Why not? #EPA says that THEIR subpoenaed emails were “lost” in a “computer crash”, too…

At this point, it may be easier to compile a list of the Federal Government employees whose computers DIDN’T “crash”.

This time, it’s the EPA which is allegedly suffering from Compu Spontaneius Breakus. But to place this newest chapter into context, a quick refresher is called for:

(via National Journal) –  “…Issa issued a subpoena in November for documents and communications between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Executive Office of the President over a five-year period as part of an inquiry into whether the White House interfered with how the agency responded to congressional inquiries. 

Say Your Goodbyes to Edison’s Light Bulb

We’ve known this was coming for a while now, and still… it just feels wrong.

(via CBS Baltimore) – The days on incandescent bulbs are dimming. It’s been a seven-year phase-out effort by the government. The 100-watt disappeared from store shelves back in 2012. Now this year, they’re pulling the plug on the two most popular incandescent bulbs–the 40 and the 60-watts.

Obama’s FTC wants to “protect” you from the unscrupulous business practices of …your local Music Teacher

Like a towering regulatory tsunami, our benevolent Federal Government is sending a huge wave of brand new regulations crashing across the nation. And getting to higher ground won’t help matters, I’m afraid.

It’s been a busy year for our Federal Busybodies. Among the hundreds of brand new directives, they’ve added the FDA’s proposed ban of trans fats, the FTC’s new rule on the Hart-Scott-Rodino procedures for pharmaceutical companies, and the EPA revealing that they’re planning on rolling out 134 new environmental regulations in 2014 (which was announced on the day before Thanksgiving, so it would go largely unnoticed. Nice…).

But for a taste of just how petty and nonsensical some of these new regs are, I’ve got a doozy that’s received scant attention from the media.

It seems that our government wishes to “protect” us from the unscrupulous business practices of …your local piano teacher:

Suspicious #EPA “waiver” still shrouded in secrecy. But why???

Wanted to update this story from earlier: “The Most Transparent Administration EVER strikes again“. 

If you didn’t read that post (and honestly, you probably should…..), the two big questions arising from it were:

• What was the NAME of the refinery which was singled-out to receive a hugely beneficial waiver from Federal Ethanol renewable fuels requirements, and
• Why did that refinery, and ONLY that refinery, qualify?

Well, it seems that the Wall Street Journal was able to find 1-out-of-2: we now have a name. Unfortunately, that name doesn’t exactly remove the mystery from this newest demonstration of Obama-era ‘transparency’: 

Our Leftist Federal Gov’t makes its favorite argument to #AGW skeptics: “Shut Up!!!”

Today’s lesson: how Liberals go about “arguing persuasively”, specifically in the area of Anthropogenic Global Warming.

Our first example is by way of the EPA:

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The newly appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday the only way to confront climate-change challenges and environmental problems facing agriculture is for farmers and government agencies to work together.

Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator for three weeks, said she accepted Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s invitation to the Iowa State Fair to celebrate steps Iowa is taking to control the runoff of farm fertilizer and manure.

“The challenge today is just to stop arguing about the problem and really start driving solutions,” she said in the speech.

Obama: Do as I say, not as I Do….

Another home run by the incomparable Lisa Benson, courtesy of Townhall.com:

—-

The EPA’s newest and bestest idea ever: the “Rain Tax”

Somebody, please, wake me up when the lunacy is over…

From baltimore.cbslocal.com:

The nickname is rain tax, and the more hard surfaces you have–like a parking lot–the harder it’s going to bite.

When rain falls on rooftops or other hard structures like driveways and parking lots, it scours away chemicals from air pollution, eventually running off into the Chesapeake Bay.

It’s a big source of those poor grades given to the bay’s health in annual report cards.

“The Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams are overloaded with too much nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment,” said Will Baker, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Which destroys water quality and feeds algae blooms that create dead zones. So Maryland’s legislature has created the impervious surface tax.

“The impervious surface tax would have an enormous impact. We have 200 sites throughout the state of Maryland. If you look at Our Daily Bread for example, the proposed fee would be $5,000,” said Bill McCarthy, Dir. Catholic Charities. And that’s for just this one property of Catholic charities.

Yes, you read that exactly right.

Out-of-control Government Regulation is destroying our country

Steven Lathrop and his neighbors had a problem, which the government had identified and then inexplicably refused to solve for decades. Steven Lathrop, using his own money, finally took matters into his own hands. He bought an eyesore of a dump and used the land to save his entire neighborhood from debilitating floods.

Steven Lathrop stepped up when no one else would. Steven Lathrop is a hero, by any reasonable person’s definition.

And our over-regulated Federal Government crushed him, leaving him near bankruptcy.

From Heritage.org:

Lathrop’s home of Granite City, Illinois, regularly suffered from storm flooding that damaged his neighbor’s homes, and even cost the taxpayers money in federal disaster aid.