http://www.examiner.com/this-day-history-in-national/cuyahoga-river-on-fire
By Jim Hoover
As if the Republicans haven’t done enough already to trash the American people, indeed our country, considering attacks on women and Planned Parenthood, attacks on regulating Wall Street, cuts to spending for the vulnerable, voting to end Medicare, starving education, trying to kill voting in many states (mostly affecting Democratic voters), and bringing us to the brink of default on our debt, they want to bring back burning rivers.
Today the Republicans demonstrated once again their misguided ways. The House of Representatives voted to kill the Clean Water Act, saying the states can insure clean water. Now fortunately, Democrats have a majority in the Senate and have the presidency, so it won’t happen.
Let me indicate the significance of this latest vote, though. The Clean Water Act was based on the Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972. It came about because states were a total bust in curtailing pollution of their air, groundwater, and waterways.
It came to a head in June 1969 when the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland caught on fire, throwing out massive smoke and flames, for about the 12th time since 1912, threatening boaters, homes, and burning through railroad bridges — causing millions in damage. The picture above was from a Time Magazine Report at the time.
Decades of unrestricted dumping of waste by local industries, leaving the river clotted with oil and other combustible effluents, was blamed.
It is well known fact that monolithic oil and gas companies have invested over $235 million to political parties since 1990, 75% of it to Republicans, expecting them to target the EPA and all other restrictions on their businesses. This year’s top three contributors are Exxon Mobil, Koch Industries, and Chevron in that order. The Koch brothers were no doubt watching as the Republicans voted to kill the Clean Water Act.
Let’s hope that the American people are watching too, especially when it is time to vote.
