I Just Figured Out Louisianans Are Being Sacrificed For The Fossil Fuel Industry
As the Coronavirus has spread rapidly through coastal Cities, one by one these cities and the States they're in are being shut down and people ordered to stay at home.
But even as this has been going on, Louisiana has been open for business. The Governor's "Stay At Home" Order is the only one announced in the Country with no teeth, going completely unenforced.
I watch daily as people go about their business as though nothing is going on. Construction crews are still building new gas stations and strip malls, an Interior design store down the street is still open, gas stations are open with few, if any, precautions, and restaurants, though not allowed to have indoor dining, continue to operate with take out and delivery.
As this has been going on, we've now become the new Epicenter for the Covid-19 Virus. The New Orleans Metro area has the fastest growth rate of the Virus in the World as of a few days ago and deaths are beginning to stack up unthinkably quickly.
Yet, little if any action seems to be being taken.
What I've found particularly odd about the Crises in Louisiana, in particular South Eastern Louisiana, is how it is we have a fairly Competent Governor, Democratic Governor Jon Bell Edwards, with a record of boring competency no one can deny, yet little is being done to prevent the Virus's spread?
Sure the Governor gets up on the podium and makes announcements and gives updates and sounds like he's very concerned and taking the Crises seriously. But as far as the actions being taken, it's as though little has changed in recent weeks. Like we're still just watching and waiting this thing out even as it's deadly trail spreads quickly throughout the entire State.
This didn't make much sense to me. This is the same Governor that took office amidst a Republican induced Budget Crises, caused by reckless Corporate Tax Cuts and Giveaways to the Petrochemical Industry. Governor Edwards managed, in a single term, to get the Budget fixed, eliminate the Deficit hemorrhaging money to the Richest of the Rich, and expanded Medicaid even as he brought the Budget under control.
So as his response throughout this far more serious Crises has been tepid at best, all bark and no bite, it seemed out of character for the Governor to do a lot of talking but take so little action.
But one look at a Map of Louisiana's Oil & Gas Refineries and suddenly a Story begins to emerge that perfectly explains Governor Edwards's Response to the Covid Crises.
What a map of Refineries in Louisiana will show is what Louisianans call the "Cancer Corridor." A straight line of many dozens of Oil & Gas Refineries and Petro-Chemical Plants connecting the Docks in New Orleans and the Westbank in Jefferson Parish, all the way up to Baton Rouge.
These Fossil Fuels are extracted out of State, maybe in Texas or Oklahoma, and are then Shipped down the Gulf Coast to New Orleans and the Westbank to be refined or processed into new Chemical cocktails and then shipped out to the rest of the Country and the rest of the World. Those Chemicals and Refined Fossil Fuels that are destined Domestically within the US, are shipped or piped out from the Baton Rouge area out to their final destinations.
Without these Refineries and Petro-Chemical Plants in our area, the entire swathes of the Country's Economic output would come to an immediate standstill. Factories in the Mid West would shutter and millions would be out of work.
So what I initially ascribed to poor planning or underestimations of the Crises, I now understand are VERY much purposeful attempts to keep the essential portions of the US Economy chugging along, sacrificing Louisianan's lives for the sake of the Bosses and Share Holders.
Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, despite having the fastest growing spread of the Coronavirus remains open for business to keep the US Economy limping along, no matter how many lives that costs.
As of when I went to bed last night, we had 2,800 reported cases of the Virus and 119 deaths.
Today, that number is tremendously higher with 3,540 reported cases and 151 reported deaths.
Here's a Map of Cases from the Louisiana State Government:
So I just thought I'd share what really going on down here. It's not just a case of "those stupid Southerners and their nutcase Republican Politicians" or anything like that.
This Virus is Spreading throughout our region because very much competent leaders are CHOOSING to keep Louisiana Operating with Business as usual.
We are being sacrificed so that all the REST of the Country's Politicians don't have to make more sacrifices, make difficult decisions, and spend even MORE money to make sure Americans don't starve or lose their homes because of the Pandemic.
Out Political leaders are trying to have it both ways. They want to slow down the spread of the Virus, but they don't want to close things down completely.
So instead of making those hard choices and being honest about it with the American People, they're choosing to take half measures and sacrifice lives in Louisiana to avoid being put on the spot.
I just thought everyone should at least be properly informed about what is ACTUALLY going on in Louisiana.
So please, share, and tell everyone you know how Louisiana's residents are being sacrificed to the Coronavirus in defense of the Oil & Gas and Petro-Chemical Industries, so that Shareholders and Wall Street Titans can continue lining their pockets for as long as they can through the Pandemic.
Because don't forget. No matter where you live, the choices being made down here right now are going to spread their way into every nook and cranny in the Country if it isn't contained RIGHT NOW
In other words: Campaign Donors
Spread awareness so the hundreds of deaths we're going to see in coming days aren't forgotten.
Make these Politicians answer for their decisions! Don't let them get away with this!
