Reply #126: letter I'm working on

[UCSBLiberalCat53]

A threat to our environment

Right-wingers see a perfect opportunity now that Justice O'Connor has retired to appoint another member that will further their agenda of weakening our federal protection for our environment. Mr. Bush is most likely to select a judge in the clothing of William Myers, who believes that environmental laws are unconstitutional and a detriment to private property rights. Mr. Bush has undermined public health protections in the name of protecting industry by rolling back clean air and water standards, ignoring global warming, hindering clean up of toxic waste dumps, turning the Environmental Protection Agency into one that prostitutes the environment, and most alarmingly withholding or even changing key scientific evidence and reports to fit their needs. Environmental laws are anathema to these types who believe that these laws increase the cost of business. Conservatives believe that this cuts into business profits and that the lack of environmental laws in the past was tied to massive economic growth, but do not see the human cost of millions of workers who with their children have been exposed to the effects of polluted workplaces.

Bush needs to appoint a nominee that is acceptable to liberals if he wants to avoid another filibuster showdown. Those on the right want a Bush lackey who will rubber stamp every bit of their agenda without question. Republicans believe that they have a "mandate" to obtain such a nominee. Instead Bush should look towards a candidate more towards the center, a moderate who will show independence and not toe the party line.