Here's a double Valentine for each of us and a mud-pie in the face of each of the two Koch brothers, that dastardly pair that are trying to buy our country politically so that they can further pollute the world and our atmosphere with their oil.
One of the punches in their collective face comes from President Obama, who has just ordered the EPA to adopt emission controls for trucks so as to lower the amount of carbon being put into the atmosphere. He's already had the EPA adopt tough controls on autos, such to go into effect this year. With no help from Congress he's still keeping up the fight against global warming.
The second punch comes from a billionaire Democrat. Yep, a "billionaire Democrat". Apparently the Republicans don't have a monopoly on money men. This one is Tom Steyer, a big-time hedge fund manager from - where else? - Silicon Valley. Being located in Silicon Valley means he at least has brains enough to believe in science and therefore be alarmed by global warming.
But unlike most alarmed Democrats, he wants to do something about it instead of just shrieking. He's putting together a $100 million campaign fund, half of it being his own money and half from other richies to campaign against candidates who refuse to do anything about global warming. He's also going to be running educational ads just to drive some sense into the heads of Americans presently bewildered by all the climate-change denial the GOP scoops out.
He's a go-get-'em guy. With $11 million of his own money he helped Terry McAuliffe win the governorship of Virginia. Some Democrats turn up their noses at Steyer because he's using the loopholes in campaign financing that were created by the hated Citizens United decision. Hey, Democrats! Get real! We're facing an apocalypse, and the niceties of campaign spending cannot shackle Democratic efforts while the GOP goes wild in destroying the planet.
If any Democrats are truly disturbed by Steyer's use of big money, why don't they start an on-line funding drive to get a million people to each donate $100 for the same campaigning that Steyer has targeted. Heaven knows, far more than Steyer's $100 million is needed this year if we are to save the Senate from a GOP takeover and have a chance at recovering the House. To date the GOP and its associates, such as the Koch brothers, are swamping the Democrats in terms of fund-raising.
Will Steyer's money balance things? No. More is needed. But at least one Democrat is doing the right thing. Thanks, Mr. Steyer, for trying to save the world for my grandchildren.
And thanks, President Obama, for doing yet one more thing to make life better for all of us.
How little thanks you get, Mr. President. For that, I am so sorry. But here there's at least one person who is truly grateful. Keep it up, Mr. President. Don't get discouraged, sir, because so few seem to notice how much you do. I know you don't do it for gratitude but because it's the right thing to do. But I still want to say thank you.
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