Perry: Come to Texas where your business won't be burdened with regulations.

[blm]

Perry invites business to check out Texas

http://ww2.onenewsnow.com/business/2013/02/06/perrys-invites-businesses-to-check-out-texas

A former presidential runner is urging Californians to move to Texas, where he says business can thrive without burdensome taxes and regulations.
>>>

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/04/18/1886991/west-texas-fertilizer-plant-hadnt-been-inspected-in-the-past-five-years/

West Texas Fertilizer Plant Hadn’t Been Inspected In The Past Five Years
>>
It’s impossible to know at this point whether unsafe workplace conditions were a direct cause of this disaster, but we do know that it was cited for failing to obtain or qualify for a permit in 2006 after a complaint of a strong ammonia smell, a smell that was reported to be “very bad last night.” The plant hasn’t been inspected in the past five years, and in fact only six Texas fertilizer plants were inspected in that time. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is chronically understaffed, which means that a given plant like West Fertilizer can only expect to get a state inspection once every 67 years on average.
:
While OSHA has been a good deal more effective than it was during the Bush years, it still suffers from a lack of funding and staff. Worse, it’s slated to take a huge cut under the sequester. The agency will have to cut its $564.8 million budget by 8.2 percent, which the White House predicted would mean 1,200 fewer workplace inspections. And it would be even more hobbled if House Republicans get their way. The party’s 2011 budget, which was little changed in the most recent iteration, sought to reduce OSHA’s budget by $99 million while slashing other workplace protection agencies.
>>>

CBS news:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57580185/blast-at-texas-fertilizer-plant-takes-lives-hurts-dozens/
>
Among those believe to be dead -- members of a group of volunteer firefighters and a single law enforcement officer who responded to a fire call at the West Fertilizer Co. shortly before the blast. They remained unaccounted for early Thursday morning.

Swanton said he had no details on the number of people who work at the plant, which was cited by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2006 for failing to obtain or to qualify for a permit. The agency acted after receiving a complaint in June of that year of a strong ammonia smell.
>

[blm]

1. That worked out well, didn't it, Rick?

.

[truebluegreen]

2. That was my first thought as well.

De-regulation is all it takes to get the economy booming.

While regular people suffer the consequences.

[Botany]

3. God Bless Texas!

[CarrieLynne]

22. did he actually fire that into the air?

[Botany]

30. Looks like it but it might have been a blank

google Rick Perry Gun and hit images and you can see all kinds of dumb ass acts.

BTW I hunt and own guns too ...... a gun is a serious tool and not a prop.

[kardonb]

26. TX

back to slave labor and sweatshop conditions . What progress ! Whoops , wrong word .

[CanonRay]

4. Rick Perry's Libertarian Paradise

Now the company that owned the plant will retreat to Bankruptcy, and all those people will be screwed.

[Ikonoklast]

9. If "Corporations are people, my friend!", then that corporation's owners and officers need to

take their place as the human representatives of that corporation in a prison cell for the criminal negligence done by their fictional legal construct.

[blm]

41. Yep - you should make that a separate thread, Ikon....

Get more eyeballs to see your point.

[Horse with no Name]

31. That is exactly what I was thinking

Early in the morning the local news was talking about being able to talk to the plant's owners and they were very forthcoming.

Then when the explosion hit...they couldn't get an answer.

My first thought is that I bet they were meeting with attorney's to start bankruptcy protections.

[n2doc]

5. Slick pRick won't give a damn

The people who were killed and injured aren't "important" to him. They don't send him tens of thousands in contributions (bribes).

[Tikki]

6. First thing I thought of when I heard about the explosion...

Tikki

[Octafish]

7. The guy can't even remember the three departments he wanted to eliminate.

Hope he remembers the fire fighters and police officer, as well as those in West who lost their lives in this explosion.

Even if the cause is determined to be negligence on the part of the company or the "regulators," it's likely the tragedy will be remembered in Texas history as an "accident"

[UTUSN]

8. Hadn't been inspected in 5 yrs. Anti-REGULATIONS, anti-taxes, anti-gov't. n/t

[alp227]

10. One News Now= American Family association site

Better source http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014396592

[blm]

37. Yeah - no regulations and inspections is family-friendly, don'tcha know?

How many families have been devastated by this event that is no doubt due to greed and lack of regulations?

[dem in texas]

11. Come on to Texas and blow up some schools and nursing homes

Yes, Rick Perry and his posse welcomes you to Texas. No regulations to get in the way of profits as long as you line their big fat Republican pockets

The explosion at West, Texas, a great town with Czech heritage, has destroyed many public buildings, not to mention the loss of life. The fertilizer company will be liable and guess what; they will promptly file for bankruptcy and the Texas tax payers will pick up the bill for rebuilding the town.

[Ilsa]

20. Texas: The Right To (Die at) Work state. nt

[blm]

39. Gonna spread that one.

.

[kenny blankenship]

12. Business is Booming!

Bike to work, fly home.

[geek tragedy]

13. The people of Texas voted for this. nt

[Horse with no Name]

32. Not all of us.

The districts are so gerrymandered that our votes don't count anymore.

