Poverty kills far more people than pollution ever did. It isn't either-or, of course, but the tradeoffs need to be kept in mind.

Environmentalists are using pollution regulations not to keep the air clean, but to prevent industries from building pretty much anywhere. The objective is squelching industrialization, not trying to encourage clean industry. We've been going through this in California trying to build new power plants. The opponents aren't worried about pollution as much as they are about having a big, ugly building where they might have to look at it. Most are "not in my back yard" types, although more and more they are becoming "not in ANYBODY'S back yard" types.

Back when the first Earth Day happened, the environmentalists were pushing to clean up industries. I thought it was a good idea then, and still do. However, many of the modern environmentalists are trying to destroy industry, period. This has to be kept in mind when discussing their proposals.

Reason and common sense have to come into play in any discussion about pollution, including, yes, economic issues. Unemployment, shortages, power outages, and a ruined economy aren't going to make people any healthier either.

If reason and common sense were loose in Washington, we would see some push towards updated nuclear reactor technology, which has no emissions (except waste heat) under normal use.