Efforts to crack down on lead paint thwarted by China, Bush Administration | By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration and China have both undermined efforts to tighten rules designed to ensure that lead paint isn't used in toys, bibs, jewelry and other children’s products.
Both have fought efforts to better police imported toys from China.
...
The Bush administration has hindered regulation on two fronts, consumer advocates say. It stalled efforts to press for greater inspections of imported children’s products, and it altered the focus of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), moving it from aggressive protection of consumers to a more manufacturer-friendly approach.
“The overall philosophy is regulations are bad and they are too large a cost for industry, and the market will take care of it,” said Rick Melberth, director of regulatory policy at OMBWatch, a government watchdog group formed in 1983. “That’s been the philosophy of the Bush administration.”
...
Before leaving her post, Brown unsuccessfully pushed for pre-market testing of children’s products. The idea largely died when the Bush administration took over, said Brown, who's working with Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The CPSC has only 100 field inspectors to police problems with all products sold to more than 301 million Americans. None of the inspectors are stationed in China or anywhere else abroad. ...
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Abramoff, Cunningham , Ney, ... are in prison: So what's the tally this year so far?
Today's Must Read | By Paul Kiel - August 29, 2007, 10:04 AM
Jack Abramoff is in prison. Ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) is in prison. Ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) is in prison. Ex-Reps. Mark Foley (R-FL), Katherine Harris (R-FL), Tom DeLay (R-TX), Curt Weldon (R-PA), and Ex-Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), all either lost or did not seek reelection. Gone, away, to be forgotten. This year was supposed to be different for the Republicans. But...
So what's the tally this year so far? Well, there is, of course, 1) Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) and 2) Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) with their sex scandals (the attempted restroom tryst and numerous successful hotel room trysts, respectively). But then there's the much greater toll of just plain ol' corruption. 3) Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and 4) Rep. Don Young (R-AK) are under investigation for their ties to the oil company Veco (though that's just the tip of the iceberg for Young). 5) Reps. Tom Feeney (R-FL) and 6) John Doolittle (R-CA) have found themselves the focus of a reinvigorated Abramoff investigation (though Abramoff is in prison, he's still busily cooperating). 7) Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) had his house raided. 8) The FBI is investigating Rep. Gary Miller's (R-CA) land deals. And then there's 9) Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) whose land deal with a businessman and campaign contributor became such a scandal that she finally just sold back the plot of land. (Update: Thanks to a TPM Reader for pointing out that I omitted 12) Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and 13) Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) in my original round-up. Both are facing ethics committee investigations for their calls last October to former U.S. attorney David Iglesias about his office's investigation of a state Democrat.) A kind of bonus field of scandal has been campaign officials for the various Republican candidates and their various scandals. And there are a couple holdovers from 2006, of course; scandal figures who've stuck around and managed to keep a relatively low profile. 10) Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is still apparently under federal investigation. And 11) Rep. Ken Calvert's (R-CA) land deals are still winning scrutiny. ...
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Katrina Aid Goes Toward Football Condos
Katrina Aid Goes Toward Football Condos | JAY REEVES | August 13, 2007 02:28 PM EST | AP
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.
About 10 condominium projects are going up in and around Tuscaloosa, and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king-size bathtubs and 'Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art.
While many of the buyers are Crimson Tide alumni or ardent football fans not entitled to any special Katrina-related tax breaks, many others are real estate investors who are purchasing the condos with plans to rent them out.
And they intend to take full advantage of the generous tax benefits available to investors under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, or GO Zone, according to Associated Press interviews with buyers and real estate officials. ...
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.
About 10 condominium projects are going up in and around Tuscaloosa, and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king-size bathtubs and 'Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art.
While many of the buyers are Crimson Tide alumni or ardent football fans not entitled to any special Katrina-related tax breaks, many others are real estate investors who are purchasing the condos with plans to rent them out.
And they intend to take full advantage of the generous tax benefits available to investors under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, or GO Zone, according to Associated Press interviews with buyers and real estate officials. ...
"Nearly 66 percent of the brick kilns in Shanxi were illegal," ... 359 slave migrant workers
Slaves found in Chinese brick factories | By SCOTT MCDONALD, Associated Press Writer Mon Aug 13, 7:10 AM ET
BEIJING - China is still freeing people — including children — forced to work as slaves in illegal brick factories, two months after the scandal involving the brick yards was exposed, officials said Monday.
...
The victims were forced to work almost around the clock, beaten, and deprived of pay, nourishment and basic medical care.
"Another 359 slave migrant workers have been rescued in Shanxi since late June, including 15 child workers and 121 mentally handicapped ones," said Xue Yanzhong, executive vice governor of Shanxi province, in a statement posted on the central government's official Web site.
The workers were found in 17 newly discovered brick kilns that abducted workers, imprisoned them and forced them to work, he said.
One of the worst areas for the illegal kilns was in Shanxi province, said Sun Baoshu, vice minister of labor and social security.
"Nearly 66 percent of the brick kilns in Shanxi were illegal," he said in a separate statement. But Sun said the kilns and slave workers have been found in other parts of China, and 1,340 migrant workers have been rescued nationwide so far. ...
BEIJING - China is still freeing people — including children — forced to work as slaves in illegal brick factories, two months after the scandal involving the brick yards was exposed, officials said Monday.
...
The victims were forced to work almost around the clock, beaten, and deprived of pay, nourishment and basic medical care.
"Another 359 slave migrant workers have been rescued in Shanxi since late June, including 15 child workers and 121 mentally handicapped ones," said Xue Yanzhong, executive vice governor of Shanxi province, in a statement posted on the central government's official Web site.
The workers were found in 17 newly discovered brick kilns that abducted workers, imprisoned them and forced them to work, he said.
One of the worst areas for the illegal kilns was in Shanxi province, said Sun Baoshu, vice minister of labor and social security.
"Nearly 66 percent of the brick kilns in Shanxi were illegal," he said in a separate statement. But Sun said the kilns and slave workers have been found in other parts of China, and 1,340 migrant workers have been rescued nationwide so far. ...
How our seedy, corrupt Washington establishment operates
Friday August 24, 2007 08:21 EST | How our seedy, corrupt Washington establishment operates
Over the past several weeks, there has arisen a palpable and coordinated shift among the Washington establishment to blame Iraq's problems on Prime Minister Maliki and to suggest that salvation lies in his replacement. The only real alternative ever identified is former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
...
Over the past several weeks, there has arisen a palpable and coordinated shift among the Washington establishment to blame Iraq's problems on Prime Minister Maliki and to suggest that salvation lies in his replacement. The only real alternative ever identified is former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
...
In a solid piece of reporting, CNN yesterday disclosed that the most powerful GOP lobbying firm, run founded by former GOP Party Chair and current Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and staffed by key former Bush national security officials, is being paid by Allawi to coordinate these anti-Maliki, pro-Allawi efforts:
A powerhouse Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the White House has begun a public campaign to undermine the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, CNN has confirmed. . . .Allawi hires the most powerful GOP firm in the country, with former top Bush officials as partners, and almost immediately, the key Op-Ed pages of our nation's newspapers open up to him and all of official Washington, beginning with the President, changes course. Suddenly, key figures in both parties begin calling for Maliki to be replaced.A senior Bush administration official told CNN the White House is aware of the lobbying campaign by Barbour Griffith & Rogers because the firm is "blasting e-mails all over town" criticizing al-Maliki and promoting the firm's client, former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, as an alternative to the current Iraqi leader. . . .
Most extraordinary of all is how deceitful this whole process is. As CNN reports: "The lobbying firm boasts the services of two onetime foreign policy hands of President Bush: Ambassador Robert Blackwill, the former Deputy National Security Adviser, and Philip Zelikow, former counselor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ...
Katrina: Bush administration actually wants these neighborhoods below sea level to die on the vine
Reckless Abandonment By Douglas Brinkley | The Washington Post | Sunday 26 August 2007
Over the past two years since Hurricane Katrina, I've seen waves of hardworking volunteers from nonprofits, faith-based groups and college campuses descend on New Orleans, full of compassion and hope.
They arrive in the city's Ninth Ward to painstakingly gut houses one by one. Their jaws drop as they wander around afflicted zones, gazing at the towering mounds of debris and uprooted infrastructure.
After weeks of grueling labor, they realize that they are running in place, toiling in a surreal vacuum.
Two full years after the hurricane, the Big Easy is barely limping along, unable to make truly meaningful reconstruction progress. The most important issues concerning the city's long-term survival are still up in the air. Why is no Herculean clean-up effort underway? Why hasn't President Bush named a high-profile czar such as Colin Powell or James Baker to oversee the ongoing disaster? Where is the U.S. government's participation in the rebuilding?
And why are volunteers practically the only ones working to reconstruct homes in communities that may never again have sewage service, garbage collection or electricity?
Eventually, the volunteers' altruism turns to bewilderment and finally to outrage. They've been hoodwinked. The stalled recovery can't be blamed on bureaucratic inertia or red tape alone. Many volunteers come to understand what I've concluded is the heartless reality: The Bush administration actually wants these neighborhoods below sea level to die on the vine. ...
Over the past two years since Hurricane Katrina, I've seen waves of hardworking volunteers from nonprofits, faith-based groups and college campuses descend on New Orleans, full of compassion and hope.
They arrive in the city's Ninth Ward to painstakingly gut houses one by one. Their jaws drop as they wander around afflicted zones, gazing at the towering mounds of debris and uprooted infrastructure.
After weeks of grueling labor, they realize that they are running in place, toiling in a surreal vacuum.
Two full years after the hurricane, the Big Easy is barely limping along, unable to make truly meaningful reconstruction progress. The most important issues concerning the city's long-term survival are still up in the air. Why is no Herculean clean-up effort underway? Why hasn't President Bush named a high-profile czar such as Colin Powell or James Baker to oversee the ongoing disaster? Where is the U.S. government's participation in the rebuilding?
And why are volunteers practically the only ones working to reconstruct homes in communities that may never again have sewage service, garbage collection or electricity?