[geek tragedy]

33. Rick Perry has defeated each of his D opponents by double-digits. nt

[Horse with no Name]

36. We had a really good candidate in Chris Bell.

So, the republicans tossed Kinky Friedman in and split the vote. He had 34% of the vote.

We had a really good candidate in Bill White as well.

We also have a problem with voting machines here--and have since Bush defeated Ann Richards.

You do realize we were the test case for election fraud?

I didn't know ANYONE that voted for Perry against White--Republican or Democrat.

Yet, he won.

We have problems here but it isn't the Democrats. We are working hard.

We will be blue.

I am putting my faith in the Castros.

[Kingofalldems]

14. Ayn Rand and her boy Paul Ryan would be proud

[kimbutgar]

15. When I saw this on TV last night I knew it wasn't a terrorist attack but neglience

Perry's no regulations has destroyed a community and polluted the air with toxic chemicals. There is no way in hell you could ever get me to Texas ever again. I went to Galveston once and the water was so warm, dirty and smelly I got a nasty rash on my leg. I later found out it's because the gulf had become so polluted with oil and toxins. Luckily, I was only in the water for a short time and never swam in it just waded in. My husband got out immediately and ordered my son and I out of the water. If more of Texas was like Austin it would be a great state to live but It's not. It's a waste dump of toxic chemicals, corrupt politicians , corrupt oil companies and crazy religious people (Louie Gomert). I've been San Antonio, Houston and Austin lovely places but terrible state government. I remember when Ann Richards was governor and Texas was a wonderful state. Now yuck.

[Ilsa]

18. There are areas along the coast where

you cannot eat the seafood. There is a SuperFund area along Port Lavaca. The water is too nasty to swim in, too.

[kenny blankenship]

19. It's not terror, just Texas.

Well it could also be Nevada,

or some other sparsely populated state where extractive industry has traditionally controlled politics with its money to serve a low tax, low regulation, get rich quick ideology.

[SunSeeker]

16. K&R

[Ilsa]

17. Effect of budget cuts on the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality:

Buchele: Across the board throughout the state we saw agencies needed to make some necessary cuts, or I guess necessary by some estimations, other people might say no. But how do you feel those cuts might impact the work of the Commission?

Hyde: Well from enforcement, certainly our goal is to not lose any of what we call boots on the ground, field investigators. It’s our goal to make sure that we have all the necessary people in these facilities and doing inspections that we have. So there will be no cuts there from my office’s standpoint. What we have testified about is that we will do the goals and the missions of the agency. It’s just some things may take a little longer. But we are still mandated by state requirements and federal requirements to do a certain amount of inspections, to meet our LBB, our budgetary requirements, and we’ll do that. It’s just that [for] some of these things it just may take us longer to complete an enforcement action or something. And here we are, we’re already in the New Year and we’re doing fine. We’re committed to making sure that we meet the obligations that we’re expected to meet, and we’ve been doing that.

From November 2011, http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2011/11/09/tceq-talks-enforcement-reforms-and-budget-cuts/

Good hair doesnt have to reverse regulations. He just keeps the agencies charged with review and inspections on a shoestring budget. They are years behind in inspections.

[aquart]

21. I want to hear the reaction of the insurance companies involved.

Fight corporate greed with corporate greed.

[ZRT2209]

23. How's that no-regulation thing workin' out for ya?

[Kingofalldems]

24. Perry just had a news conference

He was wearing designer work clothes.

[pinboy3niner]

35. Designer work clothes--that's hilarious!

I love it.

[Arugula Latte]

25. But, see, in Perry's Texas, you're free!

Free to die in a horrible explosion, but, still ...

[Blue Owl]

40. You'll have a blast, Gov. Perry will guarantee it!

n/t

[Dustlawyer]

27. They starve the agencies in charge of enforcing regulations to effectively gut the regulations.

My wife works for the Texas Dept. of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) and they are in charge of investigating nail salons, towing and their storage yards etc. (not fertilizer plants). This agency is starved for funds so they want the investigators to visit as many places as possible. To do this you cannot write up violations (it takes too long). They just want sheer numbers of inspections to justify more money for the agency. None of it makes a whole lot of sense to me. Now they are trying to fire my wife for low numbers of inspections even though she is #3 in violations written in the whole state. Trust me, she gives warnings the 1st go around and only writes them up if they are not corrected, so its not like she is trying to write everyone up. I believe that they do not want to regulate anything and they have their ways of getting around most existing regulations. Why would you allow a plant like this to be around a population center? I know that the town exists because the plant is there, but damn, it should not be around anything! I believe it was 1901 when a ship in the port in Texas City, Texas was full of fertilizer and blew up killing over 8,000 people making it still the biggest man made disaster to date. For those that do not learn from history, they are destined to repeat it! What a shame!

[blm]

38. Perry should be sued for criminal negligence.

How many studies about safety in the workplace did he refuse to even read?

[Dustlawyer]

42. You are assuming he knows how to read!

He was a cheerleader at Texas A&M!

[HiPointDem]

28. kr

[Skidmore]

29. Whoops...

[bushisanidiot]

34. Typical republican, putting profit ahead of PEOPLE

To them, the PEOPLE always come LAST.