Daily Archives: 2 April 2007

Is the EPA really as stupid as the Supreme Court case makes it seem?

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in dissenting opinion regarding the case Massachusetts et al vs. EPA et al, said “No matter how important the underlying policy issues at stake, this court has no business substituting its own desired outcome for the reasoned judgment of the responsible agency.” He and the other four conservative justices, including Chief Justice Roberts, did not feel that the state of Massachusetts had a legal right to bring the action.

How anyone with a thread of intelligence could think that the state of Massachusetts doesn’t have a legal right to bring action against EPA boggles my mind. Every state in the US should have a right to bring action against EPA as it was abdicating its responsibility to protect the health and welfare of the citizens of the US. Massachusetts, with coastline, has an interest in the increasing height of oceans and the massive change in weather as witnessed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in recent years.

The fact that EPA stated that to regulate auto emissions would hurt the economy and was not in the best interest of the administration does not mean that EPA does not have a mandate to do so. EPA is suppose to be an independent agency that protects. It is not to be a tool to be manipulated.

I applaud the Supreme Court ruling and the five forward seeing justices who, in the assenting to the opinion of the Court, found that EPA should set regulations for auto emissions.


Baseball Season

Okay, so I am told by the news, that opening day has happened. I use to love baseball. I can remember watching games – any games – as a teenager and keeping box scores in a notebook. That all changed in 94 due to the “work stoppage.”

I am one of those baseball fans that found other things to do after a bunch of spoiled, multi-million dollar players and owners fought over who was getting a raw deal. Top that off with a rising scandal involving steroids and baseball, at least at the major league level, holds no glory or interest for me.

I do still watch some minor league ball. A nearby city is the AAA Mets affiliate. Many players who now play in NYC were once in Binghamton. My 12 year old son loves to go to the ball game. While opening day is this week, I think the snow will keep me from getting tickets but I will consider a trip to the ball park the next week if the weather holds.


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