US Politics Thread 2021-24

[Buddahaid]

So, tell me, what has the GOP done to improve your life over the Trump years? What have they improved for your personal freedom, your wealth, your retirement benefits, your healthcare?

What platform are they standing for now? I mostly see misdirected hate for improved ratings. I see an attempt to enforce rigid American Christian values over a populous that expects the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution to shield them from religious persecution.

"First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I see a push to censor history, I see a push to dumb down the population to further separate the ruling class from the worker bees....

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

Defend the MAGA idiots all you want but don't come crying to me when they screw you.

There are several thousand people in a small town in Ohio and others downwind of the disaster that getting screwed right now.

[August]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

So, tell me, what has the Democrat Administration done to improve your life over the Biden years? What have they improved for your personal freedom, your wealth, your retirement benefits, your healthcare?

What platform are they standing for now? I mostly see misdirected hate for improved ratings. I see an attempt to enforce rigid anti-religious values over a populous that expects the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution to shield them from religious persecution.

"First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I see a push to censor history, I see a push to dumb down the population to further separate the ruling class from the worker bees....

Fixed it for you to make it accurate and realistic.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

There are several thousand people in a small town in Ohio and others downwind of the disaster that getting screwed right now.

And, apparently, the Governor of Ohio was slow to request Federal aid and now you try to blame Biden for DeWine's slow response?

[Rockstar]

Did you read or watch anything I posted? It has been at least three administrations now that have done absolutely nothing to improve rail road, public safety. So ya since Biden is currently the president and has continued the same course as the previous two and in fact may have even contributed to the accident by shutting down union demands for improved working conditions. You damn right I will blame him too.


To borrow your phrase. Defend the Democrat idiots all you want but don't come crying to me when they screw you. Oh wait a small town in Ohio already got screwed.

[August]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

And, apparently, the Governor of Ohio was slow to request Federal aid and now you try to blame Biden for DeWine's slow response?

Really? He apparently requested it as early as the 16th but has been rejected according to this news report:

COLUMBUS, Ohio. (WTAP) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has requested federal help due to the train derailment in East Palestine.Gov. DeWine spoke with officials at the White House Thursday morning and requested assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Emergency Response Team, and the CDC to provide on the ground assistance.
The DeWine Administration has been in daily contact with FEMA to discuss the need for federal support, however FEMA continues to tell Gov. DeWine that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time.
Gov. DeWine will keep working with FEMA to determine what assistance can be provided.

https://www.wtap.com/2023/02/16/ohio...ast-palestine/

[MaDef]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

And, apparently, the Governor of Ohio was slow to request Federal aid and now you try to blame Biden for DeWine's slow response?

That a pretty disingenuous statement if I ever heard one. the DOT has oversight of the Nations railroads, the Feds should have been "Johnny on the spot" when this incident happened. there should have been no need to "request" anything from the Feds.

[Buddahaid]

So due process needs to be applied for the wheels to move.

"Federal Funding Resources
Federal Funding Resources for Transportation Recovery - Overview

Before your company applies for Federal funding to repair and restore the local transportation infrastructure and facilities after a disaster, you need to understand that the majority of Federal funding for such projects can only be used to restore the network to pre-disaster conditions. You may, however, apply for and use other funds to supplement Federal resources to improve impacted transportation systems and mitigate damage from future disasters.

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, also known as the Stafford Act, is one of the most encompassing Federal funding mechanisms to provide financial assistance to local, tribal, and State governments after a Presidential declaration has been made. As noted in the rest of Appendix B, the Stafford Act is not the only funding mechanism available to local, tribal, and State governments. Stafford Act assistance is provided by FEMA, which coordinates the funding in the form of the Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) programs.....

[Rockstar]

The spinning wheels of due process. I suppose that means it will take another thirty years of congressional elections and five or six more executive administrations to respond like it did for the burn pit victims. By then most if not all of those affected will be dead and the incident long forgotten as the process is quietly round filed.

Anyway, I just sent an email to my representative expressing my concerns about railroad and hazardous materials safety. Sure less government is better but I think there are times when it’s needed. Especially to reign in those people who continue to try to get away with murder for the sake of profit. Maybe the feds should require and standardize minimum manning, safety requirements and modern tech that promote safe handling of hazardous materials on our nations railroads.

Or we can just continue to argue over political derp with each other here.

[em2nought]

The democrat response to East Palestine, Ohio should tell you everything you need to know about "cheating the vote". They don't even care what the voters think of them, they'll have "magic" votes when the time comes.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by em2nought

The democrat response to East Palestine, Ohio should tell you everything you need to know about "cheating the vote". They don't even care what the voters think of them, they'll have "magic" votes when the time comes.

That make's absolutely no sense.

[Rockstar]

NTSB: No alert for train crew until just before derailment

By JOHN SEEWER, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and GEOFF MULVIHILL
2 hours ago

https://apnews.com/article/politics-...809387f210aee5

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The crew operating a freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, did not receive a critical warning about an overheated axle until just before dozens of cars went off the tracks, federal safety investigators said in a report Thursday as U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made his first visit to the crash site.

An engineer slowed and stopped the train after getting a “critical audible alarm message,” according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The crew then saw fire and smoke and alerted dispatch of a possible derailment, the report said.

