So East Palestine, Ohio, a red city in a red state, means nothing to the “big guy.” After a derailment that affected the whole city, spilling vinyl chloride – an exceptionally toxic chemical – and causing the evacuation of major portions of the city. Vinlyl chloride, is a known human carcinogen associated with liver cancer, brain and lung cancers, and cancers of the blood, and can be found in air, water, and soil. East Palestine was soaked in it
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The Federal Government – Joe Joe Sniffy – said at the time, that the Biden administration will closely follow the recovery efforts and will assist as possible. The exact details of any potential White House action are unknown, and the administration says it is determined to force Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the train that derailed, to pay for the harm caused to residents.
That’s a little different response than the White House mentioned today, when the Sniffer-in-Chief said that the Federal Government will pay all the costs of restoring the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a container ship leaving Baltimore harbor. The government justified paying for the bridge by saying it – the bridge – is a vital link in coastal transportation and it would take too long to go to court and recover the money from the ship owners. That’s logical, we suppose, but we believe we have a better reason. The bridge crossed the Patapsco River in the inner harbor of Baltimore, on the beltway – highway 695 – around the Baltimore city center, serving the very blue city of Baltimore and is a major part of the access route to Washington DC, the bluest of cities.
Grandpa Bad Finger can’t have his blue constituents inconvenienced, even if there are plenty of alternate routes – I95 itself, 895, and a host of state roads – so the feds will pay for the bridge. As far as cleanup is concerned, only the span that collapsed into the main ship channel needs to be cleared to put the harbor back in service, and depending on how deep the main channel is, smaller ships could start using the channel immediately.
So the decision to put massive amounts of federal dollars into restoring the Baltimore harbor is probably a political one that reeks because it is political, but will also probably prove to be good for business in Baltimore, and if it’s good for business it will be good for the working man.
Baltimore is a busy harbor, so restoring it to full capability is probably a good thing. We just don’t agree with the government picking which disasters will get quick action and which will get virtually no action. The people of East Palestine are still waiting for real help from the feds, not red tape and EPA requirements.
Pity they’re not Democrats or illegal aliens
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Great point, Jack. We live about 40 minutes from East Palestine. We met a resident last week that now has a spot on his lung and his wife has developed heart and high blood pressure issues since the derailment. Last week Norfolk Southern pledged $450 million to benefit those within a 10 mile radius of the derailment. No help from Biden Administration. The ship that destroyed the bridge likely does not have American-based ownership. There can be little evidence that the Biden Administration's response to East Palestine is politically motivated. Columbiana County has been heavily supportive of President Trump.