Opinion : Letter to the Editor: White House turns down disaster aid for East Palestine, OH

By Vinton Today · February 17, 2023, 12:21 pm

Dear Editor,

It wasn't a tornado or a hurricane...just toxic materials that East Palestine, Ohio has to deal with. [NO BIG DEAL!!] Right?? Pete Buttigieg-Biden's Secretary of Transportation-says train derailments happen 1,000 times a year. So...He's NOT going there. One thousand times a year?? Funny, I don't recall 1,000 train derailments last year dumping toxic waste in any American cities. Do you recall them?

Chickens and cats have died...Dogs are being taken to vets for breathing problems...Horses are beginning to act strange. And if you can dismiss that, children are getting rashes and having trouble breathing too. Supposedly the water is safe to drink and bathe with. [I'm not sure I would do either one.] Just who can these people turn to for answers and help? Biden seems to think other agencies can handle it. Buttigieg blames Trump. PASS THE BUCK TIME!! [I am not crazy about Donald Trump, but come on...]I know...my same argument...We can spend MILLIONS of dollars on these d*** illegals, but we can't help one of our American cities after a train derails and dumps toxic waste. WHY NOT??Wasn't Buttigieg partially responsible for the airline fiasco during the holidays? And what about the backup of supply barges during covid? Remember? He had excuses then too. The man is worthless in any crisis!! Just like the man who appointed him. Do your job. Help our citizens when they need it!!Peggy Kelley

Next Opinion Article
Letter to the Editor: My Swan Song

Previous Opinion Article
When the clock strikes Midnight

Comments

Submit a Comment

DL February 17, 2023, 1:58 pm It's about time that you stop writing about things in which you don't have a clue. Pete Buttigieg is the Secretary of The Department of Transportation. The only thing, concerning this tragedy, that his department is responsible for, is investigating what caused it, and making corrections, so it doesn't happen again.

President Biden offered all assistance necessary to take care of everyone involved, within 10 hours of the accident happening. Representatives from FEMA, EPA, and The Department of Health and Human Services have been on site, since shortly after the accident. FEMA has denied assistance from themselves, because this type of issue doesn't fall within the rules of that department. That DOES NOT mean that government assistance isn't, nor hasn't been of assistance to the people affected. Our government doesn't spend money illegally, except when a fascist authoritarian is occupying our Oval Office (ie Taking money from our military to pay for a fence). It might come down to Congress appropriating the funds, as needed.

As far as the shortage of goods, caused by the world-wide shutdown, due to COVID19. Those cargo ships (from other countries) IS NOT the responsibility of the Secretary of Transportation. Secy. Buttigieg had some responsiblility of getting the trucks of goods around our country. But, COVID19 had caused many truck drivers to leave the industry. I think that issue got corrected very quickly, based on the size of the initial problem.

If/when there is blame to give, blame the people that are responsible!

RB February 17, 2023, 2:59 pm I just saw a news conference and the Governor said the air is below dangerous limits. Shouldn't the train company have some accountability for the clean up. Why is it always the government for something like a train derailing? If there was a 100 car pile up, and toxic materials spilled, should that be on the government or the carrier?

NG February 17, 2023, 4:27 pm Quote: “When President Obama tried to make [new brakes] mandatory after a bunch of derailments in 2014 ... the industry, the railroads, the chemical companies, the lobbies fought it hard. They gutted it.”

"That train was almost two miles long and we think had conventional air brakes, which brakes from the front to the back. So it can take two minutes before the back cars know to stop and they become a slinky from hell, slamming into the cars that have stopped in front."

"The final version was that longer high-hazard flammable trains would need brakes by 2023, ironically. But in 2018, the Trump administration, Elaine Chao was the transportation secretary, rolled it back entirely."

"About 1,000 derailments occur each year, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The number of trains coming off their rails has been on a decline, coinciding with a reduction in miles covered by the industry. There were 1,049 such instances in 2022, out of roughly 535 million miles traveled." Peggy, they don't all carry toxic chemicals so you wouldn't hear about 1,000 train derailments last year dumping toxic waste .

"Norfolk Southern adopted a new kind of business model which meant a lot longer trains, two miles long, a lot fewer people. They laid off tens of thousands in the industry."

https://www.mediamatters.org/cnn/cnns-bill-weir-describes-how-trump-administration-gutted-train-regulations-east-palestine

Trump had the rules and regulations all rolled back because it was something President Obama did and because of his ego and hatred for Obama he got rid of all the things Obama had done. Now the people of Palestine suffer for it.

Secretary Buttigieg is right to blame Trump along with the industry, the railroads, the chemical companies, the lobbies. Trump was hell bent on destroying Obama's legacy with no regard for the American People. That train needed those brakes from the front to the back that would have allowed each car to stop on its own.
Norma Gould

PK February 17, 2023, 7:45 pm I've listened to this topic again and again on the news today. These Ohio residents are scared!! And their government is letting them down!!

