Ever have someone tell you they don't vote because "what's the difference?" In Texas, the level of apathy is shocking. We rank 51st in the nation for voter participation. An impressive statistic, in my opinion. Well, this is an observation where a difference in leadership would make my life better.
I'm a fairly active person. I run, bike, or swim almost daily. Not an athlete, but a damn good excerciser. Our air in North Texas is some of the worst in the country. I recently received warnings for seven consecutive days that the air was not good for me to breath. I feel and taste, literally, the pollutants entering my body as I breath heavily during a workout. It makes me feel "off" the rest of the day. I have two little girls. Some of my favorite time I spend with them is in my back yard. I now have to go through a cost-benefit analysis of whether the fun outweighs the damage to their bodies.
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Recently, a group of 6500 doctors asked the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality to tighten restrictions on some really dirty coal power plants. The doctors were fed up with treating so many people who are sick because of the quality of our air. The TCEQ's response (via Star-Telegram)?
“There is data that shows that we should be raising the ozone levels,” Bryan Shaw, the commission’s chairman, said to doctors who testified. "And I am not at all suggesting that’s true. I'm suggesting that there is data that shows that we’re at a point where there's noise there, and I think that there’s concern that we may be chasing the wrong rabbit, as I sometimes utilize, to try to capture that.”
Later in the meeting, he added, “It does no one any good to go and require reducing ozone if we’re not having a beneficial impact.”
Let me paraphrase; "It's not that bad and if you look at the trajectory, in a couple years we'll probably hit the minimum requirements and so we don't want to F the economy so we won't be doing that."
In public statements, Shaw has argued that requiring expensive pollution controls in coal-fired plants could have an “economic ripple” effect, driving up the price of power and disproportionately affecting poor Texans.
An example of the logic; "Every one's electricity bills will increase. A $5 increase is painful for a poor person while a $50 increase for a wealthy person is insignificant." Sounds logical. If the owner's of
two of the dirtiest
five power plants in the nation are forced to upgrade their equipment they will be forced to pass those costs onto the customers.
Someone, please explain to me why that is the only option? Why can't I have a government in place that is more concerned with the air I breath than the money that lines the pockets of well paid executives at the plants' and politicians' owners? Why, when the CEO receives millions of dollars in compensation, is the only option to raise prices across the board? Why can't I have an agency looking out to protect me rather than buying into the bullshit that taking care of our environment will destroy our economy? Why can't I have a government that feels compelled to consider what is best for me and my family rather than only for the powerful and wealthy?
When my phone beeps at me later today to warn me of another bad air quality day I will probably choose to stay inside with my girls. I'm fairly certain the executives at TXU and Luminant have other options. So again, tell me how the poor are dispraportianately harmed?
I know that when Wendy Davis is governor she will be fighting to make sure my voice is not drowned out by money. That's the difference voting in November can make for Texas. A difference we can taste!