i got my car, my six-pack and my TV, I'm cool, so don't bother

Dust off bad-air bill … Jun. 6, 2007 12:00 AM … Valley air is making us sick. … Arizona Republic … EXCERTED … That's reason enough for lawmakers to get serious about reducing particulate pollution. Here's an extra jolt: Arizona will lose federal highway funding if we don't. Maricopa County blew last year's deadline for meeting the health standard for particulates. Now, we have to come up with a plan for cutting pollution by 5 percent a year until we make the grade. Particulate pollution is a mix of soot, grit and dust and comes from a wide variety of sources, including engine combustion, construction, agriculture and industry. While many measures are local, others require legislative action. Any effective plan must crack down on a wide range of activities. That means there's a wide range of lobbyists fighting for their interests. Now there's a promising effort to put meat back on the bones of SB 1552 with amendments that would provide a comprehensive set of controls. They include restricting vehicle use on unpaved lots, requiring more agricultural dust controls, stabilizing unpaved areas, requiring dust-control managers on construction sites and reducing the impact of leaf blowers. Every good idea, of course, is vulnerable to being chipped away by special interests. Lawmakers should aim right this time. And they even have a chance to get ahead of the game on ozone pollution. "We're bouncing right up to the absolute cusp for being out of compliance on ozone," Allen says. She's pushing to require parts of Pinal County to use cleaner-burning gasoline, just as Maricopa County does. This is a critical preemptive move to reduce smog from the rapidly growing edge of the metropolitan area. The wrangling over air pollution legislation is full of jargon and technical complexity. But there's a simple test for whether the proposals hit the mark: Will our air be safe to breathe?

Will our air be safe to breathe…?

Only if “we” – that’s you and me – stand up and demand our $tate Legislature takes action which most assuredly impact our daily activity. And you know that “we” don’t have the guts to do that, do “we” …?

So “we” will continue to permit our $tate politician$ to make cosy deals with “corporate” controlled lobbyist$ and special interest$ which adversely impact our health, but “we” really don’t care…!

So, while “we” continue to permit our $tate politician$ to gingerly nibble at the fringe edges of the air pollution issue in Maricopa County, respiratory and other associated health risks will increase, but “we” really don’t care, do we … ?

I got my car my six-pack and my TV, I’m cool, so don’t bother me.