Saturday, August 25, 2007
Mention Lake Michigan right now, and the first thing that comes to my mind is pollution.
Not, however, the recently scuttled controversial plan to release more relatively harmless toxins into the water by British Petroleum's Whiting, Indiana, plant, but the ridiculous and, yes, hypocritical, decounciation of it by the Chicago-area's illustrious legislators, Democrats Dick Durbin, Rahm Emanuel, and Richard Daley.
I was close to the fray on this both as a Region journalist and as the brother-in-law of a BP employee. It gauls me to watch three men who, for all intents and purposes, have allowed my favorite city in the world — Chicago — to make the Chicago River too toxic to swim in, and have started Lake Michigan on its way to a similar fate.
The amount of IDEM and EPA approved toxins BP wanted to put into the lake is infantessimal compared to the crud the city of Chicago has poured into the big lake over the years is, in my opinion.
Such vocal opposition to the BP plan, though, has nothing to do with pollution, unless you consider it a ploy to attract an even greater number of enviro-crazy voters to the camps of the three-headed monster. What it really is about is playing to the lowest common denominator — a tactic politicos with the same bent as Durbin, Emanuel and Daley are quite good at.
Any time a Democrat has the opportunity to slam the greates monster in the world — "big business" — it plays well with voters. Stick it to the big, rich fat cats, and win one for the "little guy."
Unfortunately, what the "little guy" who opposed the BP plan and supported the three politicians doesn't realize is, because of his three legislator-heroes, thousands of "little guys" just like himself just lost out on thousands of high-paying jobs that would have been created thanks to BP.
And by the way, that same "little guy" will still be swimming in a polluted lake. Especially as he gets closer to Chicago.
Not, however, the recently scuttled controversial plan to release more relatively harmless toxins into the water by British Petroleum's Whiting, Indiana, plant, but the ridiculous and, yes, hypocritical, decounciation of it by the Chicago-area's illustrious legislators, Democrats Dick Durbin, Rahm Emanuel, and Richard Daley.
I was close to the fray on this both as a Region journalist and as the brother-in-law of a BP employee. It gauls me to watch three men who, for all intents and purposes, have allowed my favorite city in the world — Chicago — to make the Chicago River too toxic to swim in, and have started Lake Michigan on its way to a similar fate.
The amount of IDEM and EPA approved toxins BP wanted to put into the lake is infantessimal compared to the crud the city of Chicago has poured into the big lake over the years is, in my opinion.
Such vocal opposition to the BP plan, though, has nothing to do with pollution, unless you consider it a ploy to attract an even greater number of enviro-crazy voters to the camps of the three-headed monster. What it really is about is playing to the lowest common denominator — a tactic politicos with the same bent as Durbin, Emanuel and Daley are quite good at.
Any time a Democrat has the opportunity to slam the greates monster in the world — "big business" — it plays well with voters. Stick it to the big, rich fat cats, and win one for the "little guy."
Unfortunately, what the "little guy" who opposed the BP plan and supported the three politicians doesn't realize is, because of his three legislator-heroes, thousands of "little guys" just like himself just lost out on thousands of high-paying jobs that would have been created thanks to BP.
And by the way, that same "little guy" will still be swimming in a polluted lake. Especially as he gets closer to Chicago.
