizens, discussing  driving to other States to get the “good stuff”. The Manufacturer’s just dropped it, why make soap for just a few States. So now we got people adding TSP  from the hardware store to their daily washing chores.

Don’t do that.

“We have met the  enemy and he is us”

Mike