Steve Cameron: Holding pols accountable

So you live in Merced, or Atwater, or Los Banos.

From your comfy Central Valley perch, it's easy to forget the catastrophe that struck the Gulf Coast and that will affect both human and animal life in the region for decades.

"OK, they had a terrible oil spill," you say. "Yeah, I feel bad for the fishermen and so forth, but ...

"What the heck? BP got the spill stopped, right? There will be hurricanes and other rough weather that will disperse the oil. Life will be back to normal pretty soon."

No, it won't.

But that's not even my point today.

What every American ought to be wondering is just how giant corporations came to "own" the U.S. government -- to the point that environmental and safety regulations are simply laughable.

Here's a hint: When Congress began its investigation into the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, Texas Rep. Joe Barton -- the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- piped up immediately.

Questioning hadn't even begun when Barton launched into an attack on President Obama for his "shakedown" of BP -- referring to the administration's quickly accepted demand that the company put $20 billion in escrow to insure that the thousands of Gulf residents whose livelihoods were ruined could be compensated.

Barton offered a personal apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward, who since has been reassigned -- to a job in Russia for his not-so-slick handling of the oil giant's tragic blunder.

OK, now would it shock you to hear that Barton has lined his pockets with $1.5 million in campaign contributions from various oil companies and their lackeys?

If that sordid business with Barton -- and plenty of other "big oil" apologists -- gives you the impression that huge chunks of our government is for sale, well ...

Congratulations!

You've just sorted out how things work in the real world.

If somebody's got the cash to have regulations removed -- or purchased the right to ignore them -- then to hell with the environment.

That's the state of things, whether you want to believe it or not.

And just because you don't happen to live on a beach with huge globs of oil washing up to your front porch ...

You're kidding yourself if you feel all snug and secure, as though you can ignore this whole mess.

Wholesale disregard for the environment in pursuit of profit didn't begin with BP's disaster in the Gulf of Mexico -- and it won't end there.

In fact, there's no sign that it's going to end at all.

Ever.

Money talks, remember.

And guess what?

It hollers just as loudly in the Central Valley as it does off the coast of Louisiana.

Don't think for a second that some huge corporation couldn't have an industrial accident right in our neighborhood.

Is it that hard to imagine some plant spilling toxic chemicals into irrigation channels? Or releasing some cloud of gunk into the air that makes cattle infertile?

Think about it.

There are plenty of industries in our part of the world that might take safety shortcuts or use outdated equipment, all to avoid spending a little more money and shaving the bottom line.

Furthermore, do you actually believe that there are no local and state officials who haven't received Christmas cards full of cash from various lobbyists?

What, you think our public officials are all Boy Scouts?

There are plenty of political battles going on over water rights and various other issues in this Valley, and wherever there are big-money industries, you're going to find money exchanged for influence.

So ...

Instead of watching 30 seconds of TV footage showing the Gulf Coast oil misery and forgetting about it, we'd all be better off learning from it.

The lesson is simple: If we don't hold public officials accountable for creating and enforcing regulations that protect the environment, and protect us ...

Eventually, we will suffer.

Steve Cameron is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at stevecameron1000@gmail.com.