Unless You're Big Business, You’re Screwed!

Republican Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee – and small-time criminal turned into the richest man in Congress – Darrell Issa is outsourcing his job to corporate CEOs. Back in December – Issa asked more than one hundred businesses to outline what federal regulations he should attempt to strike down with his new powers as Chairman. And though Issa intended to keep the responses from the corporate community to his inquiry private – unlike the personal information of people who’ve filed Freedom of Information Act requests - which he wants to make public – the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington uncovered more than 30 of these responses. The wish-list of deregulation includes: dismantling the EPA – repealing lead-paint restrictions – ending coal tar and hydraulic fracking regulations - and ending required flammability tests for children’s mattresses.

Basically – free reign to pollute the environment – contaminate our drinking war – poison our families with lead – and mass produce fire traps for children…that’s what the business community wants Darrell Issa to let them get away with. Republicans are busy renaming House Committees – like removing the word “labor” from the Labor and Education Committee – and removing the words “civil rights” from the Civil Rights and Constitution Subcommittee. I suggest they go ahead and rename Issa’s Government Oversight Committee too. Let’s just call it the “Unless You're Big Business, You’re Screwed” Committee.

Comments

dnarnadem 12 years 7 weeks ago
#1

Now we know why Issa wants that List of FOIA "Names"! (See Below yesterdays Blog on Issa)

Where is the Major Media concerning this? Other then this blog, Nothing!

Our liberties are being threatened here - where is the outrage?

I called my Representatives and Senators yesterday. They were not even aware of this!

Here is why Issa wants the "Names": to give to "Big Business" who in turn will use them against those who filed requests under the FOIA. Plain and simple. That is what you call the Inquisitional ferver coming in via a "Back Door" under the rubric of 'We just want to streamline the process and make it better'! Complete hooey!

Big Brother is coming and he Corporate/Wall Street led and paid for - I suggest that the American people wake up before it is too late. Once the "Oppressive Machinery" is up and running it will be very difficult to dismantle. The Corporate/Industrial/Plutocrats have way more Trillions than any single citizen or group of citizens.

And I suggest to the Right-Wing and Tea Party advocates that they are making a "Devil's Bargain" with the Corporate elite. They are being "Used" and "Bought" and lied to by the Corporate Billionaires in order to attain their complete Corporate power. Do you actually believe that once this Plutocratic/Oligargic/Corporate conglomerate once in power will let go of their power willingly in the future (Look to Egypt right now - an 82 year old despot willing to sacrifice 1000s of his own people so he can retain power for a few more months)?

The Right-Wing and The Tea Party advocates are being "Duped": the corporate billionaires are using emotional "Wedge Issues" to galvanize the Right to elect "Corporate “Bought” Politicians" who will in the short term satisfy the Rights' issues, but who in the long term will be entrenching their power in Washington and Wall Street. This is not a conspiracy theory, but what is actually happening with our Democracy right now. The "Devil's Bargain" here is that once the Corporate elite have attained their objectives, the duped Right will be left by the wayside and discarded like so much refuse.

It is one thing to protest in the streets for less government and less taxes, etc, it is another when those very actions then create an oppressive Corporate/Political Conglomerate that will eventually take those freedoms away from you.

Be careful what you wish for!

leighmf's picture
leighmf 12 years 7 weeks ago
#2

Dr. Lawhon said, "Give a calf enough rope and he'll hang himself."

making progress's picture
making progress 12 years 7 weeks ago
#3

http://buildingapowerfulleft.org/

Learn it, know it, live it.

anotheRedhering's picture
anotheRedhering 12 years 7 weeks ago
#4

Issa is attempting to reduce the Federal protections that protect the Citizens from corporate wrongdoings. How about Citizens request that government stop providing judicial protections of corporate contracts altogether? Instead government should only do business with Citizens who have flesh and blood bodies. I just dont think our government should do business with any entity that hides who it is.

If Issa wants the names of people requesting information via the FOIA. he can request that information via the FOIA.

Elioflight's picture
Elioflight 12 years 7 weeks ago
#5

Corporations seem to think that their profits are delivered via the stork. They seem to be hell-bent on persecuting the very people/human beings that provide this profit: the consumer. the taxpayer, and the worker. (And destroying the planet, where are we expected to live?) Unless they have some magician that comes in with a magic wand to create their product and they expect the wealthy 1%, no let's be generous 2%, to purchase all that product, I don't know how they think they can continue to make money and stay in business. After all, what does business have without product and consumer?

What's wrong with the Henry Ford model? Pay workers living wages (that allows for disposable income) and make good products they can afford to purchase. Everyone is happy. Henry Ford was still plenty rich--his heirs are still plenty rich.

