Yes, not only have I met Arnold S. (Click my name to see his diary) but I have met Ken Calvert as well, only more recently. I am working on my thesis at U. C. Riverside and met Calvert some months ago in the hallway, and he had me concerned...
You see I work on atmospheric chemistry. I am studying the composition of particulates (the tiny particles formed from pollution) and the water vapor feedback effect in global warming (suggesting that it is worse than we think). Anyways, one day the dean of the college came by with a visitor and stopped outside the lab.
Always ready to pitch my research, I asked them if they had any questions. They asked what our lab does (the dean hadn't been by since we put in the new building) and I told them about radicals in chemistry and my research. When I got to the consequenses, the visitor stopped me and asked me what my research applies to, and I thought I recognized him from somewhere. I said it has environmental applications and relates to the use of fuels- He stopped me there and said,
"You aren't working with regulators are you? They never let me do what I want."
I said, "no, we are just trying to figure out what is going on in the atmosphere. You know I have had some experience with regulators and I know it can be frustrating, but not all regulations are bad." He frowned and seemed to want to move on, so I went back into the lab. A few days later I looked up his picture and saw that it was him.
So why does this concern me, you may well ask. The fact is I can remember what the air was like in the 70's and early 80's. You usually could not see the mountains from the coast in the LA area. Actually, sometimes you couldn't see the mountains when you were right next to them. The clean air act made all the difference. Written by democrats and passed by Nixon, air standards were developed and cars were cleaned up.
Do we want to go back to the days before catalytic converters? I know SMOG checks are a pain. I have failled a few. They did give me $1000 to turn in my truck when it last failled though, and when I wanted to keep it earlier, they helped pay for the repairs. I like to see a well tuned carborator as well as the next geek, but I will give them up if it keeps kids from dying from asthma.
As soon as the crunch from the Enron scandal hit, Bush said that what we need to do is roll back the regulations on power generators and fuels. That is just what we need, high sulfur fuel that produces more sulfuric acid and NOx. People like Calvert may want to help businesses by removing regulations, but frankly I like that they are required to wash their hands where I like to eat. If a regulation is a problem, state the pros and cons and see if it needs to be changed. Then put it to a vote. As for me, I will continue to support candidates that have a respect for regulations and regulators, and want to give them the tools they need to keep us healthy.
Disclaimer... I have met Louis Vandenberg as well, on several occasions, and found him to be a charming and intelligent person. I have supported Louis Vandenberg in his last two runs for congress, and I hope you will too. I don't think, though, that my support of Louis made my visit with Ken Calvert any more creepy. If he wins, I will continue to let him know what he should be doing for Riverside and Orange County. I hope at least after this election he will be in the minority.