2nd Critique an editorial or commentary from a Texas newspaper

What is Lamar Smith is doing about climate change?

This commentary was published on Austin Statesman the past March 7^th about how the congressman Lamar Smith wants to “Make EPA Great Again” analyzing how EPA is affecting the economy in the country.

Lamar represents the 21^st congressional district in Texas, which includes part of Austin, parts of San Antonio and west side of both main cities. His committee has jurisdiction over EPA, NASA, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  The committee´s budget is about $40 billion that focus on research and development, according to Lamar Smith´s website.

Per the article in American Statesman, Smith is “declaiming that regulatory measures taken (in the environment) by the EPA undercut American Industry, the economy and individual liberties.”

Smith is maintaining meetings with an industry-centric panel of witnesses, an air quality lawyer for the fossil fuel industry, a chemical industry representative and an industry consultant to reject all the research that his committee pays for. We must understand then, that these meetings are far more lucrative than just his civic duty of work and the responsibility of the outcomes of research of all the organizations that his committee has jurisdiction over.

The economy of United States is very diverse, attracting a lot of investment. Technology is increasing in demand and multicorps that work in services. The economy also is related of the distribution of resources between the populations, in fact, recent studies mention that jobs in renewable energy were more than three times the jobs that were directly related to the fossil fuel industry. However, it looks like that Smith doesn´t have friends in other industries more than traditional energy.

The third point about individual liberties is very interesting well exemplified in the comments at the end of the page. Where @Antoious and @Newsquid debate about regulations that prevent coal mining companies dumping heavy metals into fresh water streams can damage other people´s health. For this point I would like just to quote the view on freedom once expressed by the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., when he said: "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."

The article also talks about who voted for Smith, referring to the upper-income neighborhoods. Maybe we should question then, the kind of science education that the upper-income people are receiving and what is more valuable for them.

I agree with the author Jake Ward that we will face dangers of unstable climate system in the future. Maybe Lamar Smith will not be there to see what he is doing, or maybe the dangers will come sooner. However, the responsibility of well living other people and next generations is being purchased by greedy companies for more income and power.

Ward Special to the American-Statesman 12:53 P.m Tuesday, March 7, 2017 Viewpoints, Jake. "Commentary: What Lamar Smith Is Doing about Climate Change." Austin Statesman. N.p., 7 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.