Does anyone notice that all the news stories about rising prices include the phrase, "due to rising labor costs in China"? Labor was taken to China in the name of cheap labor and keeping costs down, but costs to consumers did not fall; they stayed the same. Now that these costs are going up, outrageous profits are being cut into by those pesky labor costs and consumers will be expected to take the hit. I knew the Chinese would eventually smart up.Where are corporations off to now Africa?

We need a global human being movement to curb the control and destruction of the planet by corporations. We need to take the influence of money out of our elections. I know I sound like a broken record on this blog, but I feel that this is the ONLY way we can stop the complete corporatization of the US and global economy.

dnarnadem 12 years 7 weeks ago
#6

"I know I sound like a broken record on this blog, but I feel that this is the ONLY way we can stop the complete corporatization of the US and global economy...

No you don't! Best example of common sense I've read in a long while! Exactly my sentiments.

People Need Good Jobs. to Make decent Wages. With this they can purchase products and services. This greases the wheel of commerse. Making profits for Wall Street. Which creates good jobs....etc etc. Nearly a win-win situation for nearly everyone.

And as you so aptly state, the Plutocrats and Oligarchs only see the Profits part and totally ignor everthing else. This then becomes a lose-lose situation for everyone, and everyone loses.

We need to have a sustainable economy while at the same time saving our Planet for our Children and future decendents.

You don't sound like a Bad Record, but someone who makes a lot of sense!

Elioflight's picture
Elioflight 12 years 7 weeks ago
#7

Thanks. It is good to finally find a like mind. At least no one here is calling me a liberal puke or suggesting that I might gain an education by reading Milton Friedman's crap. I edit business and econ textbooks for a living, at least I did until Bush and his thugs cut almost all education funding and created All Children Left Behind, For the past 15 years, I have read about the bad/destructive practices being taught in our high schools, colleges/universities, and business schools. It is a shame.

Now if we can get at least 60 percent of the population on the same page. I talk to people about this all the time. People have fear about losing their jobs or standing up to corporations. I keep trying to tell them that they are an important and powerful 2/3 of business. Without the consumer and the worker, all business has is ideas; it has nothing to sell and no one to purchase it.

We, as consumers, can be very powerful. In my house, we don't give our money to bad companies like BP and Valero (Koch Brothers) or to Red Lobster, a past favorite, because of its advertising with Fox and who most likely doen't care that much about bad industrial fishing practices. Instead we eat at the excellent local Mexican eatery, which employes hard-working immigrants. We don't feel deprived; we feel empowered by our thoughtful and reseached choices. Democracy is not a spectator sport.

dnarnadem 12 years 6 weeks ago
#8

Amen to that! But the danger is the vile and vicious Propaganda coming from the Right and the 30-40 Million people it infests and lies to. Pre 1980 we in America had a decent political discourse which was "Fair And Balanced". There just was not anything like this demented gibberish coming from right-wing media - the reason being that the people usually got to listen to "Both" sides of any argument. But in 1985 and after, the FCC has pretty much ignored the "Fairness Doctrine" which has given rise to the now gigantic propagnada media conglomerates like Fox Noise" and Right-Wing Radio. If you Listen to these Media outlets you certainly do not get "2 sides" of any argument - you get Propaganda that favors The Right and Coporate interests; And lies and distortions. No one to counter the argument. So Rush Limbaugh and his ilk can rant and rave 24/7 with no counter-argument! Pure propaganda and nonsense reaching the ears and minds of 30-40 Million Americans as if this rant were fact and true!

And so now Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and his corporate buddies are in Europe trying to buy and consolidate most of the Media outlets available there so as to propagate this vile propaganda there also!

""Companies controlled by the family of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi dominate Italian commercial television (with a 45% audience share and over 60% of total advertising sales), have a major presence in advertising and publishing, and have been moving into telecommunications, despite recurrent allegations of of impropriety.

Alexander Stille's 2006 The Sack of Rome offered an analogy for US readers -

Imagine that Silvio Berlusconi were Bill Gates. Aside from being the richest man in the United States, Gates would own or control all but one of our TV networks, along with Time Warner, HBO, Aetna, Fidelity, The Los Angeles Times, and the New York Yankees. And he would have been our president and commanded a majority in Congress, until barely losing an election" http://ketupa.net/berlusconi.htm

This is what Neo-Conservative Right Wing, Corporate Plutocrats have in store for us all - complete Fascist control of us all.

If they actually believe that this will work for them in the long run, then they are deluded and simply do not read nor learn from history - they are basically being deluded by their own propaganda!

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