Write off Right now 1

7/30/2019 Write off Right now 1

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INT Senator's Office, Capital Hill

The typically pristine office is in a quiet state of disorder. Papers, binders and even books lie onevery surface. An aide, JOHNSON, is the boy next door. He is lies on his back, rapidly

flipping the binder his his holding overhead. Another aide, RICHARDS, is a prettier and better

dressed girl than you'd expect for the position. She's bend over a pile of papers, her back toJohnson.

JOHNSON:

What about if we--

RICHARDS

No.

JOHNSON

You didn't even let--

RICHARDS

Doesn't matter.

JOHNSON

Why not?

RICHARDS

Because you're a moron.

JOHNSON

We're all morons when it comes to this.

RICHARDS

Then you must be first among equals.

(beat)

What were you going to say?

JOHNSON

You that desperate?


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Richards spins around in her chair, standing up.

RICHARDS

Yep.

JOHNSON

Okay, so what if we go with some kind of uncertainty principle?

Say that just because it works sometimes doesn't mean that italways is. Like, just because it could work, you know, on frogs

doesn't meant that it could workwhere are you going?

Richards rises out of her chair with an old-school yellow notepad in hand

and walks out the office, heels beginning to click-clack on tiled floor.

INT A CONFERENCE ROOM

A group of Senators, jackets hung on the back of their chairs and slouching every which

way with bad posture. Their eyes have rings around them. A hundred empty, papercoffee cups are strewn about the room. An older man, SEN BANPROP, is droning on

about regulatory theory and practice.

Richards enters the room and makes her way over to a man around 50 leaning back

in his seat. He is SEN CAMP, and he looks fresher than the rest, his age a good decade

below everyone else in the room. He sits up when he sees Richards and sticks

out his hand for her notepad in an entitled way.

Camp flips through the pages of ink scrawled notes and raises a brow, looking up to

Richards.

CAMP

The sacrosanct majesty of nature?

Richards shrugs, Camp keeps flipping through the pages.

CAMP

(con't)

The part about human enterprise is good. Lose the graph after.

Richards nods, takes the notepad and scurries out of the room in stark contrastwith her earlier gait.

After she leaves a light on the wall blinks slowly a few times. A SEN. THURMB sees it.

THURMB


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Fucking finally. Let's go, come on.

BANPROP

And remember, we have to stay unified out there. The opposition

Is ready to keep everything in line, we need to as well.

THURMB

Stick up your ass, Berry. Come on, someone wake the old man.

An Aide shakes awake SEN TULLY, an ancient, wizened man.

TULLY

All in favor?

CAMP

Just don't let him die before we get him out there.

INT SENATE JUDICARY COMITTEEE

The spectators gallery is packed. Reporters kneel sending off picture flashes

at the senators like salvos in a war. A SEN KYLE has the spotlight. He is slick

in his 30s and has perfect black politician hair.

KYLE

And this is why we must not be afraid to get rid of this needless

regulation. Government didn't create this amazing technology,

the private sector did. If the Federal Government can't evenmake simple things like the tax code work, how do you expect

them to perfect on nature itself? Private industry will save the

environment in addition to the job creators no longer havingto suffer under burdens.

Muted applause moves through the gallery, a call to order comes from the gavel

banging of CHAIRPERSON.

CHAIRPERSON

The Gentleman from Vermont, Senator Camp, has one minute.

CAMPIt is one thing to disagree with regulation that isn't working.

Nobody here likes the IRS. Me included.


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Camp flashes an ambitious smile for the audience from his high-backed chair.

CAMP

(con't)But it's quite another thing to rollback something Americans

have grown to depend on. Something the helps all of us.

The idea that just because the technology exists to resurrectlife does not mean that we can take a system that works

for granted. The Environmental Protection Act has been

a cornerstone of our legislation. It helps us protect thesacrosanct majesty of--

Camp looks at the notes he has and fumbles with them.

CAMP

(con't)

Majesty of--

Camp takes a deep breath and throws the notes aside.

CAMP

(con't)

It's a stupid idea. It's not the first time we've heard it either.

Every time someone comes along with something that

captures media attention that is just simple enough for

all of us to understand someone on that side of the aislecan't wait to use it as a reason to get rid of regulation

that doesn't hurt anyone but the biggest of businesses.

You know it, I know it, and I'm damned tired of pretendingotherwise.

Camp takes a deep breath.

CAMP

I was once asked by a colleague what the residents of

Easter Island were thinking when they cut down the last

tree they had. I didn't have an answer then, but I do now.

Stop, someone stop this. The idea that we can changeregulations on the environment because we can bring frogs

and grass back to life is just stupid.

Johnson smiles brightly. He turns it to a cocky, knowing grin as he turns to

Richards.

CAMP

I'm almost out of time so I'll conclude with this. Nature


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is something we should protect, not endanger. Don't let

any company exploits it for a profit tell you any different.

INT TELEVISON SET

A TALKING HEAD reads in a proper boring baritone .

TALKING HEAD

...a stunning reversal coming from Republican party

leadership. No word as yet as to how the repeal

failed by two votes. Again, this just coming in now.We have more questions than answers....

INT CAMP'S OFFICE

Camp lays back in his chair looking half-dead and entirely defeated exceptfor the shit-eating grin on his face. Banprop sits across from him.

BANPROP

That's going to play well in you district.

CAMP

That all?

BANPROP

Well it should do okay nationally, too. You may have becomea household name.

Camp just smiles

BANPROP

(con't)

So if that happens, tell me, was this an organic response orpre-planned ambition?

CAMP

If the everglades can't tell the difference between a frog it

made and some soup cooked up in a lab, how do you expectme to know?


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