Hit the Road, Jack!

By William Warren

The environmentalist power elite in California is quickly turning green with envy now that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is bucking them for a change and siding with the people of California instead.

In fact, the Greens are fuming—far more so than the automobiles they so very much loathe.

In an uncharacteristic—yet highly welcomed—move, Mr. Schwarzenegger has decided to terminate the long-standing environmental regulations that currently serve as roadblock to vital state highway projects and development as a whole. The importance of such a move is heightened by the fact that California is mired in a colossal economic abyss and the removal of draconian eco-restrictions would significantly ease the state’s fiscal burdens—to the tune of some $1.2 billion.

Moreover, the proposed 10 highway projects would create 22,000 jobs over the next three years, the Governor says.

Unfortunately for the environmentalists—who have relished and abused their warm symbiotic relationship with the Governor for years—their crusade to thwart the dubious threat of “Global Warming” flies in the face of the economic viability of the state, the traffic concerns of its residents, and employment opportunities for its workers. As the Los Angeles Times tells it:

“Schwarzenegger has infuriated the Sierra Club and other groups with such proposals and with a letter he sent to President-elect Barack Obama last week asking that federal environmental reviews be waived on the highway projects.

‘This is a stunning turnaround by the governor, and I am baffled by it,’ said Tom Adams, board president of the California League of Conservation Voters.”

And Mr. Adams is entirely correct. Such actions do represent a turnaround—a turnaround that will hopefully prevent California from further veering away from the road to recovery and senselessly careening further into the slough of economic despond.

Mr. Adams also added that “[The Governor and GOP] want to hijack the budget process to enforce minority rule on the environment,” which, of course, ignores the fact that the California assembly is Democrat controlled, and a vast majority of Californians would likely prefer cold cash to hot rhetoric.

Among the projects causing this indignation among the Green ranks are a carpool lane expansion on U.S. 50 in Sacramento, a freeway-widening project in San Diego County, and a tunnel drilling plan into the Berkeley Hills. All of which could cut down on pollution by alleviating traffic back-ups and long commutes.

The real problem the California hot earthers have with Mr. Schwarzenegger’s proposal, of course, is not that it would increase pollution, but that it would decrease their powers. This despite the fact that the Governor would surrender his own prerogatives, as well. As the Times article states:

“Under Schwarzenegger’s plan, environmentalists would not be alone in losing influence over how projects are constructed. The power of the governor’s own resource protection agencies to intervene would also be weakened: A panel of administration appointees would be able to waive state regulations.”

Clearly, its time for the people of California—as well as their compatriots nationwide—to understand that the environmentalist lobby really cares very little about the well being of those who would suffer most from their economic antideluvianism. In fact, they would prefer to see any and all growth and prosperity stifled—and if that means a return to the Dark Ages for the hai polloi…well that’s a price the elitist hot earthers are more than willing to pay.

Operating under the false banner of “save the planet,” the Greens ultimate priority is to save their power. Faced with mounting evidence that mankind has nothing to do with global climate shifts and that the earth may indeed be cooling, environmentalists are starting to feel the pain of power erosion.

Now, with the recent nasty breakup with former best-buddy Arnold Schwarzenegger, their authority has been compromised within their very own stronghold of safety—California.
If the Greens can be checkmated in California, then there is indeed hope that the rest of the country can avoid the economic car wreck looming on the national horizon.

William Warren is a contributing editor of ALG News Bureau.