{"id":16314,"date":"2023-08-02T04:42:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T09:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=16314"},"modified":"2023-08-02T04:42:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T09:42:07","slug":"press-house-gop-fiddles-while-america-burns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=16314","title":{"rendered":"Press: House GOP fiddles while America burns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While studying at the American Academy in Rome in April, I learned a lot about the history of Rome: what\u2019s true and what\u2019s not true. And chief among what not\u2019s true is this: Nero did not\u2002fiddle while Rome burned<\/u><\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, he wasn\u2019t even in Rome when the fire broke out. He was in Antium, some 35 miles away. And Nero didn\u2019t play the fiddle, because the fiddle didn\u2019t even exist at that time.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the phrase \u201cNero fiddled while Rome burned\u201d lives on \u2014 not so much as a historical reference, but as shorthand for doing something trivial, meaningless or irresponsible during an emergency. The description perfectly sums up how the Republican-led House of Representatives has been operating in 2023.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider, first, what\u2019s going on in this country. Like Rome, America is literally burning up. We are only seven months into 2023, but every month so far has been the hottest in history. According to the European Union\u2019s Copernicus Climate Change Service, July recorded\u2002the highest temperatures experienced in 120,000 years<\/u><\/a>. As of today, the Weather Service reports that 50 million Americans from the Plains to the Mississippi River are under heat alert.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results are catastrophic worldwide. It\u2019s so hot in Phoenix, which has experienced 31 straight days of temperatures over 110 degrees, that cactuses are dying from the heat<\/u><\/a>. Arizona doctors report people suffering severe burns merely from falling to the ground<\/u><\/a>. Marine biologists reported ocean temperatures of over 100 degrees in the Florida Keys<\/u><\/a>. The economy has suffered billions of dollars in lost productivity because utility, construction and other workers can\u2019t work outdoors in the heat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of July 18, fire officials reported 880 active wildfires in Canada<\/u><\/a>, of which 580 were still burning \u201cout of control\u201d \u2014 smoke from many of which severely impacted air quality in the United States. Wildfires in Greece forced the government\u2002to evacuate tourists<\/u><\/a>. In Sicily, smoke from fires shut down its two major airports<\/u><\/a>. Italy, Spain and France are all experiencing\u2002record temperatures<\/u><\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And scientists agree: It\u2019s all due to climate change. There\u2019s no denying it any longer. Everywhere on the planet you look, climate change is here with a vengeance. Sooner and stronger than we expected. Almost punishing us for not taking it more seriously sooner. Climate change may be, in fact, the most serious crisis facing this country and the entire planet today.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what are our elected representatives in the House doing about it? Nothing. So far this year, Republicans have held only one climate change-related hearing. Not on seeking solutions to the problem. But to accuse President Biden\u2019s climate envoy John Kerry\u2002of pursuing a \u201cfar-left radical agenda\u201d<\/u><\/a> \u2014 after which two dozen House Republicans introduced legislation to defund his entire operation<\/u><\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Republicans just don\u2019t have time for climate change. They\u2019re too busy holding hearings on what are, for them, more important issues: UFOs, cocaine at the White House, gas stoves, Hunter Biden, Hunter Biden and Hunter Biden\u2002<\/u><\/a>(complete with sexually-explicit\u2002photos<\/u><\/a>). They\u2019re continuing the practice started by former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and now endorsed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.): using congressional hearings not to deal with serious issues, but to promote their extreme political agenda, make headlines, gratify their base and convince them to send more money. Meanwhile, the planet is burning.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In A.D. 64, Nero may not have fiddled while Rome burned, but history will show that in 2023 House Republicans did.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Press hosts \u201cThe Bill Press Pod.\u201d He is the author of \u201cFrom the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.\u201d        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thehill<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While studying at the American Academy in Rome in April, I learned a lot about the history of Rome: what\u2019s true and what\u2019s not true. And chief among what not\u2019s true is this: Nero did not\u2002fiddle while Rome burned.   In fact, he wasn\u2019t even in Rome when the fire broke out. He was in Antium, some 35 miles away. And Nero didn\u2019t play the fiddle, because the fiddle didn\u2019t even exist at that time.    […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":16316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[9766,10401,10402,4429],"class_list":["post-16314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-catastrophic","tag-heat-warning","tag-runaway","tag-weather-bureau"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16317,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16314\/revisions\/16317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}