17 | February | 2012 | Robot Pirate Ninja

Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to groundwater contamination, according to a study by the Energy Institute of the University of Texas at Austin.

The study, released at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, British Columbia, found that many problems ascribed to fracking actually have other causes, such as “casing failures or poor cement jobs.”

University researchers also determined that many reports of contamination are the result of above-ground spills or other mishandling of wastewater from shale-gas drilling, rather than the fracking process.

See…it’s not the thing…it’s the stuff you have to do to do the thing.

BTW, get a kick out of the actual headline they used for the study…

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UT study finds no direct link between fracking and groundwater contamination – Sacramento Living – Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/17/4271707/ut-study-finds-no-direct-link.html

In addition, states will be allowed to perform drug tests on individuals applying for unemployment benefits if those people lost their previous job because they either failed or refused an employer’s drug test. Individuals receiving unemployment assistance could also be tested if they are seeking a job that generally requires a drug test.

Also, welfare beneficiaries will be banned from accessing public assistance funds at ATMs in strip clubs, liquor stores, and casinos.

via Congress passes payroll tax cut deal – CNN.com.

It should be noted, these are Republican demands and illustrate just how much they want to get government *out* of people’s lives…or something.

If this confuses you, realize that when Republican politicians say “smaller government” what they really are calling for is “lower taxes on my benefactors”.

It has, as one can see here, absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with reducing government intrusion into people’s personal lives (or as the dictionary calls it “freedom”).