Eventually, the volunteers' altruism turns to bewilderment and finally to outrage. They've been hoodwinked. The stalled recovery can't be blamed on bureaucratic inertia or red tape alone. Many volunteers come to understand what I've concluded is the heartless reality: The Bush administration actually wants these neighborhoods below sea level to die on the vine. ...
contracts awarded without "full and open" competition has tripled, to $207 billion, since 2000 ...
Federal No-Bid Contracts On Rise | Use of Favored Firms A Common Shortcut | By Robert O'Harrow Jr. | Washington Post Staff Writer | Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A01
...
... Scott Chronister, a senior official in the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement, reached out to a former colleague at a private consulting firm for advice. The consultant suggested that Chronister's office could avoid competition and get the work done quickly under an arrangement in which the firm "approached the government with a 'unique and innovative concept,' " documents and interviews show.
A contract worth up to $579,000 was awarded to the consultant's firm in September.
Though small by government standards, the counter-narcotics contract illustrates the government's steady move away from relying on competition to secure the best deals for products and services.
A recent congressional report estimated that federal spending on contracts awarded without "full and open" competition has tripled, to $207 billion, since 2000, with a $60 billion increase last year alone. The category includes deals in which officials take advantage of provisions allowing them to sidestep competition for speed and convenience and cases in which the government sharply limits the number of bidders or expands work under open-ended contracts.
Government auditors say the result is often higher prices for taxpayers and an undue reliance on a limited number of contractors.
"The rapid growth in no-bid and limited-competition contracts has made full and open competition the exception, not the rule," according to the report, by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ...
...
... Scott Chronister, a senior official in the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement, reached out to a former colleague at a private consulting firm for advice. The consultant suggested that Chronister's office could avoid competition and get the work done quickly under an arrangement in which the firm "approached the government with a 'unique and innovative concept,' " documents and interviews show.
A contract worth up to $579,000 was awarded to the consultant's firm in September.
Though small by government standards, the counter-narcotics contract illustrates the government's steady move away from relying on competition to secure the best deals for products and services.
A recent congressional report estimated that federal spending on contracts awarded without "full and open" competition has tripled, to $207 billion, since 2000, with a $60 billion increase last year alone. The category includes deals in which officials take advantage of provisions allowing them to sidestep competition for speed and convenience and cases in which the government sharply limits the number of bidders or expands work under open-ended contracts.
Government auditors say the result is often higher prices for taxpayers and an undue reliance on a limited number of contractors.
"The rapid growth in no-bid and limited-competition contracts has made full and open competition the exception, not the rule," according to the report, by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ...
Bush administration has been systematically dismantling and cutting funding for workplace safety rules and oversight since it came into office
'What's Wrong with America?' | Posted August 17, 2007 | 07:31 PM (EST)
Earlier this month, Steve Skvara, a disabled, retired steel worker who can't afford his wife's health care, shook the AFL-CIO's Presidential Candidates Forum by asking tearfully, "What's wrong with America?"
...
We've got six coal miners trapped beneath more than 1,500 feet of Utah coal and rock, three brave men who struggled to rescue them are dead and six more are injured.
And it's not because of an act of God. It's because of the acts of man.
The disaster still unfolding at the Crandall Canyon mine did not have to happen. It was preventable--as were the deaths of 12 coal miners last year in the Sago Mine in West Virginia. As have been many, many more deaths of workers in America's coal mines and factories, fishing vessels, offices and construction sites.
Safety concerns about the Crandall Canyon mine surfaced months ago, and safety experts warned of particular dangers in the "retreat mining" technique used there after it was approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. In retreat mining, coalminers essentially pull out roof-supporting pillars of coal as they work their way out of the mine. The retreat mining plan at Crandall Canyon, says United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, "appears to have been flawed, to say the least. In our opinion, that plan should never have been approved."
No one should be surprised it was approved, though. The Bush administration has been systematically dismantling and cutting funding for workplace safety rules and oversight since it came into office.
Every day in 2005 (the most recent data available), 16 workers died on the job and 12,000 were made sick--and that doesn't include the occupational diseases that kill 50,000 to 60,000 more workers each year. In many if not most of these cases, one of two things occurred: An employer disregarded the law, or the law wasn't strong enough to protect workers.
Something is deeply wrong with America today. Working men and women have lost their value to the people who have been running this country for too long. Ruthless CEOs wring working people dry and the neocon ideologues in the White House help them.
Our wages are stagnant, our benefits are disappearing, the middle class is shrinking and, for the first time, there's a good chance our children will not be better off than our generation. We're the most productive workers in the world but we have to work more hours, more jobs and send more family members into the workforce just to keep up. ...
Earlier this month, Steve Skvara, a disabled, retired steel worker who can't afford his wife's health care, shook the AFL-CIO's Presidential Candidates Forum by asking tearfully, "What's wrong with America?"
...
We've got six coal miners trapped beneath more than 1,500 feet of Utah coal and rock, three brave men who struggled to rescue them are dead and six more are injured.
And it's not because of an act of God. It's because of the acts of man.
The disaster still unfolding at the Crandall Canyon mine did not have to happen. It was preventable--as were the deaths of 12 coal miners last year in the Sago Mine in West Virginia. As have been many, many more deaths of workers in America's coal mines and factories, fishing vessels, offices and construction sites.
Safety concerns about the Crandall Canyon mine surfaced months ago, and safety experts warned of particular dangers in the "retreat mining" technique used there after it was approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. In retreat mining, coalminers essentially pull out roof-supporting pillars of coal as they work their way out of the mine. The retreat mining plan at Crandall Canyon, says United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, "appears to have been flawed, to say the least. In our opinion, that plan should never have been approved."
No one should be surprised it was approved, though. The Bush administration has been systematically dismantling and cutting funding for workplace safety rules and oversight since it came into office.
Every day in 2005 (the most recent data available), 16 workers died on the job and 12,000 were made sick--and that doesn't include the occupational diseases that kill 50,000 to 60,000 more workers each year. In many if not most of these cases, one of two things occurred: An employer disregarded the law, or the law wasn't strong enough to protect workers.
Something is deeply wrong with America today. Working men and women have lost their value to the people who have been running this country for too long. Ruthless CEOs wring working people dry and the neocon ideologues in the White House help them.
Our wages are stagnant, our benefits are disappearing, the middle class is shrinking and, for the first time, there's a good chance our children will not be better off than our generation. We're the most productive workers in the world but we have to work more hours, more jobs and send more family members into the workforce just to keep up. ...
Six Inches ... By comparison, the wealthier neighborhood to the west, Lakeview, had its flooding risk reduced by nearly five and a half feet.
One Billion Dollars Later, New Orleans Is Still at Risk | By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: August 17, 2007
The 17th Street Canal pumps and, at right, floodgates. The yellow diesel engines would power pumps to send floodwaters through the black pipes into Lake Pontchartrain.
NEW ORLEANS — Six inches.
After two years and more than a billion dollars spent by the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild New Orleans’s hurricane protection system, that is how much the water level is likely to be reduced if a big 1-in-100 flood hits Leah Pratcher’s Gentilly neighborhood.
Looking over the maps that showed other possible water levels around the city, Ms. Pratcher grew increasingly furious. Her house got four feet of water after Hurricane Katrina, and still stands to get almost as much from a 1-in-100 flood.
By comparison, the wealthier neighborhood to the west, Lakeview, had its flooding risk reduced by nearly five and a half feet.
“If I got my risk reduced by five feet five inches, I’d feel pretty safe,” said Ms. Pratcher, who along with her husband, Henry, warily returned home from Baton Rouge, La. “Six inches is not going to help us out.” ...
Published: August 17, 2007
The 17th Street Canal pumps and, at right, floodgates. The yellow diesel engines would power pumps to send floodwaters through the black pipes into Lake Pontchartrain.
NEW ORLEANS — Six inches.
After two years and more than a billion dollars spent by the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild New Orleans’s hurricane protection system, that is how much the water level is likely to be reduced if a big 1-in-100 flood hits Leah Pratcher’s Gentilly neighborhood.
Looking over the maps that showed other possible water levels around the city, Ms. Pratcher grew increasingly furious. Her house got four feet of water after Hurricane Katrina, and still stands to get almost as much from a 1-in-100 flood.
By comparison, the wealthier neighborhood to the west, Lakeview, had its flooding risk reduced by nearly five and a half feet.
“If I got my risk reduced by five feet five inches, I’d feel pretty safe,” said Ms. Pratcher, who along with her husband, Henry, warily returned home from Baton Rouge, La. “Six inches is not going to help us out.” ...
hertoff's Sweetheart Deal For Israeli-Owned Carnival Cruise Cruise Line
Chertoff's Sweetheart Deal For Israeli-Owned Carnival Cruise Cruise Line | By Christopher Bollyn | American Free Press | 2-17-6
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, through a hastily arranged deal with Carnival Cruise Lines, $236 million from U.S. taxpayers will flow to a tax exempt Israeli-founded corporation registered in Panama. Before federal assistance even reached the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Carnival Cruise Lines had received a profitable deal to provide three ships to house evacuees from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The deal, reached on Sept. 2, 2005, will pay Carnival some $236 million for the use of 7,100 berths for six months.
This means that each berth will cost U.S. taxpayers $5,540 per month, or more than $184 per night. The cost per bed can actually be much higher because not all berths will be occupied for the entire 6-month period of the contract. The deal, arranged by the Military Sealift Command of the U.S. Navy at the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has raised questions in Congress about excessive profiteering by Carnival Corp., the parent corporation that owns Carnival Cruise Lines along with 11 other leading cruise brands, including: Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Princess, and Holland America Line. Carnival Corp. operates a fleet of 79 ships.
Critics in Congress, however, said the cost of the deal with Carnival was exorbitant. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said the cost per berth is more than $1,275 a week, while a 7-day Caribbean cruise costs about $600 per person. "A short-term temporary solution has turned into a long-term, grossly overpriced sweetheart deal for a cruise line," Coburn said. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff requesting a copy of the contract and supporting documentation for its cost on Sept. 23. The contract with Carnival includes $44 million for operating costs and an unknown amount to compensate for corporate taxes that could amount to tens of millions of dollars.
