THE QUESTION I ALWAYS ASK IS: WHO DO REPUBLICANS REPRESENT?

 

The answer, actually, is present all around us, particularly those of us living in cities - it's the air, or more precisely air quality, stupid (go here to see the data).  Air quality during the Obama years was becoming better each year saving thousands of lives. Since 2016 with the ascendancy of the anti-science, all for corporations Trump Administration the gains seen during the Obama Administration have been rolled backwards over 5%.  In that regard, recently the EPA has decided to eliminate scientific research on air quality preferring to rely on, you guessed it, corporate data, including oil and gas companies (go here).  Coal mining gave 97% of it's political contributions to Republican candidates during the last presidential election.  Why does this matter?  It doesn't to the Republican Party, a wholly owned subsidiary of energy corporations, but the economic cost of rising air pollution, particularly the increase in particulate matter costs us, you and me, 89 billion a year in today's dollars - and rising.  

 

Trump began his presidency by talking about “American carnage,” portraying a nation overflowing in violent crime. In reality, crime was and is near historic lows. However, Trump and his Republican facilitators in Congress's anti-science and pro everything corporate attitude is creating "American carnage" to the tune of millions of Americans, particularly children, dying of lung disease now and in the future.  Imagine what the air, water, and environment generally will be like if Trump is re-elected.  The word carnage comes to mind.