Congress Opts to Keep Poisoning Children

By Jim Hightower | OtherWords.org

Lead poisoning is entirely preventable.

Jim_Hightower

So Congress has targeted unnecessary oil subsidies and frivolous tax giveaways to billionaires, right?

Uh…no. Instead, our learned solons have chosen to whack the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. In December, our lawmakers slashed this tiny, $30-million fund that’s not even worth a decimal point of the national budget by 94 percent, to only $2 million. Gutting this program won’t save you and me a penny on our tax bills.

Well, retort the whackers, who needs this program, anyway? Some of the poorest families in America, that’s who. Lead poisoning from contaminated paint and soil is a silent epidemic in our country, afflicting some half-a-million low-income children a year with permanent brain damage and loss of IQ. The only safe level of lead in a child’s blood is zero, which is why this program to monitor blood levels of lead and help state health departments inspect homes and contain the poison was initiated.

Photo: Malingering on Flickr

And now Congress has refused this dollop of funding, responding instead to the wails of Wall Street billionaires that federal spending be cut to preserve their minuscule tax rates.

Imagine the national emergency Congress would declare if 4 million homes of the super-rich posed a danger to their children. But we’re told that such thoughts amount to class war — and we can’t have that, can we? To fight this outrage, go to www.leadsafe.org.

Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s also editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown.
Distributed via OtherWords (OtherWords.org)