Tim Walberg's (R-MI) bid to return to the U.S. House repeat appearance on the "Dirty Dozen." Photo: US Congress
The League of Conservation Voters is only two thirds of the way through filling out its 2010 “Dirty Dozen,” the group’s list of Congressional candidates with unimpressive voting records on clean energy and the environment. But candidates from Great Lakes states have already nabbed three of the eight spots.
The lineup so far:
Tim Walberg (R-MI): Smilin’ Tim Walberg (pictured at right) opposed 32 of 33 pieces of environmental legislation the last time he was in office, including the No Child Left Inside Act, an environmental education program.
Michelle Bachman (R-MN): A few gems from Bachman herself: “The big thing we are working on now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax,” and, “I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing.”
Pat Toomey (R-PA): “Pat believes that protecting our environment is critically important,” according to his campaign website. That’s why he supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale.
This is the League’s first year releasing second “Dirty Dozen” list of candidates running for state-level races, where Great Lakes state candidates have secured four spots:
John Pappageorge, Republican running for Michigan State Senate District 13: Pappageorge voted to weaken Michigan’s environmental laws and limit the state’s surprise inspections of potentially contaminated facilities. But he does have a great last name for a pizza place.
Tom Emmer, Republican running for Minnesota Governor: “All Minnesotans have an interest in keeping our water and air clean,” Emmer said in a press release on agriculture regulation. That must be why he voted against the state’s requirement for utilities to generate 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025, then wrote a bill to repeal it after it passed.
John Perzel, Republican running for Pennsylvania State House District 172: Another Marcellus Shale supporter. Perzel voted to trim a moratorium on natural gas drilling there.
Bill Stachowski, Democrat possibly just sitting somewhere in New York: Whatever he did to become the only Democrat on the list must have been good. He’s already dropped out of the race.
“..but he does have a great last name for a pizza place.” What an enlightened comment. Clearly, Pappageorge is a Greek name, not an Italian one. If you are going to publish cheap ethnic stereotypes and slurs, the least you could do is a bit of research to be sure you offend the correct ethnic group.
As far as the content of the list, consider the following in Pappageorge’s case:
LCV states he, “Hypocritically voted against his traditional rhetoric of ‘less regulation’ by imposing heavy new regulations on state agencies attempting to better manage the already complicated bureaucracy for permitting and environmental protections in Michigan.”
How Orwellian, and I mean that in the most pejorative way. For those of us who believe in limited government, there is nothing hypocritical in limiting state agencies’ ability to interfere in the lives of private citizens and business. “Regulating” state agencies is code for limiting the ability of unelected (and undemocratic) bureaucratic agencies from regulating the rest of us, and that is fine. Tying the arms of the government means less regulation for citizens and small businesses that create jobs.
LCV also states, “Pappageorge tried to have it both ways by arguing for ‘smaller government’ while, at the same time, voting to bind Michigan’s laws to the weaker ones of the federal government on conservation issues in the state.”
Limiting the reach of law and regulation? That sounds like smaller government to most of us. Nothing could be more in line with Pappageorge’s argument for smaller government than limiting the reach of the state and its ability to constrict the economy and property rights, especially in a state with the highest unemployment in the nation.
While LCV pushed for environmental regulation to weaken an already fragile economy, Pappageorge authored and passed positive and proactive legislation securing significant funding for research, development, and production of batteries for battery powered cars that would reduce carbon emissions, reduce dependence on oil provided by hostile states, and create jobs. Environmental improvement, national security, and job creation — that is a hat trick and offers much more than LCV for both the ecosystem and people of Michigan.
Based on LCV’s poor research, Orwellian language, and poor logic, and your “research” (how serious can one take a web page that states of one former candidate, “Whatever he did to become the only Democrat on the list must have been good.” How informative.), I can only assume that every “award” on here is equally ridiculous.