Shut down the EPA?

[angus]

Bruce Brayley was my congressman for five years.  For five years he was unresponsive to me and disagreeable to many.  He's a vocal opponent of tort reform.  He got sweetheart deals from state universities for his family members and friends, and continues to support subsidies for the monoculture that is simultaneously ruining the land in our nation's breadbasket and increasing food costs for many of the world's most vulnerable populations.  He authored the Cash For Clunkers bill, and was a sponsor of many other wasteful spending measures.  He was a big proponent of the PPACA.  He's a hypocrite and a partisan hack.  He's a hard man to like, and I really can't think of anything good to say about Bruce Brayley and I'm sure I'd vote fore anyone who ran against him for any office, if I were still living in his jurisdiction, but I have to say that the EPA is necessary.  His opponent is wrong about this issue.  I'm not saying that Bruce Brayley is right about anything, mind you, just that his opponent is wrong.  The EPA has one simple mission:  to protect human health by protecting the health of the environment.  There can be no greater charge.  It has no legislative or judicial capacity, only executive, and to my knowledge, it has not erred.  For example, we have all been the beneficiaries to the Clean Water Act, and its amendments and extensions.  We have benefited from the Clean Air Act and the fuel economy standards as well.  The world is a much cleaner place because of the EPA and I imagine that all Americans understand this.  Why Joni Ernst would make such a statement isn't immediately clear to me, but it is not an easy statement to justify.  Then again, I'd probably still vote for her.  I'd probably vote for Mephistopheles if he were running against Bruce Brayley, because I know that we can sort out the details after that mean-spirited bastard is defeated.  Hopefully she was just making noises.

[angus]

It has no legislative or judicial capacity, only executive, and to my knowledge, it has not erred.  For example, we have all been the beneficiaries to the Clean Water Act, and its amendments and extensions.  

Doesn't it basically have legislative capacity though?  It makes decisions on what items can't be sold or manufactured.  Regulating commerce is a legislative function, not an executive.

Their website explains the enforcement capacity, but under the Laws and Executive Orders menu it only mentions that it follows them.  There is a long list of directives to the EPA, but they all come from the congress except for the three which were orders from Bill Clinton's office.  (Those three have to do with federalism, recordkeeping, and dealing with Tribal governments.)  Overall, it seems that any power the EPA has derives from the consent of those people governed.  The people have the right to dismantle the EPA but I don't think it's a good idea.

She's pretty far out there, from what I've read.  I'd hate to have to choose between a loon and an asshole.  Unfortunately, that's almost always the choice in candidates that I have.