The federal department headed by Chertoff agreed to compensate Carnival for its corporate taxes because, while the company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, it is exempt from U.S. income taxes and other taxes because it is registered in Panama and its ship fly under foreign flags. ...
Carnival Corp. was started by the Ted Arison, an Israeli veteran of the 1948 war in Palestine, who came to the United States in the early 1950s, as did Michael Chertoff's mother, Livia Eisen. ...
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, through a hastily arranged deal with Carnival Cruise Lines, $236 million from U.S. taxpayers will flow to a tax exempt Israeli-founded corporation registered in Panama. Before federal assistance even reached the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Carnival Cruise Lines had received a profitable deal to provide three ships to house evacuees from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The deal, reached on Sept. 2, 2005, will pay Carnival some $236 million for the use of 7,100 berths for six months.
This means that each berth will cost U.S. taxpayers $5,540 per month, or more than $184 per night. The cost per bed can actually be much higher because not all berths will be occupied for the entire 6-month period of the contract. The deal, arranged by the Military Sealift Command of the U.S. Navy at the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has raised questions in Congress about excessive profiteering by Carnival Corp., the parent corporation that owns Carnival Cruise Lines along with 11 other leading cruise brands, including: Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Princess, and Holland America Line. Carnival Corp. operates a fleet of 79 ships.
Critics in Congress, however, said the cost of the deal with Carnival was exorbitant. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said the cost per berth is more than $1,275 a week, while a 7-day Caribbean cruise costs about $600 per person. "A short-term temporary solution has turned into a long-term, grossly overpriced sweetheart deal for a cruise line," Coburn said. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff requesting a copy of the contract and supporting documentation for its cost on Sept. 23. The contract with Carnival includes $44 million for operating costs and an unknown amount to compensate for corporate taxes that could amount to tens of millions of dollars.
The federal department headed by Chertoff agreed to compensate Carnival for its corporate taxes because, while the company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, it is exempt from U.S. income taxes and other taxes because it is registered in Panama and its ship fly under foreign flags. ...
Carnival Corp. was started by the Ted Arison, an Israeli veteran of the 1948 war in Palestine, who came to the United States in the early 1950s, as did Michael Chertoff's mother, Livia Eisen. ...
FDA's Retention Bonuses Rise to the Top ... Goes to Managers, Not Scientists
FDA's Retention Bonuses Rise to the Top | Critics Say Money Goes to Managers, Not Scientists Coveted by Drug Firms | By John Solomon and Marc Kaufman | Washington Post Staff Writers | Thursday, August 2, 2007; Page A01
Before paying $48,823 in cash bonuses to its chief of regulatory affairs in 2005, the Food and Drug Administration asked her to sign a simple declaration: "If I am unable to receive a retention allowance, I am likely to leave the federal government for a higher paying position in the private sector," wrote Margaret O'K. Glavin.
Glavin's statement did not detail a specific job offer, but that did not impede the payment. Over the past 4 1/2 years, she has collected more than $178,000 in cash bonuses -- on top of her $159,840 annual salary.
FDA officials justified Glavin's bonuses by saying her pay should be close to the salaries of those employed by companies she regulates, namely Washington lobbyists. The private-sector comparison has prompted large cash bonuses for top agency officials to quadruple since 2002, to $13.6 million in 2005, according to FDA officials and salary information provided to Congress. ...
Before paying $48,823 in cash bonuses to its chief of regulatory affairs in 2005, the Food and Drug Administration asked her to sign a simple declaration: "If I am unable to receive a retention allowance, I am likely to leave the federal government for a higher paying position in the private sector," wrote Margaret O'K. Glavin.
Glavin's statement did not detail a specific job offer, but that did not impede the payment. Over the past 4 1/2 years, she has collected more than $178,000 in cash bonuses -- on top of her $159,840 annual salary.
FDA officials justified Glavin's bonuses by saying her pay should be close to the salaries of those employed by companies she regulates, namely Washington lobbyists. The private-sector comparison has prompted large cash bonuses for top agency officials to quadruple since 2002, to $13.6 million in 2005, according to FDA officials and salary information provided to Congress. ...
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Iraq Weapons Are a Focus of Criminal Investigations ... involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David H. Petraeus
August 28, 2007 | Iraq Weapons Are a Focus of Criminal Investigations | By JAMES GLANZ and ERIC SCHMITT
BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 — Several federal agencies are investigating a widening network of criminal cases involving the purchase and delivery of billions of dollars of weapons, supplies and other matériel to Iraqi and American forces, according to American officials. The officials said it amounted to the largest ring of fraud and kickbacks uncovered in the conflict here.
The inquiry has already led to several indictments of Americans, with more expected, the officials said. One of the investigations involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David H. Petraeus in setting up the logistics operation to supply the Iraqi forces when General Petraeus was in charge of training and equipping those forces in 2004 and 2005, American officials said Monday.
There is no indication that investigators have uncovered any wrongdoing by General Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, who through a spokesman declined comment on any legal proceedings. ...But now, American officials said, part of the criminal investigation is focused on Lt. Col. Levonda Joey Selph, who reported directly to General Petraeus and worked closely with him in setting up the logistics operation for what were then the fledgling Iraqi security forces. ...
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), who is under investigation for corruption, will not seek re-election
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) Will Not Seek Re-Election
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), who is under investigation for corruption, will not seek re-election. From Roll Call:
Renzi's retirement announcement adds to a list of GOP Members planning to depart upon the conclusion of the 110th Congress, including Reps. Ray LaHood (Ill.), Deborah Pryce (Ohio) and Chip Pickering (Miss.), as well as former Speaker and Rep. Dennis Hastert (Ill.).
Federal agents raided Renzi's family business in April. Shortly afterwards, Renzi stepped down from his three committee assignments.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Murray's company sought and received approval from federal regulators to make a significant, and, experts say, risky change to the mining strategy. ..
Records refute owner's claim that plan remained same | Did changes in Crandall Canyon mining plan boost cave-in risks? | By Robert Gehrke | The Salt Lake Tribune | Article Last Updated: 08/22/2007 07:23:18 AM MDT
Robert Murray insists that his company did not change the mining plan at Crandall Canyon after purchasing a joint interest in the mine last August.
But documents obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune clearly contradict Murray's assertion, and show that Murray's company sought and received approval from federal regulators to make a significant, and, experts say, risky change to the mining strategy.
Records of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) show that, after Murray acquired a 50 percent ownership in the mine on Aug. 9, 2006, his company repeatedly petitioned the agency to allow coal to be extracted from the north and south barriers - thick walls of coal that run on both sides of the main tunnels and help hold up the mine.
Robert Murray insists that his company did not change the mining plan at Crandall Canyon after purchasing a joint interest in the mine last August.
But documents obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune clearly contradict Murray's assertion, and show that Murray's company sought and received approval from federal regulators to make a significant, and, experts say, risky change to the mining strategy.
Records of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) show that, after Murray acquired a 50 percent ownership in the mine on Aug. 9, 2006, his company repeatedly petitioned the agency to allow coal to be extracted from the north and south barriers - thick walls of coal that run on both sides of the main tunnels and help hold up the mine.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program [Blue state discrimination?]
White House Acts to Limit Health Plan for Children | By ROBERT PEAR | Published: August 20, 2007
The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.
...
After learning of the new policy, some state officials said today that it could cripple their efforts to cover more children by imposing standards that could not be met.
Ann Clemency Kohler, deputy commissioner of human services in New Jersey, said: “We are horrified at the new federal policy. It will cause havoc with our program and could jeopardize coverage for thousands of children.”
Stan Rosenstein, the Medicaid director in California, said the federal policy was “highly restrictive, much more restrictive than what we want to do.”
...
The Congressional Budget Office has said that the president’s budget, which seeks $30 billion from 2008 to 2012, is not enough to pay for current levels of enrollment, much less to cover children who are eligible but not enrolled. ...
...
Two Republican senators, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and Pat Roberts of Kansas, urged the Bush administration last week to deny New York’s request to cover children with family incomes up to four times the poverty level. The proposal, they said, violates the original intent of Congress, which wanted to focus on lower-income children.
But Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York said that, “contrary to the senators’ objections,” federal law allows states to set higher income limits.
“Granting this expansion is essential to the health and well-being of New York’s children,” Mr. Spizter said.
The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.
...
After learning of the new policy, some state officials said today that it could cripple their efforts to cover more children by imposing standards that could not be met.
Ann Clemency Kohler, deputy commissioner of human services in New Jersey, said: “We are horrified at the new federal policy. It will cause havoc with our program and could jeopardize coverage for thousands of children.”
Stan Rosenstein, the Medicaid director in California, said the federal policy was “highly restrictive, much more restrictive than what we want to do.”
...
The Congressional Budget Office has said that the president’s budget, which seeks $30 billion from 2008 to 2012, is not enough to pay for current levels of enrollment, much less to cover children who are eligible but not enrolled. ...
...
Two Republican senators, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and Pat Roberts of Kansas, urged the Bush administration last week to deny New York’s request to cover children with family incomes up to four times the poverty level. The proposal, they said, violates the original intent of Congress, which wanted to focus on lower-income children.
But Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York said that, “contrary to the senators’ objections,” federal law allows states to set higher income limits.
“Granting this expansion is essential to the health and well-being of New York’s children,” Mr. Spizter said.
[Bush] Mine Safety Czar: as executive had "...an incident rate that was often twice the national average." ...
Federal mine safety official's credentials questionedLast Update: 10:30 am
...
Sonny Olsen, families spokesperson said, "We are at the mercy of the officials in charge and their so-called experts."
Increasing attention is now being paid to Stickler, the federal government's main mine man.
Stickler used to be a mining executive who - according to various media reports - ran mines which had several fatalities and "...an incident rate that was often twice the national average." ...
...
