Donald Trump's Science Denial Is Becoming National Policy

[workinclasszero]

Donald Trump's Science Denial Is Becoming National Policy
Dave Levitan 3:15 PM Central

Soon after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, the official White House website purged all mentions of climate from the site—all mentions but one, that is, if you consider a promise to eliminate the “harmful and unnecessary” Climate Action Plan.

Soon thereafter, scientists and other employees of the EPA and USDA were told not to speak to the public ; a National Park Service Twitter account sent out objective facts, and had them deleted in short order; and the EPA was told to take down its climate-change page. This all hewed to Trump's campaign rhetoric, but it was shocking nonetheless. Seeing the 180-degree shift away from the science of the Obama administration was a stark reminder of the dangerous, ever-rising waters in which we now find ourselves.

It isn’t just climate science. Trump may appoint an anti-vaccine activist to run a commission on immunization safety, and an anti-regulation zealot to run the Food and Drug Administration. Trump himself has called the fact that asbestos causes cancer a “con” and even refused to believe the objective scientific reality of drought in California.

The kernel of hope here lies with the actual scientists, and some hints that they may be mobilizing in ways not seen before. In the days leading up to Trump’s inauguration, a group of scientists, coders and others scrambled to collect and save incredible masses of government data on climate and other issues, preemptively protecting it against attacks from the White House. Groups like 314 Action (named after the first three digits of pi) have begun pushing for more people with STEM backgrounds to run for public office, in the hopes of correcting a dire lack of actual expertise in government’s halls.

http://time.com/4646085/donald-trump-science-denial/

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Food poisoning is a big issue with trump, so when he destroys our ability to

regulate that, will he only eat food prepared by special chefs?

[dgauss]

2. There is a blueprint for this kind of stuff that's been going on at the state level.

Here in Wisconsin Republicans have been doing it.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/orwellian-scott-walker-admin-quietly-scrubs-mentions-of-climate-from-climate-change-website/

Look to the states to see what's coming. Here is a list of damage in Wisconsin.

http://www.wisdc.org/walkersworst100

[2naSalit]

3. +1.

[mopinko]

4. he cant do that. keep saying that.

he cant do that. he thinks that he can do anything with him new almighty paint brush, but he cant.
there will be pushback and lots of it.
if you have a few extra bucks, give it to someone w lots of lawyers.

[anarch]

7. maybe not, but with the Republicans in control of all branches of government...

any crazy shit might get rammed through into legislation.

I won't be surprised if they outlaw the use of solar and wind power (so as to bring back the coal industry), or require that creationism be taught in public schools (if there even are public schools...more likely, federal funds will be funneled to private/charter schools, and only those that teach the "right" curriculum will be granted any funding).

Maybe someone from a state with a strong tobacco lobby will introduce legislation mandating all citizens over the age of 14 to smoke cigarettes...I wouldn't be surprised at anything anymore.

Think of the stupidest, most objectively harmful approach to whatever there is in the world...these fuckers will probably try to make it the American standard. Well, particularly if it benefits the oligarchs...that's the main thing. Science, logic, critical thinking...all these things are inimical to the Republican agenda.

[workinclasszero]

9. Tell it to the Ministry of Truth citizen

He's doing it and saying it even as we speak.

[mopinko]

10. which is why we have to keep saying it.

THIS.IS.NOT.NORMAL.
we cant afford to act like this is normal.

[workinclasszero]

11. I agree but the normalization of Donald Trump began a long time ago

When CBS/CNN/MSNBC etc noticed their ratings going up with Dump's circus freak act and decided that was more important than stopping a fascist takeover of America.

[spanone]

5. i can't wait to see ocean water flowing into the lobby of mar-a-lago

[dalton99a]

6. Ignorance is strength.

[ismnotwasm]

8. Science gets in the way of business

I don't think Trump gives a shit about what's true, I think he is addicted to making money--seeing how and where cash flows.