Trump has turned his vandalism to the environment
By Froma Harrop
Syndicated columnist
One word best describes Donald Trump’s environmental policy: sick. The president has an obsessive urge to ravage nature just for the heck of it. Exhibit A is his crusade to weaken environmental regulations against the very wishes of those being regulated.
Trump seems bent on destruction as an end in itself. He has worked to destroy America’s ties with its traditional allies. He’s striving to destroy the Affordable Care Act; and, with it, health coverage for millions of Americans. Now it’s the environment’s turn.
Trump tries to hide hostility toward environmental protections behind claims of helping business. But beyond temporarily saving a few mining jobs in a dying industry, it is costing the economy dearly. Parts of America fighting fire or fearing for water as global warming advances will have to pay huge sums trying to recover.
Why would Trump threaten car companies that are happy to adhere to California’s stricter standards on vehicle emissions? This could have been an opportunity for Trump. He could have taken a bow for overseeing an agreement to improve the environment, while not displeasing the monied interests most affected.
But if destruction is the reward, letting something be serves no psychic purpose.
Ask phony conservatives why the conservative principle of states’ rights doesn’t apply here. The weasel reply is that California shouldn’t be allowed to set standards for the nation. But California isn’t setting standards for the nation. It’s setting standards for California. If 13 states follow California’s lead, well, that should also be their right, right?
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/harrop-trump-has-turned-his-vandalism-to-the-environment/
= new reply since forum marked as read