Sonny Olsen, families spokesperson said, "We are at the mercy of the officials in charge and their so-called experts."
Increasing attention is now being paid to Stickler, the federal government's main mine man.
Stickler used to be a mining executive who - according to various media reports - ran mines which had several fatalities and "...an incident rate that was often twice the national average." ...
Monday, August 20, 2007
pursuing the [SEC / Morgan Stanley] investigation, abruptly reversed — and downgraded — his performance reviews, and then unceremoniously fired him ..
Undue Influence at the SEC? | Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007 By KEN STIER
...
... The assignment was heady stuff, a hedge fund insider-trading case that possibly involved one of Wall Street's top executives, John J. Mack, the current CEO of Morgan Stanley. Aguirre threw himself into it with furious energy, and was not intimidated going up against dozens of defense lawyers. That was until his bosses withdrew their support of how he was pursuing the investigation, abruptly reversed — and downgraded — his performance reviews, and then unceremoniously fired him on the last day of his first annual vacation on Sept. 1, 2005.
Through Aguirre's persistence, the ensuing spat spilled over to Capitol Hill. The Senate Judiciary Committee ended up holding three hearings, and in early August issued — jointly with the Finance Committee — a damning, 108-page report that largely backs up Aguirre's allegations of outside interference in an SEC investigation. In highlighting institutional deference to Wall Street bigwigs, arbitrary personnel practices and a dysfunctional inspector general's office, the report seriously calls into question how effectively the SEC is carrying out its mission of policing U.S. capital markets, especially at a time when new opportunities for insider trading are proliferating.
...
... Aguirre claims all these accusations were concocted after the fact, and were never part of his paper record. He had just gotten a raise, and had glowing evaluations before the meltdown, he notes; as for his "unprofessional" deposition of Samberg, Hilton Foster, a now retired staff trainer, wanted to include it as a model in his course material.
...
... The assignment was heady stuff, a hedge fund insider-trading case that possibly involved one of Wall Street's top executives, John J. Mack, the current CEO of Morgan Stanley. Aguirre threw himself into it with furious energy, and was not intimidated going up against dozens of defense lawyers. That was until his bosses withdrew their support of how he was pursuing the investigation, abruptly reversed — and downgraded — his performance reviews, and then unceremoniously fired him on the last day of his first annual vacation on Sept. 1, 2005.
Through Aguirre's persistence, the ensuing spat spilled over to Capitol Hill. The Senate Judiciary Committee ended up holding three hearings, and in early August issued — jointly with the Finance Committee — a damning, 108-page report that largely backs up Aguirre's allegations of outside interference in an SEC investigation. In highlighting institutional deference to Wall Street bigwigs, arbitrary personnel practices and a dysfunctional inspector general's office, the report seriously calls into question how effectively the SEC is carrying out its mission of policing U.S. capital markets, especially at a time when new opportunities for insider trading are proliferating.
...
... Aguirre claims all these accusations were concocted after the fact, and were never part of his paper record. He had just gotten a raise, and had glowing evaluations before the meltdown, he notes; as for his "unprofessional" deposition of Samberg, Hilton Foster, a now retired staff trainer, wanted to include it as a model in his course material.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
[2006] [Bush Administration] Is Reducing Safety Penalties for Mine Flaws: "Operators know that it's cheaper to pay the fine than to fix the problem,"
U.S. Is Reducing Safety Penalties for Mine Flaws | By IAN URBINA and ANDREW W. LEHREN | Published: March 2, 2006
CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — In its drive to foster a more cooperative relationship with mining companies, the Bush administration has decreased major fines for safety violations since 2001, and in nearly half the cases, it has not collected the fines, according to a data analysis by The New York Times.
Federal records also show that in the last two years the federal mine safety agency has failed to hand over any delinquent cases to the Treasury Department for further collection efforts, as is supposed to occur after 180 days.
...
"The Bush administration ushered in this desire to develop cooperative ties between regulators and the mining industry," said Tony Oppegard, a top official at the agency in the Clinton administration. "Safety has certainly suffered as a result."
...
Before the January disaster at the Sago Mine near here, where 12 miners died, the operator had been cited 273 times since 2004. None of the fines exceeded $460, roughly one-thousandth of 1 percent of the $110 million net profit reported last year by the current owner of the mine, the International Coal Group.
...
"Operators know that it's cheaper to pay the fine than to fix the problem," Mr. Addington said. "But they also know the cheapest of all routes is to not pay at all. It's pretty galling." ...
CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — In its drive to foster a more cooperative relationship with mining companies, the Bush administration has decreased major fines for safety violations since 2001, and in nearly half the cases, it has not collected the fines, according to a data analysis by The New York Times.
Federal records also show that in the last two years the federal mine safety agency has failed to hand over any delinquent cases to the Treasury Department for further collection efforts, as is supposed to occur after 180 days.
...
"The Bush administration ushered in this desire to develop cooperative ties between regulators and the mining industry," said Tony Oppegard, a top official at the agency in the Clinton administration. "Safety has certainly suffered as a result."
...
Before the January disaster at the Sago Mine near here, where 12 miners died, the operator had been cited 273 times since 2004. None of the fines exceeded $460, roughly one-thousandth of 1 percent of the $110 million net profit reported last year by the current owner of the mine, the International Coal Group.
...
"Operators know that it's cheaper to pay the fine than to fix the problem," Mr. Addington said. "But they also know the cheapest of all routes is to not pay at all. It's pretty galling." ...
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Our wages are stagnant, our benefits are disappearing, the middle class is shrinking ... children poorer than parents?
'What's Wrong with America?' | Posted August 17, 2007
Earlier this month, Steve Skvara, a disabled, retired steel worker who can't afford his wife's health care, shook the AFL-CIO's Presidential Candidates Forum by asking tearfully, "What's wrong with America?"
...
Safety concerns about the Crandall Canyon mine surfaced months ago, and safety experts warned of particular dangers in the "retreat mining" technique used there after it was approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. In retreat mining, coalminers essentially pull out roof-supporting pillars of coal as they work their way out of the mine. The retreat mining plan at Crandall Canyon, says United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, "appears to have been flawed, to say the least. In our opinion, that plan should never have been approved."
No one should be surprised it was approved, though. The Bush administration has been systematically dismantling and cutting funding for workplace safety rules and oversight since it came into office.
Every day in 2005 (the most recent data available), 16 workers died on the job and 12,000 were made sick--and that doesn't include the occupational diseases that kill 50,000 to 60,000 more workers each year. In many if not most of these cases, one of two things occurred: An employer disregarded the law, or the law wasn't strong enough to protect workers.
Something is deeply wrong with America today. Working men and women have lost their value to the people who have been running this country for too long. Ruthless CEOs wring working people dry and the neocon ideologues in the White House help them.
Our wages are stagnant, our benefits are disappearing, the middle class is shrinking and, for the first time, there's a good chance our children will not be better off than our generation. We're the most productive workers in the world but we have to work more hours, more jobs and send more family members into the workforce just to keep up.
The heroes who rushed to Ground Zero to save lives and who dug and sweated and struggled for months after Sept. 11, 2001, are suffering today from neglect and indifference. Neglect and indifference left thousands stranded on rooftops and in a dark convention center after Hurricane Katrina. Neglect and indifference meant deplorable conditions for veterans recovering at Walter Reed. Neglect and indifference kill far too many of us on the job. ...
Earlier this month, Steve Skvara, a disabled, retired steel worker who can't afford his wife's health care, shook the AFL-CIO's Presidential Candidates Forum by asking tearfully, "What's wrong with America?"
...
Safety concerns about the Crandall Canyon mine surfaced months ago, and safety experts warned of particular dangers in the "retreat mining" technique used there after it was approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. In retreat mining, coalminers essentially pull out roof-supporting pillars of coal as they work their way out of the mine. The retreat mining plan at Crandall Canyon, says United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, "appears to have been flawed, to say the least. In our opinion, that plan should never have been approved."
No one should be surprised it was approved, though. The Bush administration has been systematically dismantling and cutting funding for workplace safety rules and oversight since it came into office.
Every day in 2005 (the most recent data available), 16 workers died on the job and 12,000 were made sick--and that doesn't include the occupational diseases that kill 50,000 to 60,000 more workers each year. In many if not most of these cases, one of two things occurred: An employer disregarded the law, or the law wasn't strong enough to protect workers.
Something is deeply wrong with America today. Working men and women have lost their value to the people who have been running this country for too long. Ruthless CEOs wring working people dry and the neocon ideologues in the White House help them.
Our wages are stagnant, our benefits are disappearing, the middle class is shrinking and, for the first time, there's a good chance our children will not be better off than our generation. We're the most productive workers in the world but we have to work more hours, more jobs and send more family members into the workforce just to keep up.
The heroes who rushed to Ground Zero to save lives and who dug and sweated and struggled for months after Sept. 11, 2001, are suffering today from neglect and indifference. Neglect and indifference left thousands stranded on rooftops and in a dark convention center after Hurricane Katrina. Neglect and indifference meant deplorable conditions for veterans recovering at Walter Reed. Neglect and indifference kill far too many of us on the job. ...
Mine catastrophe - logical product of conservative policy --- castrated regulatory agency, unorganized and vulnerable workforce, CEO large GOP donor .
The Utah Mine Disaster: Don't Call It an Accident | Posted August 17, 2007 |
...
At Crandall Canyon, the miners were working at depths that test the limits of safety. Although [The flamboyant, camera-hogging mine owner] Murray denies it, federal regulatory officials say that retreat mining was being practiced. Retreat mining is a perilous technique in which pillars of coal hold up portions of the roof, and when the area is mined, the pillars are pulled down, capturing the useful coal and collapsing the roof.
Even hard-driving mine owners aren't allowed to run amok. There are federal and state laws and regulations that help protect worker safety in the mines. But the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration isn't exactly a bulldog. The mine safety czar, Richard Stickler, a former coal company executive with a lousy safety record, was deemed so unfit for the post by Republican and Democratic senators alike that they wouldn't confirm him. So Bush appointed him on October 2006 when the Congress was in recess.