The axle investigators are focused on had been heating up as the train went down the tracks, but did not reach the threshold for stopping the train and inspecting it until just before the derailment, the report said. The train was going about 47 mph (75 kph) at the time, just under the speed limit of 50 mph (80 kph), according to safety investigators.

Ohio Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted told CNN ahead of the report’s release that its findings had the potential to form the basis of a criminal referral from the state. He also said railroad company Norfolk Southern should temporarily relocate people who continue to feel unsafe, or even consider buying their property.

“This is the railroad’s responsibility, and it’s up to the government officials at the federal, state and local levels to hold them accountable and do right by the citizens of East Palestine,” Husted said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has already made a criminal referral of Norfolk Southern to the state attorney general’s office.

NTSB released its preliminary findings as Buttigieg went on a tour of the crash site Thursday after getting criticized for not coming sooner, and amid mounting criticism of the overall federal response to the Feb. 3 derailment.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Buttigieg said he was “trying to strike the right balance” between showing support on the ground and allowing the safety board to take the lead in the early going.

He praised “the resilience, the resolve and the decency” of the community amid the impact of the disaster itself and the crush of media and political attention.

The Biden White House has defended its response to the train derailment, saying officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation safety board and other agencies were at the rural site within hours of the derailment. The White House says it has also offered federal assistance and FEMA has been coordinating with the state emergency operations center and other partners.

Another Biden administration official, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, has been to East Palestine multiple times, most recently Tuesday as the EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to pay for the cleanup.

Among those criticizing Buttigieg was former President Donald Trump, who came to Ohio on Wednesday. The Department of Transportation said Buttigieg is visiting now that the EPA has declared the emergency phase of the crash to be over and the start of long-term cleanup efforts is underway.

Asked Thursday about the Trump visit, Buttigieg said that if the former president felt strongly about increased rail safety efforts, “one thing he could do is express support for reversing the deregulation that happened on his watch.”

He slammed Norfolk Southern and other freight rail companies for fighting regulations he said would “hold them accountable and the other railroad companies accountable for their safety record. What we’ve seen is the industry goes to Washington and gets their way.” He pressed Congress to act.

Heather Bable, who lives two blocks from the derailment site, said she’s relieved the government’s top brass is finally showing up.

“We need that attention because we weren’t getting it. They should have been here all along,” said Bable, who was among the throngs of residents lining the streets in pouring rain to welcome Trump on Wednesday.

The reception for Buttigieg was decidedly more muted, with little fanfare around the village of just under 5,000 residents. Trump won nearly 72% of the vote in this heavily Republican region in the 2020 election.

Buttigieg’s visit came nearly three weeks after more than three dozen freight cars — including 11 carrying hazardous materials — derailed on the East Palestine outskirts, near the Pennsylvania state line, prompting an evacuation as fears grew about a potential explosion of smoldering wreckage.

Officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health effects even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.

As remediation of the site continued, Norfolk Southern announced late Wednesday it had agreed to excavate the soil under two tracks. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had called out the railroad company’s failure to address the contaminated soil underneath its tracks before repairing them and running freight again.

“Our original plan would have effectively and safely remediated the soil under our tracks. As I listened to community members over the past two weeks, they shared with me their concerns about that approach. I appreciate the direct feedback, and I am addressing it,” Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan H. Shaw said in a written statement.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, whose Pennsylvania district borders the East Palestine disaster site, asked Norfolk Southern to expand the boundaries of the geographic zone in which it is providing financial assistance and testing. He asserted the current zone excludes many affected Pennsylvania residents and businesses, and said the company should commit to cleaning up soil and water up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) beyond it.

“Norfolk Southern is failing to show any commitment to rebuilding lost trust in our community,” Deluzio wrote in a letter to Shaw. Providing additional resources “would help your company restore the sense of security that the Norfolk Southern train derailment and its aftermath destroyed.”

The president of the Ohio Senate, meanwhile, announced a public hearing on the derailment next week to hear testimony from state officials.

___

Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania and Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

[Gorpet]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

And, apparently, the Governor of Ohio was slow to request Federal aid and now you try to blame Biden for DeWine's slow response?

Did it ever occur to you.That, Oh let's look at a satellite view of the town, before. If i was in charge of a derailment i could not have picked a better one. Oh baby, Look at a satellite map.It was perfect.And what the hell did the Governor do? nothing. Why is that ? And anyway who gives a fucf about this town. it was picked. for this to happen it was perfect

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by Gorpet

Did it ever occur to you.That, Oh let's look at a satellite view of the town, before. If i was in charge of a derailment i could not have picked a better one. Oh baby, Look at a satellite map.It was perfect.And what the hell did the Governor do? nothing. Why is that ? And anyway who gives a fucf about this town. it was picked. for this to happen it was perfect

Better yet, it was caused by those pesky Jewish space lasers.

[VipertheSniper]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

Better yet, it was caused by those pesky Jewish space lasers.

Couldn't be an accident that probably was avoidable, naaaah, it must be an f'in conspiracy.

The lobbying of rail companies on both sides of the aisle to avoid more security measures has absolutely nothing to with this accident /sarcasm. If Trump had really drained the swamp, as he boasted he would, maybe there'd have been no derailment, who knows.