Once again, I am scratching my head over politics. This time it is over the debate going on in Austin on how much, if any, regulation is placed on facilities that store chemicals like the one in West, Texas.

I understand the argument (but don’t buy into it) that the proposed regulations would overburden the facilities with complexities and cost. It’s an age old consideration that is hard to prove either way, but puts everyone on notice that we could damage the economy.

What I don’t buy is Attorney General Greg Abbot’s stance that the exact location and what is stored should not be made public to safeguard against terroristic threats.

Here’s where the disconnect comes in; he says that anyone is free to inquire with chemical companies on what is stored at their premises and receive an answer within 10 days.

Can you imagine parents walking into a storage plant and asking them if their child’s school is in the “blast zone” (and how would you know if the parents were terrorists)? It is also not clear what, if any punishment would be handed out if the company fails to respond within the allotted time.

To no one’s surprise, candidate Abbot has received several healthy contributions from the infamous Koch brothers, which of course leads to people speculating that they are helping to influence the discussion (not that there is anything wrong with that since no party is immune to being bought).

More than a year has passed since fifteen people were killed, more than 160 injured, and more than 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed in West, Texas. I do understand the need to discuss sensible solutions to complex issues, but knocking on the door at my local storage facility to see what kinds of chemcials they keep and how much doesn’t seem to be one of them.