And Murray, the owner of the Utah mine, is infamous for routinely opposing safety regulations. "Anything that will cost Bob Murray any extra money, he will find reason to find fault with it," said Phil Smith, communications director of the United Mine Workers, which doesn't represent the workers in Utah.
Murray also knows how to buy influence. He is a big-time donor to the Republican Party, personally donating over $115,000 to Republican candidate over the past three election cycles and another $724,500 to the GOP over 10 years through political action committees connected to his businesses. He brandished that clout in 2003, threatening the job of MSHA district manager Tim Thompson, who ordered him to shut down one of his Ohio operations. "I will have your jobs," he said. And in fact, Thompson was transferred to another office and retired in 2006.
So perhaps it's not surprising that federal regulators signed off on the "retreat mining" at Crandall, which one expert termed "damned dangerous" in an area known for its instability. ..
...
This catastrophe should be seen as the logical product of conservative policy, the sum of a castrated regulatory agency plus an unorganized and vulnerable workforce plus an untrammeled CEO pushing the edges. These conditions added up to disaster. Don't call it an accident. The lives lost are the product, the sum, the result of conservative ideology put into practice.
...
At Crandall Canyon, the miners were working at depths that test the limits of safety. Although [The flamboyant, camera-hogging mine owner] Murray denies it, federal regulatory officials say that retreat mining was being practiced. Retreat mining is a perilous technique in which pillars of coal hold up portions of the roof, and when the area is mined, the pillars are pulled down, capturing the useful coal and collapsing the roof.
Even hard-driving mine owners aren't allowed to run amok. There are federal and state laws and regulations that help protect worker safety in the mines. But the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration isn't exactly a bulldog. The mine safety czar, Richard Stickler, a former coal company executive with a lousy safety record, was deemed so unfit for the post by Republican and Democratic senators alike that they wouldn't confirm him. So Bush appointed him on October 2006 when the Congress was in recess.
And Murray, the owner of the Utah mine, is infamous for routinely opposing safety regulations. "Anything that will cost Bob Murray any extra money, he will find reason to find fault with it," said Phil Smith, communications director of the United Mine Workers, which doesn't represent the workers in Utah.
Murray also knows how to buy influence. He is a big-time donor to the Republican Party, personally donating over $115,000 to Republican candidate over the past three election cycles and another $724,500 to the GOP over 10 years through political action committees connected to his businesses. He brandished that clout in 2003, threatening the job of MSHA district manager Tim Thompson, who ordered him to shut down one of his Ohio operations. "I will have your jobs," he said. And in fact, Thompson was transferred to another office and retired in 2006.
So perhaps it's not surprising that federal regulators signed off on the "retreat mining" at Crandall, which one expert termed "damned dangerous" in an area known for its instability. ..
...
This catastrophe should be seen as the logical product of conservative policy, the sum of a castrated regulatory agency plus an unorganized and vulnerable workforce plus an untrammeled CEO pushing the edges. These conditions added up to disaster. Don't call it an accident. The lives lost are the product, the sum, the result of conservative ideology put into practice.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Mine Safety Czar Richard Stickler: Another Bush Fox Guarding the Henhouse
Mine Safety Czar Richard Stickler: Another Bush Fox Guarding the Henhouse | Huffington Post | Max Follmer | August 15, 2007 02:28 PM
The man who will oversee the federal government's investigation into the disaster that has trapped six workers in a Utah coal mine for over a week was twice rejected for his current job by senators concerned about his own safety record when he managed mines in the private sector.
President George W. Bush resorted to a recess appointment in October 2006 to anoint Richard Stickler as the nation's mine safety czar after it became clear he could not receive enough support even in a GOP-controlled Senate.
In the wake of the January 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia, senators from both sides of the aisle expressed concern that Stickler was not the right person to combat climbing death rates in the nation's mines.
Democrats, led by West Virginia Sens. Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, questioned the safety record of the mines Stickler ran when he was a coal company executive.
...
In a written statement Wednesday, Byrd told The Huffington Post that MSHA's response to the Crandall Canyon incident will be a test of Stickler's "worthiness to be properly confirmed by the United States Senate."
Byrd also expressed concern about the slow pace of the implementation of new mining safety laws established in the wake of the Sago disaster.
"I told Mr. Stickler about my concerns earlier this summer," he said. "Until I see better progress from MSHA, I will retain my hold on Mr. Stickler's nomination."
The man who will oversee the federal government's investigation into the disaster that has trapped six workers in a Utah coal mine for over a week was twice rejected for his current job by senators concerned about his own safety record when he managed mines in the private sector.
President George W. Bush resorted to a recess appointment in October 2006 to anoint Richard Stickler as the nation's mine safety czar after it became clear he could not receive enough support even in a GOP-controlled Senate.
In the wake of the January 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia, senators from both sides of the aisle expressed concern that Stickler was not the right person to combat climbing death rates in the nation's mines.
Democrats, led by West Virginia Sens. Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, questioned the safety record of the mines Stickler ran when he was a coal company executive.
...
In a written statement Wednesday, Byrd told The Huffington Post that MSHA's response to the Crandall Canyon incident will be a test of Stickler's "worthiness to be properly confirmed by the United States Senate."
Byrd also expressed concern about the slow pace of the implementation of new mining safety laws established in the wake of the Sago disaster.
"I told Mr. Stickler about my concerns earlier this summer," he said. "Until I see better progress from MSHA, I will retain my hold on Mr. Stickler's nomination."
Mine-safety experts say that two sections of the Crandall Canyon Mine that collapsed in March may have been an early warning sign
New questions arise about mine stability | By PAUL FOY and JENNIFER TALHELM, Associated Press Writers Tue Aug 14, 7:07 PM ET
HUNTINGTON, Utah - As frustration mounts over the slow pace of the digging to free six trapped miners, more questions arose Tuesday about whether risky mining methods may have left parts of the coal mine dangerously unstable.
Some mining companies consider the "retreat mining" methods used at Utah's Crandall Canyon so dangerous, they will leave behind coal rather than risk the safety of their workers.
...
Mine-safety experts say that two sections of the Crandall Canyon Mine that collapsed in March may have been an early warning sign. They questioned whether the company — and the government agency that oversees its work — should have closed the mine then.
...
But experts question that decision because the area is bordered by two outer sections that had already been mined and collapsed, using a technique that leaves behind unstable rubble.
That means the last pillars were bearing much of the weight of the roughly 2,000 feet of mountain above, and as they were pulled down, the pressure on the remaining pillars would have increased.
Larry Grayson, who worked in coal mining for nine years until 1984 and is now a professor of energy and mineral engineering at Pennsylvania State University, said retreat mining is so risky that the mining company he worked for would not use it between two sections of rubble.
The mining strategy at Crandall Canyon just didn't work, he said. "There was no advance notice, and just — wham-o." ...
HUNTINGTON, Utah - As frustration mounts over the slow pace of the digging to free six trapped miners, more questions arose Tuesday about whether risky mining methods may have left parts of the coal mine dangerously unstable.
Some mining companies consider the "retreat mining" methods used at Utah's Crandall Canyon so dangerous, they will leave behind coal rather than risk the safety of their workers.
...
Mine-safety experts say that two sections of the Crandall Canyon Mine that collapsed in March may have been an early warning sign. They questioned whether the company — and the government agency that oversees its work — should have closed the mine then.
...
But experts question that decision because the area is bordered by two outer sections that had already been mined and collapsed, using a technique that leaves behind unstable rubble.
That means the last pillars were bearing much of the weight of the roughly 2,000 feet of mountain above, and as they were pulled down, the pressure on the remaining pillars would have increased.
Larry Grayson, who worked in coal mining for nine years until 1984 and is now a professor of energy and mineral engineering at Pennsylvania State University, said retreat mining is so risky that the mining company he worked for would not use it between two sections of rubble.
The mining strategy at Crandall Canyon just didn't work, he said. "There was no advance notice, and just — wham-o." ...
Padilla: "he would just stop, change the subject, and twitch."
A verdict on Padilla – and the US | A Monitor series reveals the damage done to a citizen's rights and thus the US ability to wage this war. | from the August 15, 2007 edition
...
A three-part Monitor series reveals the troubling ways in which the administration shifted charges against Mr. Padilla, tried to avoid judicial review of his case, and likely damaged his mental health by using extreme isolation to extract information from him. (See final story.)
The ordeal of this former gang member and Taco Bell worker born in Brooklyn, who allegedly met with Al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan to plot a radiological "dirty bomb" attack on a US city, has taken on implications that will shape the American campaign against Islamic terrorists for years to come.
At its root, US treatment of Padilla shows the inclination to do anything to break the silence of a suspected terrorist, even it means violating such basic citizen rights as protection against self-incrimination and harsh interrogation, as well as the right to a trial.
In short, the US military used terror – Padilla had little or no human contact for more than three years – to fight terror. Many mental health experts say his severe seclusion in a Navy brig impaired his thinking. A judge confirmed the disability but let the case continue, refusing to probe the government's hand in altering Padilla's ability to defend himself.
Forensic psychiatrist Angela Hegarty, who spent 22 hours with Padilla, says he has radically changed since his arrest in 2002. Whenever she tried to talk to him about his case, "he would just stop, change the subject, and twitch."
...
A three-part Monitor series reveals the troubling ways in which the administration shifted charges against Mr. Padilla, tried to avoid judicial review of his case, and likely damaged his mental health by using extreme isolation to extract information from him. (See final story.)
The ordeal of this former gang member and Taco Bell worker born in Brooklyn, who allegedly met with Al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan to plot a radiological "dirty bomb" attack on a US city, has taken on implications that will shape the American campaign against Islamic terrorists for years to come.
At its root, US treatment of Padilla shows the inclination to do anything to break the silence of a suspected terrorist, even it means violating such basic citizen rights as protection against self-incrimination and harsh interrogation, as well as the right to a trial.
