#Climatebill Update: House GOPers Mangle Facts on the Taxpayer's Dime
Published May 21, 2009 @ 10:31AM PT
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) (above) on how carbon dioxide is harmless because it's in cola...Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) echoing House colleague Michelle Bachmann's (R-Minn.) recent "harmless gas" routine by saying that CO2 just can't be bad because we breathe it out. Dave Roberts of Grist has compiled videos of these and other "vintage fruitloopery" coming from House GOP members during this week's energy-and-climate bill markup.
It strikes me as important to keep in mind that we are paying these elected officials as they take up everyone's time in the House and go before the media, with this stuff. It's not merely unscientific, but runs counter to this nation's best economic, environmental, and security interests, and too few of their colleagues, as well as mine, seem ready to call them on that.
[[Reps. Bachman and Shimkus could conduct some empirical research, by covering their heads with plastic bags, breathing in and out for a few minutes, and then getting back to the voting public on just how harmless carbon dioxide is.]]
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
StumbleUpon
EmailRelated Posts
Author
-
Emily is a journalist and editor covering the environment and science, and has been working in online news, community and content since 1994.
R U kidding me!!! Really, these are the people running our government...even someone with a elementary school education level would laugh at such an argument. I think they should put a bag over their head and prove that CO2 isn't harmful...
Posted by Kristen Magno on 05/22/2009 @ 06:52AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Unfortunately, I am closing the comments on this post, since some people are using them to post abusive remarks.
Note to Chemical Botherers: Breathing in high concentrations of carbon dioxide causes CO2 toxicity. The Canadian Centre for Health and Occupational Safety has a great fact sheet on CO2 toxicity, which I encourage you to read.
Posted by Emily Gertz on 05/23/2009 @ 09:12AM PT
You must be signed in to report content.