By now you're probably at least vaguely aware that last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget Continuing Resolution to fund the government. Or should I say to de-fund the government. That's right, newly elected "tea party" lawmakers succeeded beyond their wildest dreams in pushing the Republican majority in the House to extreme lengths by approving deep and drastic reductions in federal spending. Most of the proposed fiscal cuts -- along with a plethora of pro-polluter policy earmarks -- are aimed at severely limiting the ability of federal environmental agencies to safeguard our air, water, natural resources and public health. As NRDC's executive director Peter Lehner noted in his blog:
"The bill would cut funding by about a third for the Environmental Protection Agency. The savings - roughly $3 billion - amount to one-tenth of 1 percent of federal spending. That's penny wise and pound foolish. If enacted, the cuts would prevent the EPA from doing its job enforcing the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and other foundational statutes. Polluters would be allowed to spew mercury into the air we breathe, arsenic into the water we drink and municipal and agricultural waste into the watersheds that nourish our land."
Several of my colleagues have blogged blow-by-blow budget details over the past few weeks. I'm not a budget analyst or even a policy expert. My role in this fight is to help develop and deploy creative campaign strategies to inform the public on our issues and mobilize supporters to engage in ways that move the political dial.
The issues on which NRDC advocates are serious...and I certaintly take my job seriously...but I'm not always so serious. To wit: For your listening (?) pleasure, I offer another in a series of parody songs that sum up the political situation at hand. Last time I converted a classic song by Billy Joel into a condemnation of legislation aimed at weakening clean air laws: Upton Bill. This time I've accepted a colleague's challenge to parody the hugely popular Cee Lo tune (minus the profanity) in an effort to convey the tea party attack on EPA's budget. Enjoy...or whatever.
Cut You (EPA) by Tea Lo
(Chorus)
I see you running 'round town
With the clean air laws, and I'm like
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
I guess the rule on your docket
Was more than enough, I'm like
Cut you!
More dirty air too!
I said, if I was richer, I'd still wanna ditch ya
Ha, now ain't that some shillin’? (ain't that some shillin’?)
Although there's pain in my chest
From my asthma attack
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Despite more pollution, can't afford regulation,
‘Cuz I’m not concerned about cleaner air.
I disagree that carbon is really bad pollution,
Yeah the EPA ain’t playing fair.
Those dirty fossil fools mean more to me than you
(Lisa Jackson regulator)
Well
(She shouldn’t be such a toxic hater)
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
Yeah go run and tell your clean air friends!
(Chorus)
I see you running 'round town
With the clean air laws, and I'm like,
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
I guess the rule on your docket
Was more than enough, I'm like,
Cut you!
More dirty air too!
I said, if I was richer, I'd still wanna ditch ya
Ha, now ain't that some shillin’? (ain't that some shillin’?)
Although there's pain in my chest
From my asthma attack
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Now I know, that you had to borrow,
Beg and steal while I cut you deep.
Trying to slash ya, trying to squeeze ya.
'Cause funding health protection ain't cheap.
Those dirty fossil fools mean more to me than you
(Lisa Jackson regulator)
Well
(She shouldn’t be such a toxic hater)
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
Ha ha, oh I really hate your ass right now
(Chorus)
I see you running 'round town
With the clean air laws, and I'm like
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
I guess the rule on your docket
Was more than enough, I'm like,
Cut you!
More dirty air too!
I said, if I was richer, I'd still wanna ditch ya
Ha, now ain't that some shillin’? (ain't that some shillin’?)
Although there's pain in my chest
From my asthma attack
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
Now baby, you know we wanna wanna hurt you so
bad
(so bad, so bad, so bad)
I’m trying to gut your funding ‘cuz they told me
"EPA is so bad"
(so bad) yes they did (so bad, so bad)
Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh!
Whhhy baby? Oh! I love them oh!
I so love them. Oooh!
(Chorus)
I see you running 'round town
With the clean air laws, and I'm like
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo
I guess the rule on your docket
Was more than enough, I'm like
Cut you!
More dirty air too!
I said, if I was richer, I'd still wanna ditch ya
Ha, now ain't that some shillin’? (ain't that some shillin’?)
Although there's pain in my chest
From my asthma attack
Cut you!
Ooo, ooo, ooo