Dave, you are accusing me of something I did not do. I said, and I quote myself, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is a fluster-cluck, not an activist." I did not say, conservative activists were fluster-clucks. I did not even mention politics. As I wrote earlier, in reply to Passion, I think the pro-life activists are awesome activists. I…
Dave, you are accusing me of something I did not do. I said, and I quote myself, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is a fluster-cluck, not an activist." I did not say, conservative activists were fluster-clucks. I did not even mention politics. As I wrote earlier, in reply to Passion, I think the pro-life activists are awesome activists. I don't have to agree with their goals, to respect them, or their work.
Regarding those billionaires, I was specific, and I quote myself, again, “Conservative billionaires’ think tanks have exerted tremendous influence in rural communities, and their prescribed and formulaic policies have done tremendous damage.”
Dave, I don’t know where you live. For all I know, you could have a balcony, a backyard or a 1,000 acre ranch. I am talking about rural America and all I’ve ever seen, or heard of out here, are think tanks funded by conservative billionaires. I’ve been following these beasts since I first encountered one in the mid-1990s. Back then, the state had passed a mandate requiring jurisdictions to reduce waste going into landfills by 50%, or face $10,000. a day fines. We had ten years to meet that mandate and more than 8,000 square miles of land, people, businesses, aerospace and military installations to consider.
A coalition of engineers, elected officials, attorneys, local activists and our local bank, city and county managers got together and figured out how to do it. The local bank, a business and the city county partnered on the funding, signed the contracts and the facility got built.
Five years before the deadline, we’d reduced waste going into the landfill by as much as 81% a month. That project extended the life of our landfill by 20 years, added more than 80 jobs, reduced city and county waste management costs, turned a profit for the owner and added a new revenue stream for the city and county – without raising trash fees for anyone at all. Thanks to that project, no one in our community has ever separated their trash and recyclables.
Suddenly, a conservative billionaire think tank arrived, determined to shut that facility down. Why? What could possibly be wrong with a project that successful? Dave, can you guess the answer?
The coalition put me to work, finding out what this think tank was and who these people were. As I said, I’ve been following these think tanks ever since.
Over the years, these think tanks have sent in people to oppose or support prison expansion, sex education programs in our schools, general plan updates, water management, hydroponic, family, boutique and organic farming, affordable housing, wastewater treatment, water reclamation, chemical manufacturing, mining and timber operations, wind farms and healthcare system. Dave, can you guess what their stake is, in this rural region? Can you guess what they supported and what they opposed?
As I also said, “The left has nothing even remotely comparable.”
I don't want to get into a partisan demonization of the "enemy" debate. That's not what the commentary is about. As I've written, the demand for lock-step compliance to the party checklists (both of them) from on high is the reason nothing gets done. If I found a genie in a bottle my first wish would be for the end of political parties to disconnect issues from irrational party linkage. The second would be to remove money (bribery by lobbyists) from politics.
My bad and sincere apology. That was a cut and paste from a comment by Passion guided by reason in the thread. I lost the who reading all the whats. The ideas are more important to me than who said them. Sloppiness on my part. There are 66 comments at the time of this comment. Names scroll off the screen.
Dave, you are accusing me of something I did not do. I said, and I quote myself, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is a fluster-cluck, not an activist." I did not say, conservative activists were fluster-clucks. I did not even mention politics. As I wrote earlier, in reply to Passion, I think the pro-life activists are awesome activists. I don't have to agree with their goals, to respect them, or their work.
Regarding those billionaires, I was specific, and I quote myself, again, “Conservative billionaires’ think tanks have exerted tremendous influence in rural communities, and their prescribed and formulaic policies have done tremendous damage.”
Dave, I don’t know where you live. For all I know, you could have a balcony, a backyard or a 1,000 acre ranch. I am talking about rural America and all I’ve ever seen, or heard of out here, are think tanks funded by conservative billionaires. I’ve been following these beasts since I first encountered one in the mid-1990s. Back then, the state had passed a mandate requiring jurisdictions to reduce waste going into landfills by 50%, or face $10,000. a day fines. We had ten years to meet that mandate and more than 8,000 square miles of land, people, businesses, aerospace and military installations to consider.
A coalition of engineers, elected officials, attorneys, local activists and our local bank, city and county managers got together and figured out how to do it. The local bank, a business and the city county partnered on the funding, signed the contracts and the facility got built.
Five years before the deadline, we’d reduced waste going into the landfill by as much as 81% a month. That project extended the life of our landfill by 20 years, added more than 80 jobs, reduced city and county waste management costs, turned a profit for the owner and added a new revenue stream for the city and county – without raising trash fees for anyone at all. Thanks to that project, no one in our community has ever separated their trash and recyclables.
Suddenly, a conservative billionaire think tank arrived, determined to shut that facility down. Why? What could possibly be wrong with a project that successful? Dave, can you guess the answer?
The coalition put me to work, finding out what this think tank was and who these people were. As I said, I’ve been following these think tanks ever since.
Over the years, these think tanks have sent in people to oppose or support prison expansion, sex education programs in our schools, general plan updates, water management, hydroponic, family, boutique and organic farming, affordable housing, wastewater treatment, water reclamation, chemical manufacturing, mining and timber operations, wind farms and healthcare system. Dave, can you guess what their stake is, in this rural region? Can you guess what they supported and what they opposed?
As I also said, “The left has nothing even remotely comparable.”
I don't want to get into a partisan demonization of the "enemy" debate. That's not what the commentary is about. As I've written, the demand for lock-step compliance to the party checklists (both of them) from on high is the reason nothing gets done. If I found a genie in a bottle my first wish would be for the end of political parties to disconnect issues from irrational party linkage. The second would be to remove money (bribery by lobbyists) from politics.
I second the motion. Let's vote. Its unanimous. The deed is done.
My bad and sincere apology. That was a cut and paste from a comment by Passion guided by reason in the thread. I lost the who reading all the whats. The ideas are more important to me than who said them. Sloppiness on my part. There are 66 comments at the time of this comment. Names scroll off the screen.
No worries, Dave, I'm lost half the time myself. Smiles to you.