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Return
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The
View from the Meadow
Observations
of the Passing Scene
Political
and Social Commentary by Dave Satre
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Bush and Company have spent the past eight years working to change laws and policies that affect their cronies, especially those in the petroleum, energy, pharmaceutical and military industries. Now they are making a last-minute effort to ram through some changes they haven’t succeeded in passing, with the help of a complicit Congress and a hope that the nation doesn’t notice. The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms. Other regulations would lift controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, drinking-water standards, coal mining and eliminate obstacles to commercial ocean-fishing. There are over 90 new regulations in the plan; at least nine of them concern reducing benefits for the people. Most of these actions favor lobbyists who fear new regulations and policies from the Obama administration. The Bushies have been rewriting regulations that displease their cronies since the afternoon of Bush’s inauguration. On that very day they blocked the completion or implementation of regulations passed by the Clinton administration. These included 254 regulations covering drug and airline safety, immigration and pollution. Bush is also appointing several of his cronies to civil service positions. This will provide them with employment security and prevent the Obama administration from appointing more qualified people in key jobs. Bush also intends to pardon himself and all of the criminals in his administration from prosecution for their illegal activities while in power. The attempt to change environmental regulations to favor the energy/petroleum companies includes plans to:
Other changes in environmental regulations include:
Laws in favor of Big Business include:
Changes affecting the rights and freedoms of American citizens include:
They are also pushing to allow guns in our National Parks. This is an effort by the worst president in American history to further destroy the planet and our civil rights in favor of the ultra rich while he still has some power left. We citizens need to know what’s going on and do our best to inform others. We had the good sense to throw the Bushies out of power. Now, we need to stop this final attempt. Alert your friends and coworkers. Encourage them to contact their congressional representatives. Make your voice heard. Links for more info: Last Call for the Bush Administration A Last Push To Deregulate Midnight Regulations The National Parks Conservation Association Administration Moves to Protect Key Appointees Bush Trying Last-Minute Changes to Endangered Species Act Chairman Waxman Requests Assurance that EPA Will Not Hurt
Air Quality in National Parks Bush Administration Trucking Rule Disregards Courts, Puts
Lives At Risk, Public Citizen Tells Senate Subcommittee Labor Department Risk Rule Officially Unveiled Critics Ask DOJ to Drop Proposed Expansion of Domestic
Surveillance Powers |