In short, the US military used terror – Padilla had little or no human contact for more than three years – to fight terror. Many mental health experts say his severe seclusion in a Navy brig impaired his thinking. A judge confirmed the disability but let the case continue, refusing to probe the government's hand in altering Padilla's ability to defend himself.
Forensic psychiatrist Angela Hegarty, who spent 22 hours with Padilla, says he has radically changed since his arrest in 2002. Whenever she tried to talk to him about his case, "he would just stop, change the subject, and twitch."
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
New Orleans ... much of aid has not been spent -- distributed money was largely for short-term and emergency needs
US delegation views slow recovery from Katrina nearly 2 years after storm | The Associated Press | Published: August 13, 2007
NEW ORLEANS: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday led a Democratic congressional delegation on a tour of areas still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina nearly two years after the storm, trying to determine where more federal help is needed.
Katrina and its aftermath were a "challenge to the conscience of the country in a huge way," Pelosi said.
Congress has given more than $116 billion (€84.9 billion) in aid to the Gulf Coast since Katrina, but much of it has not been spent, and the distributed money was largely for short-term and emergency needs.
...
There remain a number of needs, including a gaping hole in funding for the program meant to help homeowners rebuild. ...
NEW ORLEANS: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday led a Democratic congressional delegation on a tour of areas still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina nearly two years after the storm, trying to determine where more federal help is needed.
Katrina and its aftermath were a "challenge to the conscience of the country in a huge way," Pelosi said.
Congress has given more than $116 billion (€84.9 billion) in aid to the Gulf Coast since Katrina, but much of it has not been spent, and the distributed money was largely for short-term and emergency needs.
...
There remain a number of needs, including a gaping hole in funding for the program meant to help homeowners rebuild. ...
Mine: "If you had problems up there on the north side, I would expect you would have the same problem on the south side."
Memo shows mine already had roof problems in March | By Robert Gehrke | The Salt Lake Tribune
Operators at the Crandall Canyon mine experienced serious structural problems in the mine in March and entirely abandoned work in an area about 900 feet from where six miners remained trapped Saturday.
A memo obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune shows that mine owners were trying to work around "poor roof conditions" before halting mining of the northern tunnels in early March after a "large bump occurred . . . resulting in heavy damage" in those tunnels.
...
"It's dangerous. Damn dangerous I would say," Robert Ferriter, now director of the mine safety program at the Colorado School of Mines and a 27-year veteran of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. "What is MSHA doing in all this? They're the ones who are supposed to catch this sort of thing."
...
But in a mine that stretches for miles, conditions in both areas would be "nearly identical," Ferriter said. "If you had problems up there on the north side, I would expect you would have the same problem on the south side."
...
"I'm surprised that they would try to take that last section," Ferriter said. "I would've thought that would have triggered someone from MSHA to say, 'Wait a minute, let's take a look at this.' . . . I think this needs to be looked at in a lot more detail."
Operators at the Crandall Canyon mine experienced serious structural problems in the mine in March and entirely abandoned work in an area about 900 feet from where six miners remained trapped Saturday.
A memo obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune shows that mine owners were trying to work around "poor roof conditions" before halting mining of the northern tunnels in early March after a "large bump occurred . . . resulting in heavy damage" in those tunnels.
...
"It's dangerous. Damn dangerous I would say," Robert Ferriter, now director of the mine safety program at the Colorado School of Mines and a 27-year veteran of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. "What is MSHA doing in all this? They're the ones who are supposed to catch this sort of thing."
...
But in a mine that stretches for miles, conditions in both areas would be "nearly identical," Ferriter said. "If you had problems up there on the north side, I would expect you would have the same problem on the south side."
...
"I'm surprised that they would try to take that last section," Ferriter said. "I would've thought that would have triggered someone from MSHA to say, 'Wait a minute, let's take a look at this.' . . . I think this needs to be looked at in a lot more detail."
Katrina aid goes toward football condos
Katrina aid goes toward football condos | By Jay Reeves, Associated Press Writer | August 13, 2007
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.
...
While many of the buyers are Crimson Tide alumni or ardent football fans not entitled to any special Katrina-related tax breaks, many others are real estate investors who are purchasing the condos with plans to rent them out.
...
The GO Zone contains a variety of tax breaks designed to stimulate construction in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. It offers tax-free bonds to developers to finance big commercial projects like shopping centers or hotels. It also allows real estate investors who buy condos or other properties in the GO Zone to take accelerated depreciation on their purchases when they file their taxes.
The GO Zone was drawn to include the Tuscaloosa area even though it is about 200 miles from the coast and got only heavy rain and scattered wind damage from Katrina. ...
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.
...
While many of the buyers are Crimson Tide alumni or ardent football fans not entitled to any special Katrina-related tax breaks, many others are real estate investors who are purchasing the condos with plans to rent them out.
...
The GO Zone contains a variety of tax breaks designed to stimulate construction in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. It offers tax-free bonds to developers to finance big commercial projects like shopping centers or hotels. It also allows real estate investors who buy condos or other properties in the GO Zone to take accelerated depreciation on their purchases when they file their taxes.
The GO Zone was drawn to include the Tuscaloosa area even though it is about 200 miles from the coast and got only heavy rain and scattered wind damage from Katrina. ...
Thursday, August 09, 2007
The Coconut Road money is a boon, however, to Daniel J. Aronoff, a real estate developer who helped raise $40,000 for Mr. Young ...
Alaskan Gets Campaign Cash; Florida Road Gets US Funds | By David D. Kirkpatrick | The New York Times | Tuesday 07 August 2007
...
... The road, a stretch of pavement near Fort Myers, Fla., that touches five golf clubs on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, is the target of a $10 million earmark that appeared mysteriously in a 2006 transportation bill written by Representative Don Young, Republican of Alaska.
Mr. Young, who last year steered more than $200 million to a so-called bridge to nowhere reaching 80 people on Gravina Island, Alaska, has no constituents in Florida.
The Republican congressman whose district does include Coconut Road says he did not seek the money. County authorities have twice voted not to use it, until Mr. Young and the district congressman wrote letters warning that a refusal could jeopardize future federal money for the county.
The Coconut Road money is a boon, however, to Daniel J. Aronoff, a real estate developer who helped raise $40,000 for Mr. Young at the nearby Hyatt Coconut Point hotel days before he introduced the measure.
Mr. Aronoff owns as much as 4,000 acres along Coconut Road. The $10 million in federal money would pay for the first steps to connect the road to Interstate 75, multiplying the value of Mr. Aronoff's land. ...
...
... The road, a stretch of pavement near Fort Myers, Fla., that touches five golf clubs on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, is the target of a $10 million earmark that appeared mysteriously in a 2006 transportation bill written by Representative Don Young, Republican of Alaska.
Mr. Young, who last year steered more than $200 million to a so-called bridge to nowhere reaching 80 people on Gravina Island, Alaska, has no constituents in Florida.
The Republican congressman whose district does include Coconut Road says he did not seek the money. County authorities have twice voted not to use it, until Mr. Young and the district congressman wrote letters warning that a refusal could jeopardize future federal money for the county.
The Coconut Road money is a boon, however, to Daniel J. Aronoff, a real estate developer who helped raise $40,000 for Mr. Young at the nearby Hyatt Coconut Point hotel days before he introduced the measure.
Mr. Aronoff owns as much as 4,000 acres along Coconut Road. The $10 million in federal money would pay for the first steps to connect the road to Interstate 75, multiplying the value of Mr. Aronoff's land. ...
Ike knew that infrastructure was important; military adventurism was dangerous and fiscal balance was common sense.
Thursday, August 9, 2007 by The Chicago Sun-Times | A Lot More Than One Bridge Could Crumble Under GOP | by Jesse Jackson
A 40-year-old bridge collapses into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Levees give way in New Orleans at the foot of the Mississippi. An 83-year-old steam pipe produces an eruption that terrorizes Manhattan. As our infrastructure literally crumbles beneath our feet, America is building the largest embassy compound in the world in Iraq — an area larger than the Pentagon — to manage a war now estimated to cost $1 trillion.
What happened at both ends of the Mississippi and is happening in cities across the country are tragedies, but they aren’t random accidents. They are the direct price of the right wing in power. Scornful of government, intent on cutting taxes and slashing spending, they systematically have shorted public investment in our basic infrastructure — in bridges and roads, in rail lines and air systems, in parks and schools.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America a D for its infrastructure in their most recent report in 2005. Ironically, bridges did better — a grade C — than sewers, water treatment and a range of other areas. In the report, more than one out of every four bridges in America were rated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Don’t think about that when you drive over your next bridge.
For over 25 years, we’ve cheated on public investment. ”Government,” Ronald Reagan preached, ”is not the solution. Government is the problem.” Activists like Grover Norquist took this to the extreme, saying, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can . . . drown it in the bathtub.”
Norquist and his allies have bullied Republicans into signing a pledge never to raise taxes. In Minnesota, the conservative governor, Tim Pawlenty, campaigned against taxes and vetoed an appropriation bill that would have provided increased funds for highway and bridge repairs. Interstate 35’s Bridge 9340, rated structurally deficit by the U.S. Department of Transportation, had repairs on it postponed for a year.
One trillion dollars squandered in the debacle in Iraq. A clamp on vital investments here at home. Those are the stated priorities of modern-day conservatives — a far remove from those of President Dwight Eisenhower, who built the interstate highway system while putting a lid on military spending and balancing the budget. Ike knew that infrastructure was important; military adventurism was dangerous and fiscal balance was common sense. Modern-day conservatives have abandoned every part of his lessons. ...
A 40-year-old bridge collapses into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Levees give way in New Orleans at the foot of the Mississippi. An 83-year-old steam pipe produces an eruption that terrorizes Manhattan. As our infrastructure literally crumbles beneath our feet, America is building the largest embassy compound in the world in Iraq — an area larger than the Pentagon — to manage a war now estimated to cost $1 trillion.
