Keystone Kops

If you have been following the circus in Washington, then you know that the idiots almost shut down the government yesterday.  Why?  Because the Republicans are a bunch of whiny brats who only want what they want and don't give a tinker's damn about the rest of the country. The Southwestern United States depends on aquifers for their water.  These are underground lakes.  They are huge.  The Ogallala alone serves as the water source for West Texas and the High Planes.  This covers a lot of agricultural land.  The Repugs want to lay an oil pipeline from Canada to the refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.  They are giving assurances that this will be safe and the pipeline will be well maintained.  That pipeline will go over all the major aquifers.  If we look at the history of the oil companies keeping their word about anything, then everyone of us should be scared to death.  There is a layer of black gunk on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, thank you BP. The marshlands of Louisiana were destroyed, thank you BP.  Revisit Prince William Sound in Alaska.  Take a look at the damage done there.  The Valdez was a floating disaster waiting to happen and it did.  Scientists predict that Prince William Sound will continue to feel the effects from that round of callous disregard by Exxon for maybe another 30 years.  Now, look at the difference in an ocean and a contained underground lake.  There is no way to clean up an underground lake. So any spill would pollute the entire aquifer.  Go to Wikipedia and read up on the Valdez.  Exxon got off scott free.  And Exxon along with all the other oil companies collects tax subsidies from the taxpayer.  And our elected officials do not have the integrity to even make them responsible for the messes they make.  So this idea of a cross country oil pipeline is really over the top and every Repug in Washington is supporting it.  And all will stand to make a profit.