We'll shut down the government if you don't let us pollute and deny access to family planning to those who most need it

The Government is about to be shut down over Planned Parenthood and environmental protection. It was bad enough to fight over the amount of cuts without much reference to what was being cut, and be faced with the presumption that indiscriminate spending cuts would solve all of our economic problems. To refuse to make an agreement that will keep government open unless all federal funding is taken away from Planned Parenthood and the EPA is prevented from regulating greenhouse gasses … that is disgusting. It is almost in Scott Walker territory.

First of all, last time I checked abortion is legal. That always seems to get lost in these debates.

Second, Planned Parenthood does not use federal funds for abortions.

Third, Planned Parenthood is a lot more than an abortion provider.

Fourth, this is about a budget and not abortion or Planned Parenthood. If Republicans want to take aim at either one, they should do it in separate legislation. The only reason to try and hide it in budget legislation is that you don’t think you have a chance of garnering enough support for it if it is presented out in the open and everyone knows what you are trying to do and you don’t have a looming government shutdown to hold over people’s heads. In other words, Republicans should not try to avoid real debate on issues out of a fear that their positions would crumble in the light of logic and reason.

Fifth, all of the above also goes for trying to strip the EPA of authority over the regulation of greenhouse gasses. This is eerily reminiscent of the exemption of natural gas drilling from many EPA regulations that Cheney snuck through several years ago.

The bottom line is that if the Republicans want to foist their social agenda on us, they should have to do it the hard way … by convincing us it is the right thing to do.