What happened at both ends of the Mississippi and is happening in cities across the country are tragedies, but they aren’t random accidents. They are the direct price of the right wing in power. Scornful of government, intent on cutting taxes and slashing spending, they systematically have shorted public investment in our basic infrastructure — in bridges and roads, in rail lines and air systems, in parks and schools.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America a D for its infrastructure in their most recent report in 2005. Ironically, bridges did better — a grade C — than sewers, water treatment and a range of other areas. In the report, more than one out of every four bridges in America were rated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Don’t think about that when you drive over your next bridge.
For over 25 years, we’ve cheated on public investment. ”Government,” Ronald Reagan preached, ”is not the solution. Government is the problem.” Activists like Grover Norquist took this to the extreme, saying, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can . . . drown it in the bathtub.”
Norquist and his allies have bullied Republicans into signing a pledge never to raise taxes. In Minnesota, the conservative governor, Tim Pawlenty, campaigned against taxes and vetoed an appropriation bill that would have provided increased funds for highway and bridge repairs. Interstate 35’s Bridge 9340, rated structurally deficit by the U.S. Department of Transportation, had repairs on it postponed for a year.
One trillion dollars squandered in the debacle in Iraq. A clamp on vital investments here at home. Those are the stated priorities of modern-day conservatives — a far remove from those of President Dwight Eisenhower, who built the interstate highway system while putting a lid on military spending and balancing the budget. Ike knew that infrastructure was important; military adventurism was dangerous and fiscal balance was common sense. Modern-day conservatives have abandoned every part of his lessons. ...
The pharmaceutical industry is adamant that these gifts have no influence on which drugs physicians prescribe to their patients.
Thursday, August 9, 2007 by The American Prospect | Tracking Pharma Gifts to Doctors | by Megan Tady
A slow wheel is beginning to turn in Congress in favor of forcing Big Pharma to disclose the amount of change it’s dropping into doctors’ pockets.
While it’s no secret that pharmaceutical companies lavish gifts on doctors — everything from free notepads and pens to meals to the more extravagant paid trips or seminars — most patients are in the dark about who, exactly, is courting their physicians. But Congress may be finally acknowledging this relationship, one important step toward creating a national gift registry so patients can track the perks Big Pharma is giving to their doctors. In June, the nonprofit government watchdog Public Citizen testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging in favor of federal legislation that would require drug companies to disclose payments to doctors. But the group urged lawmakers, before jumping on the proposal, to examine a Petri dish of existing disclosure laws. Although four states and the District of Columbia already have disclosure laws on the books, the group says they are “inadequate” and do not give patients a clear picture of how money is changing hands.
The pharmaceutical industry spent an estimated $25.3 billion peddling prescription drugs in 2003, and much of that money went to physicians in the form of free samples, meals, conference fees, air fares, and continuing medical education activities. The only reins on Big Pharma’s giveaway are voluntary regulations set by the American Medical Association (AMA) and adopted by the trade association Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The AMA’s ethical guidelines, which are supposed to “prevent inappropriate gift-giving practices,” only sanction gifts valued at $100 or less.
The pharmaceutical industry is adamant that these gifts have no influence on which drugs physicians prescribe to their patients. But a growing body of evidence shows that drug companies’ generosity may in fact be guiding the pen across the prescription pad.
“The drug industry doesn’t spend $20 or $30 billion a year on advertising prescription drugs unless they believe it has an impact on doctors prescribing,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “You would probably like to know whether your doctor is getting no money, some money, a lot of money, or a huge amount of money, because it’s going to influence what that doctor decides for you.” ...
A slow wheel is beginning to turn in Congress in favor of forcing Big Pharma to disclose the amount of change it’s dropping into doctors’ pockets.
While it’s no secret that pharmaceutical companies lavish gifts on doctors — everything from free notepads and pens to meals to the more extravagant paid trips or seminars — most patients are in the dark about who, exactly, is courting their physicians. But Congress may be finally acknowledging this relationship, one important step toward creating a national gift registry so patients can track the perks Big Pharma is giving to their doctors. In June, the nonprofit government watchdog Public Citizen testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging in favor of federal legislation that would require drug companies to disclose payments to doctors. But the group urged lawmakers, before jumping on the proposal, to examine a Petri dish of existing disclosure laws. Although four states and the District of Columbia already have disclosure laws on the books, the group says they are “inadequate” and do not give patients a clear picture of how money is changing hands.
The pharmaceutical industry spent an estimated $25.3 billion peddling prescription drugs in 2003, and much of that money went to physicians in the form of free samples, meals, conference fees, air fares, and continuing medical education activities. The only reins on Big Pharma’s giveaway are voluntary regulations set by the American Medical Association (AMA) and adopted by the trade association Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The AMA’s ethical guidelines, which are supposed to “prevent inappropriate gift-giving practices,” only sanction gifts valued at $100 or less.
The pharmaceutical industry is adamant that these gifts have no influence on which drugs physicians prescribe to their patients. But a growing body of evidence shows that drug companies’ generosity may in fact be guiding the pen across the prescription pad.
“The drug industry doesn’t spend $20 or $30 billion a year on advertising prescription drugs unless they believe it has an impact on doctors prescribing,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “You would probably like to know whether your doctor is getting no money, some money, a lot of money, or a huge amount of money, because it’s going to influence what that doctor decides for you.” ...
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
"I'm afraid the promise the president made ...to rebuild and restore New Orleans) ... comes across as hollow today."
Levees, coastal projects at risk | Bush threatens to veto costly bill | Thursday, August 02, 2007 | By Bill Walsh
WASHINGTON -- In a sharp and unexpected blow to Louisiana, President Bush threatened Wednesday to veto long-awaited legislation that would enhance hurricane protection along a Gulf Coast still struggling to recover from the devastating storms of two years ago.
House and Senate negotiators struck a bargain late last week on a $21 billion reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act, with about 20 percent going to projects in Louisiana. The measure has broad support and is expected to get final passage this week before lawmakers leave for the month long August recess, and is expected to pass by veto-proof margins.
In a strong bipartisan vote, the House passed the bill 381-40.
...
Bush had made no secret of his concerns over the water bill, issuing two statements this spring raising objections to the spending levels. However, his veto threat took even those in his own party by surprise, particularly given his promises to improve hurricane protection around New Orleans.
"Considering the well-publicized criticism of the way the administration handled this (Hurricane Katrina) disaster, I'm stunned," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who vowed to "work enthusiastically" to override a veto. "I'm afraid the promise the president made to the nation in Jackson Square (to rebuild and restore New Orleans and the coast) comes across as hollow today." ...
WASHINGTON -- In a sharp and unexpected blow to Louisiana, President Bush threatened Wednesday to veto long-awaited legislation that would enhance hurricane protection along a Gulf Coast still struggling to recover from the devastating storms of two years ago.
House and Senate negotiators struck a bargain late last week on a $21 billion reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act, with about 20 percent going to projects in Louisiana. The measure has broad support and is expected to get final passage this week before lawmakers leave for the month long August recess, and is expected to pass by veto-proof margins.
In a strong bipartisan vote, the House passed the bill 381-40.
...
Bush had made no secret of his concerns over the water bill, issuing two statements this spring raising objections to the spending levels. However, his veto threat took even those in his own party by surprise, particularly given his promises to improve hurricane protection around New Orleans.
"Considering the well-publicized criticism of the way the administration handled this (Hurricane Katrina) disaster, I'm stunned," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who vowed to "work enthusiastically" to override a veto. "I'm afraid the promise the president made to the nation in Jackson Square (to rebuild and restore New Orleans and the coast) comes across as hollow today." ...
Bush Nominee Blocked After He Pushes $30B Tax Break for Wal-Mart
Friday, August 3, 2007 | Bush Nominee Blocked After He Pushes $30B Tax Break for Wal-Mart
Last week, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) grilled White House budget director nominee Jim Nussle at Nussle's Senate confirmation hearing. The interchange, which you can watch here, was absolutely extraordinary. Sanders forced Nussle to go on record admitting that at a time the White House is trying to prevent better-funding children's health care programs, he supports giving the members of Wal-Mart's Walton family alone a tax break worth more than $30 billion. ...
Last week, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) grilled White House budget director nominee Jim Nussle at Nussle's Senate confirmation hearing. The interchange, which you can watch here, was absolutely extraordinary. Sanders forced Nussle to go on record admitting that at a time the White House is trying to prevent better-funding children's health care programs, he supports giving the members of Wal-Mart's Walton family alone a tax break worth more than $30 billion. ...
Tougher Rules Change Game for Lobbyists ... requiring them to certify the good behavior of their employees
Tougher Rules Change Game for Lobbyists | By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK | Published: August 7, 2007
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 — H. Stewart Van Scoyoc, founder of one of the biggest lobbying firms in Washington, spent an anxious morning with his lawyer last week assessing the far-reaching ethics and lobbying rules Congress had passed the day before.
The first worry was what lobbyists are calling the new “temptation rules.” Not only do they bar lawmakers and aides from accepting any gifts, meals or trips from lobbyists, they also impose penalties up to $200,000 and five years in prison on any lobbyist who provides such freebies.
...
By requiring them to certify the good behavior of their employees, the law puts lobbyists at new legal risk and could subject them to new pressure from prosecutors. And new centralized disclosures of lobbyists’ campaign contributions, fund-raising activities and even their achievements — in the form of Congressional earmarksin spending bills — make it only easier for federal investigators to paint unflattering portraits of lobbyists’ influence.
...
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 — H. Stewart Van Scoyoc, founder of one of the biggest lobbying firms in Washington, spent an anxious morning with his lawyer last week assessing the far-reaching ethics and lobbying rules Congress had passed the day before.
The first worry was what lobbyists are calling the new “temptation rules.” Not only do they bar lawmakers and aides from accepting any gifts, meals or trips from lobbyists, they also impose penalties up to $200,000 and five years in prison on any lobbyist who provides such freebies.
...
