Re: E-M:/ More on the Michigan impaired waters list

I've heard within the DEQ that much of the problem goes back to the previous John Engler administration and DEQ Director Russ Harding. Remember before Engler left office he had Harding pack the DEQ promotions and assignments with his political cronies. Packing in cronies and gutting DEQ funding to less than half was to make sure that the Republican polluter corruption would be solid throughout the following Granholm administration. Some of the old guard corruption hasn't retired yet due to seniority civil service. It was Director Steve Chester's moral duty to reverse that damage as much as possible and restore integrity to the DEQ before the next Republican administration takes over. If that was not done then Grandholm deserves some of the blame. This is not new as the GW Bush administration has done the same at the Federal level with the EPA, and all other resource related departments to make sure the environmental damage is prolonged into the next administration. Sadly it only takes one year of political polluter corruption to destroy several years of environmental restoration. Long term environmental damage before term limits is exactly what Republican Senators Gerry Van Woerkom and Patti Burkholz are doing with CAFOs and Nestle Great Lake water diversions.