Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Stiffs People of East Palestine… Railroad officials skipped an informational meeting on Feb. 16 that was supposed to calm fears about the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train filled with toxic chemicals that caused a huge inferno.

Hundreds of residents of the Ohio town turned out for the meeting expecting to square off with Norfolk Southern officials.

They were outraged that the executives were no-shows.

Chris Wallace, a longtime East Palestine resident, told the BBC that people were concerned at the speed of the trains going through the town, as well as overworked crews.

Norfolk Southern officials should have been at the meeting. "They should be here answering questions," he said. "They've got a lot to hide. They don't want us to know anything. They bombed us."

Prior to the event, Norfolk Southern released the following statement.

“We have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties.”

The Atlanta-based railroad also released a letter from CEO Alan Shaw that was addressed to the East Palestine community.

He assured them the derailment site is being cleaned "thoroughly, responsibly and safely” and that the company has established a $1M community support fund as a down payment on a rebuilding fund.

Shaw wrote: “I know there are still a lot of questions without answers. I know you’re tired. I know you’re worried. We will not let you down."

He certainly let them down on Feb. 16 by not taking those questions in person.

Let’s hear it for the National Park Service… An anemic 40 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the federal government, according to the Partnership for Public Service.

The survey respondents, though, have a favorable view of non-elected federal employees. Nearly six in ten (58 percent) say they are as competent as private sector workers, 57 percent believe they are doing a public service, and 56 percent say they are hard workers.

The Partnership also asked people about their views of 13 federal agencies. The majority of respondents hold positive views of 10 agencies.

The National Park Service scored highest at 84 percent. The Social Security Administration (69 percent), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (65 percent), Dept. of Veterans Affairs (64 percent), Census Bureau (62 percent), Environmental Protection Agency (60 percent), Health and Human Services (56 percent), Dept. of Homeland Security (56 percent), Transportation Security Administration (55 percent) and Dept. of Justice (52 percent) followed.

The trio with the lowest favorable rating: State Dept. (46 percent), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (46 percent) and Internal Revenue Service (42 percent).

DeSantis Targets PR Elites… Ron DeSantis, the pride of Yale and Harvard who rules over the “Free State of Florida,” is railing against the elites who are drawing up ESG financial metrics to push their "radical ideological agenda."

Paul Renner, DeSantis’ soulmate and Speaker of Florida’s House, prefers to refer to ESG proponents as “martini millionaires” who are hellbent on bypassing democracy and transforming capitalism to serve ideological purposes.

DeSantis introduced legislation on Feb. 13 to prohibit banks and other financial institutions from discriminating against customers for their religious, political or social beliefs, including support for securing the border, owning a firearm or increasing our energy independence.

Sounds like Ron is interested in raising an armed militia to patrol the southern border and perhaps take over a couple of Mexican oil fields.