So in West Virginia

[malaise]

Restaurants are closed
Schools will be closed
Businesses will be closed
Homes are a mess
Imagine families with babies and toddlers

Any word from hotels???

Who will pay for this mess

This is why society needs regulations
Fuck the Koch brothers and their so called Freedom friends.

[Cleita]

1. I'm wondering why the President hasn't declared a state of

emergency and mobilized the federal relief agencies to step in and help the state out. Or did I miss something?

[malaise]

2. He did

FEMA is there but since these fugging ReTHUGs hate government, why should taxpayers fund the poisoning of rivers by private interests who bribe politicians to prevent regulations

[Cleita]

6. Thanks. I missed that.

Political corruption does need to be investigated.

[sabrina 1]

7. Send them the bill but we have to help these people regardless. And start arresting people. Can you

image if this happened and it was a 'terrorist', the coverage it would receive, endless, years long 'horror' stories.

This country is so screwed I'm not sure there is any hope for it anymore.

[brer cat]

8. It wouldn't even have to be a terrorist.

If it was someone who once spoke with or stood close to PBO, the media and congress would be all over it.

Beside punishing and fining the company that caused the spill, we should also go after the jerks who were price gouging on the bottled water. That is a disgrace.

[malaise]

9. OF course the Feds have to help

Give thanks for big government.
This is madness - once there is no water no one will be going to work, school or anywhere else.

[ReRe]

21. This tragedy is a perfect example of...

... "externalities." The Corporation effs up our world, our lives, and WE pay for it.

[malaise]

24. Same thing with BP

The 'fisherfolks' are still paying and so are the restaurants not to mention people who have to live with the pollution.

[ReRe]

33. Seriously...

... all sea life seems to be washing up on the Gulf seashores down there. Our family used to vacation in the panhandle of FL, but no more. To me, it was like fucking up heaven. Sugar sands. Sand crabs walking sideways. Our children and grandchildren giggling and digging. No more. We can't go back there.

[Jazzgirl]

4. The president did declare a state of emergency in West Virginia.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-10/obama-declares-emergency-in-west-virginia-after-spill.html

[Cleita]

5. Glad to hear it.

[Blanks]

3. The Sunday morning shows were all Chris Christie...

Where is the media attention?

[dgibby]

12. CNN is covering it. n/t

[Blanks]

20. I don't have cable...

When I googled it, I found that there were several stories from the networks.

Someone pointed out the other day that the West Virginia chemical spill is a bigger story than Christie. I agree completely.

As fun as it is to beat up on Christie, I'd rather we beat up on the cuts to environmental agencies and environmental regulations.

[ReRe]

22. Seriously...

... Should we not expect that the main agency raising hell right now would be none other than the EPA? The EPA is all but defunct at this point in time.

[Blanks]

28. Obviously the EPA should be all over it, but...

It should be on the news. At least I think it should be. There should be someone from the EPA, Homeland Security and FEMA on the news.

Until the clean-up is completely resolved. Instead they're talking about Christie.

[ReRe]

35. It's really hard on us older folks...

... we know how things should be. We know what isn't being done. Heck, they might as well do away with the GD "News." They're not reporting the news anymore. In reality, that is exactly what they have done with the infotainment format. I hope Ed and Rachel switch off the Christie mess this week and report on the bigger tragedy unfolding in WV. For instance... why isn't the media planted at the hospitals, reporting on the health repercussions of this chemical spill? Has anyone died yet?

[Blanks]

36. If there is an upside to this...

It is that any poor people experiencing health problems should be eligible for Medicaid expansion.

Hopefully that will open some eyes as to why Obamacare is a good thing.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

39. Sick..Here's a post about that

I've been praying.. I'm worried..
I hope they know we care! http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014695931

[Blanks]

41. Still (days later) - there's a lot of Christie threads...

Which I don't really get. Christie is either dead in the water, or the scandal will pass and he will be unscathed. If there's something there - the DOJ will be sharing that information in the weeks and months to come.

The real news story is in West Virginia. This is what happens when we let the 'magic hand' (or whatever it's called) of the free market rule. Innocent people suffer, and we should mobilize our national resources when our people are suffering. We should be trying to figure out how to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

The press should be mobilizing to see how they can help. This 24 hour Christie scandal coverage is moving us into bizarro universe.

[El_Johns]

10. K&R

[AAO]

11. Fuck them all - all those responsible should go to prison.

[spanone]

13. k&r...

[ananda]

14. Looks to me as though BP set a bad precedent.

..

[ReRe]

23. I thought the same thing! n/t

[dgibby]

15. Don't forget hospitals,

nursing homes, assisted care facilities, retirement homes, the State Legislature, and animal shelters/rescues, not to mention how wildlife will be affected. My neighbor's BIL lives in the Charleston ares and is scheduled for bypass surgery on Tues. Of course, all elective surgery has been cancelled.

According to another friend of mine who has relatives in the affected area, a class action law suit is in the works.

[malaise]

17. Excellent post

These irresponsible corporations must pay.

This is frightening- imagine if Occupy had shut down a country for two hours let alone all this time. It would be more than pepper spray by now.

[ReRe]

25. Exactly...

... Environmentalists are demonized and The Corporation is deified!

[Mr.Bill]

16. I'm sure it could all be paid for

with a huge tax cut for the chemical industry and the abolition of the EPA.

[malaise]

18. You betcha!

It's sickening.
How many people are going to die because of this mess.

[Delmette]

34. Not exactly a tax cut.

They will pay a tax deductible penality, then they will go on their merry way.

[seveneyes]

19. the answers are out there

[a la izquierda]

26. Many counties are organizing relief efforts...

I dropped off a bunch of stuff today at the university. There was quite a line forming and the relief drop off site had literally just opened.

But it shouldn't have to be this way, because this shit SHOULDN'T happen.

[Matariki]

27. The best those two assholes deserve is life in prison.

[Kablooie]

37. The worst they will get is a bill

That will be much less than what they would have had to pay if they had been regulated so it will remain profitable to endanger populations.

They go home happy and continue to have shoddy protections.

[abq e streeter]

29. Helping would rob all the repub voters of the initiative to solve this problem on their own

It would be worse than Stalin,Hitler and 911 combined.
A political point obviously.Of COURSE we must do everything necessary to help but the national Democratic Party needs to pound this home to all the repub voters there, that THIS is your big gubmint soshulizm at work.Maybe at least a few of them would finally "get it".

[ReRe]

30. Deregulation...

... came with Ronald Reagan. Freedom my ass. What good is freedom, when The Corporation is permitted to reek havoc upon all living things with no strings attached? What happens when you cause damage to someone's property, or someone physically? You are held accountable. You pay for it, that's what. But not The Corporation.
The next time I hear someone say that the USA is so "exceptional" I'm going to slap them.

[Thinkingabout]

31. As was in the case of the West, Tx fertilizer blowing up, the corporation had one million

Dollar liability policy. Guess what, it did not cover the cost. Either regulations are not respected and abide by those rules or they need to shut them down until they meet regulations. It makes you wonder how long the leak went on before it was reported. BP is still fighting to keep from paying but the damage is done.

Afraid terrorist might try some of the same, let's hope someone catches the plot before it happens, hope home land security does the job well enough to prevent terror.

[tblue37]

32. And imagine animals, who don't know the danger, drinking from natural water sources! nt

[Meandyou]

38. 200 miles downstream

In Cincinnati, they are keeping an eye out for contamination. In a news story earlier today, they said the city only has a 3 day supply of water if the Ohio river is affected.

[malaise]

40. Someone should ask Boehner about that

I heard other states are watching as well.
This is irresponsible madness.