I think Pete Buttigieg should fly to Ohio on an airplane fixed by a mechanic who is in a hurry to get off work and DRINK A BIG GLASS OF WATER FROM A RESIDENT'S WATER FAUCET!!

**Remember...He wants to run for president!

DE February 18, 2023, 12:52 am How quickly they scream for socialism when capitalism fails spectacularly.

GB February 18, 2023, 11:05 am Another total blunder by the current occupier of the Whitehouse. His Transportation Secretary says very little about it, and darn sure isn't going to go near the place and put himself at risk. What a cowardly group of fools in the White House! You can bet if this toxic spill occurred in a predominantly Democratic area such as Chicago, they would be screaming about it. The Transportation Secretary still would show up though. Last week he had much more important things to do. Things like attending political events and talking about how the people fixing their streets and repairing roads are the wrong skin color! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!! Where does it end??? Unfortunately no one in this current administration wants to do the job they were given to do! The Comnander in Chief allows a spy balloon to drift over our most sensitive sites and only after public outcry shoots it down over water after it completed its mission. I know there are some folks (one idiot in particular) who thinks we somehow scrambled any communication the balloon was sending back to China. If you believe that, stop watching Star Wars movies although I have no doubt you will come back with some 5,000 word rebuttal trying to impress everyone with how much you know. Yet NO ONE WILL READ IT.
Biden has totally jacked up the border! Federal agencies have been turned into a political wing of the Democratic Party comparable to the Brown Shirts of Nazi Germany. No one in this administration does their job! None! Every one of them needs to be fired and or prosecuted!

PK February 18, 2023, 7:02 pm NG...Don't you know sarcasm when you see it? Like I really think 1,000 train derailments all dump toxic waste. DUH!! [That was Pete B...his NO-CARE
ATTITUDE!!] You would defend the Biden Administration if they were the Manson family. Exchanging thoughts with you is like banging my head against a brick wall...painful and a waste of the time I have left in my life!!

PK February 18, 2023, 7:11 pm DL...I've read all your HOT AIR. You're not as bright as a 40 watt bulb, so don't tell me what I know or don't know! Just because you're a Biden a** kisser, doesn't make you great in my book. I think you need to listen better and read more...Mr. Big Shot!!

Thanks GB!!

GB February 18, 2023, 10:32 pm DL, it's about time that you stop writing about things you have no clue of!!! You are an expert at everything and a master of none! Yet you try to impress everyone with your endless rants that go on and on while having no real point, misquoted case laws, and twisted opinions to put the best spin on things you can without acknowledgement that the Biden Crime Family already have folks who do that. That leaves any "opinion" you have no more important than anyone else's opinion.

Kind regards!

GB February 18, 2023, 10:45 pm NG you are still in a balloon! Not sure where you get current events but you are still somehow blaming Trump, you are losing credibility. Nice try (actually not!) I guess it's Trumps fault for fuel prices and the border which is "Bidens' border crises... I do not believe this and most Americans do not believe it either. After some of the comments you made last week about Biden being a great president, I will never take you seriously. You should apply to be Bidens Public Relations person. You appear to be very loyal but not actually living in reality with the rest of us.

GB February 18, 2023, 10:49 pm PK, please get NG and DL coloring books for them to keep themselves entertained. It would save the rest of us from being exposed to craziness.

DL February 19, 2023, 11:14 am GB, show me your damn proof that those signals weren't being "scrambled" once the balloon was over our soil!!! Show it!!!!! I'm sick of you pulling all of this crap out of the fantasy land that you live in!

As far as the president ordering the balloon to be shot down. He made that order one time. Then our military (the experts) told him they didn't want to shoot it down over land. He didn't make another order. They still had the original order to shoot it down, as soon as they saw fit. You don't give any respect to our military, which is disgraceful!

You need to either stay in your fantasy land or start including the evidence to all of the fantasy land statements you make.

GB February 19, 2023, 9:04 pm Hey DL, show proof that they were. Not that you will understand, because I know you won't. Critical communications are a digital transmission consistently scrambled and coded several times a minute. You do not just jam a system with that technology. We have it, they have it and most countries have it. Just because Biden said so, don't put any credibility in what he says. Most of the time he is doing his own scrambled communication when mumbling and making up words. Again stop playing video games and watching Science Fiction movies. Those things are not real life. That's why they call it fiction..

DL February 20, 2023, 2:11 pm GB. Show the proof that Biden is "scrambling his own communication"!!!!!!!!! It was OUR MILITARY that said they had the signal scrambled during the whole trip across the country. I listen to the experts! You listen to con artists! A good president takes in the information his EXPERT ADVISERS give him, and makes the final decision. Your con artist, cult leader didn't listen to anyone. He admitted that he just went by his gut feeling. You probably don't even know that court records show that all of the Fox personalities knew that there wasn't any fraud in the 2020 election, but they kept telling you fools that there was, because they didn't want to lose viewers to News Max. THEY TOLD YOU WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR, WHEN THEY KNEW IT WAS FALSE. Again, if you're going to keep making accusations, then back them up with facts! You can have your opinion heard, without making false accusations!