By requiring them to certify the good behavior of their employees, the law puts lobbyists at new legal risk and could subject them to new pressure from prosecutors. And new centralized disclosures of lobbyists’ campaign contributions, fund-raising activities and even their achievements — in the form of Congressional earmarksin spending bills — make it only easier for federal investigators to paint unflattering portraits of lobbyists’ influence.
...
terrific legislation will give the public important new information about the cozy relationships between industry lobbyists and members of Congress ..
Congress Delivers on Lobbying and Ethics Reform!
Finally – real ethics reform passed in Congress! Yesterday the Senate approved S. 1 – the “Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007” – with a veto-proof majority of 83 to 14. On Tuesday, the House also passed the bill with flying colors by 411 to 8.
This terrific legislation will give the public important new information about the cozy relationships between industry lobbyists and members of Congress, and limit the outrageous gifts and travel junkets that laid the groundwork for the culture of corruption on Capitol Hill.
Today marks the final chapter of a long struggle. We first kicked off the drive to fix Capitol Hill over three years ago. Back then, our “wish list” of reforms was largely ignored by members of Congress and the media – even laughed at as a political impossibility. Then Jack Abramoff’s world – and that of many prominent members of Congress – started to unravel.
...
Here are some of the hard-won reforms that we all won together:
* Requires more of the money trail on the Internet: Lobbyist fundraising for lawmakers, including direct campaign contributions, bundled contributions and the hosting of fundraising events will be posted on the Internet.
* Slows the revolving door between Congress and K Street: The bill extends the cooling off period for senators from one year to two, and requires all members to publicly disclose any job negotiations while serving in Congress.
* Lobbying revealed online: Lobbyists must report their lobbying activities every three months in an electronic format, to be immediately posted on the Internet.
* No more goody bags: The bill bans all gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and their staff.
* No more golf trips to Scotland: The bill ends the congressional travel junkets by: 1) Prohibiting any organization that employs a lobbyist from sponsoring trips for members longer than one-day; 2) requiring pre-approval and disclosure of all trips on the Internet; 3) restricting the use of private corporate jets to fly members around the globe; and 4) prohibiting lobbyists from going along on any of these trips.
* Earmarks in the sunlight: The bill requires disclosure of the sponsor and recipient of earmarks to be posted on the Internet 48 hours before final approval of appropriations to tax bills, and allows any senator to remove an earmark “air-dropped” into a conference report by a point of order challenge.
* The party’s over: The bill prohibits on members of Congress attending lavish parties sponsored by lobbyists at the national party conventions.
We should all be pleased – this long, hard fight produced real change. We commend the leadership in Congress on this bold step to curb corruption – Speaker Pelosi, Representative Van Hollen, and Senator Feingold in particular took the concerns of Americans to heart and in hand.
But most of the thanks is due to the many people for their thousands of e-mails, calls and meetings with members of Congress. We would not be celebrating this victory for reform without the people-powered politics behind the call for change.
Finally – real ethics reform passed in Congress! Yesterday the Senate approved S. 1 – the “Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007” – with a veto-proof majority of 83 to 14. On Tuesday, the House also passed the bill with flying colors by 411 to 8.
This terrific legislation will give the public important new information about the cozy relationships between industry lobbyists and members of Congress, and limit the outrageous gifts and travel junkets that laid the groundwork for the culture of corruption on Capitol Hill.
Today marks the final chapter of a long struggle. We first kicked off the drive to fix Capitol Hill over three years ago. Back then, our “wish list” of reforms was largely ignored by members of Congress and the media – even laughed at as a political impossibility. Then Jack Abramoff’s world – and that of many prominent members of Congress – started to unravel.
...
Here are some of the hard-won reforms that we all won together:
* Requires more of the money trail on the Internet: Lobbyist fundraising for lawmakers, including direct campaign contributions, bundled contributions and the hosting of fundraising events will be posted on the Internet.
* Slows the revolving door between Congress and K Street: The bill extends the cooling off period for senators from one year to two, and requires all members to publicly disclose any job negotiations while serving in Congress.
* Lobbying revealed online: Lobbyists must report their lobbying activities every three months in an electronic format, to be immediately posted on the Internet.
* No more goody bags: The bill bans all gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and their staff.
* No more golf trips to Scotland: The bill ends the congressional travel junkets by: 1) Prohibiting any organization that employs a lobbyist from sponsoring trips for members longer than one-day; 2) requiring pre-approval and disclosure of all trips on the Internet; 3) restricting the use of private corporate jets to fly members around the globe; and 4) prohibiting lobbyists from going along on any of these trips.
* Earmarks in the sunlight: The bill requires disclosure of the sponsor and recipient of earmarks to be posted on the Internet 48 hours before final approval of appropriations to tax bills, and allows any senator to remove an earmark “air-dropped” into a conference report by a point of order challenge.
* The party’s over: The bill prohibits on members of Congress attending lavish parties sponsored by lobbyists at the national party conventions.
We should all be pleased – this long, hard fight produced real change. We commend the leadership in Congress on this bold step to curb corruption – Speaker Pelosi, Representative Van Hollen, and Senator Feingold in particular took the concerns of Americans to heart and in hand.
But most of the thanks is due to the many people for their thousands of e-mails, calls and meetings with members of Congress. We would not be celebrating this victory for reform without the people-powered politics behind the call for change.
Friday, August 03, 2007
BP: the first company in years allowed to increase the amount of toxic chemicals pumped into the Great Lakes
EPA backs BP dumping | Lake will get more pollution
Rebuffing bipartisan pressure from members of Congress, the Bush administration's top environmental regulator on Tuesday declined to stop the BP refinery in northwest Indiana from dumping more pollution into Lake Michigan.
Stephen Johnson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said he saw nothing wrong with the permit Indiana regulators awarded in June to BP, the first company in years allowed to increase the amount of toxic chemicals pumped into the Great Lakes.
As part of a $3 billion expansion of its Whiting, Ind., refinery, the nation's fourth largest, BP won permission to release more ammonia and suspended solids into the lake. Indiana regulators also gave BP until 2012 to meet a stringent federal standard for mercury pollution set by the EPA in 1995.
...
Lawmakers and other critics question why the EPA is allowing BP to increase the amount of pollution it puts into the lake even as the agency addresses years of past contamination.
"Years of accelerated pollution from BP will create another problem in the future," said U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) "We need to prevent that."
Rebuffing bipartisan pressure from members of Congress, the Bush administration's top environmental regulator on Tuesday declined to stop the BP refinery in northwest Indiana from dumping more pollution into Lake Michigan.
Stephen Johnson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said he saw nothing wrong with the permit Indiana regulators awarded in June to BP, the first company in years allowed to increase the amount of toxic chemicals pumped into the Great Lakes.
As part of a $3 billion expansion of its Whiting, Ind., refinery, the nation's fourth largest, BP won permission to release more ammonia and suspended solids into the lake. Indiana regulators also gave BP until 2012 to meet a stringent federal standard for mercury pollution set by the EPA in 1995.
...
Lawmakers and other critics question why the EPA is allowing BP to increase the amount of pollution it puts into the lake even as the agency addresses years of past contamination.
"Years of accelerated pollution from BP will create another problem in the future," said U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) "We need to prevent that."
hallmark of fascism is a merging of state, corporate power coupled with the transfer of power from the individual to the government, corporate elite
An Examination of Bush Fascism Tj Templeton, founder/director Project for the Old American Century
........... There is no Little red book or manifesto of fascism; it cannot be gathered from one systematic treatise but must be culled from various sources that express thought and opinion as much as political philosophy. For this reason, the Project for the Old American Century has compiled a table comparing the research done by three critics of fascism. Each writer has detailed 14 defining characteristics of fascism pulled from the examination of the regimes of Mussolini, Pinochet, Franco, Hitler, Suharto, and others. The order has been slightly rearranged to better reflect the similarities and discrepancies:
1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism: Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia. 1. To people who feel deprived of a clear social identity, Ur-Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common one, to be born in the same country: This is the origin of nationalism. 1. There may or may not be a single charismatic leader in charge of the government, i.e., a "dictator". 2. Government establishes and enforces the rules of "right" thinking, "right" action, and "right" religious devotion.2. Disdain for the importance of human rights: Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.
...
3. The followers must feel humiliated by their enemies: by shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.
5.The fascist takeover of the government of a major power always leads to foreign war, sooner or later.
4. Ur-Fascism derives from individual or social frustration: one of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class
...
6. A controlled mass media: Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite
7. Obsession with national security: It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together: . Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.
...
9. Power of corporations protected: Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.
9. There are few or no employee rights or protections, including the right of workers to bargain collectively. Only government approved labor unions or associations are permitted to exist, and that approval may be removed at any time, without prior notice.
................
The hallmark of fascism is a merging of state and corporate power coupled with the transfer of power from the individual to the government and corporate elite. It is for this reason that liberals as a whole must be purged or at the very least, marginalized. .........
The petrol is the property of the people of Iraq, and we shall sever the hands which cedes it to the US!
Baath statement The petrol is the property of the people of Iraq, and we shall sever the hands which cedes it to the US!
The petrol is the property of the people of Iraq,and we shall sever the hands which cedes it to the US! Great Iraqi people masses!Despite that our Party has times and again clarified its stand concerning the petrol question, what is going on en rapport to this requires to reconfirm our stand:1- Controlling the oil of Iraq was one of the most important objectives to invade Iraq not only in order to loot more and in a gangster way the peoples' riches by the US brigands and bandits but also to use the petrol as a tool to blackmail the whole world, to enslave the big powers and establish the global US dictatorship.
2- Safeguarding the petrol nationalization is one of the most important objectives of the Iraqi Resistance, while leading the Armed Iraqi revolution against the Occupation! Therefore, to keep the petrol as an Iraqi possession, an Iraqi industry, an Iraqi decision, an Iraqi distribution and an Iraqi utility and services are one of the most important objectives of the Baath Combat and the Armed Resistance. We shall deal without any hesitation with any step which might threaten this patriotic, and fundamental Iraqi reality, and we shall stand firm and resolved against anybody who tries to get around the nationalization and we shall use every possible mean against him.. The most important patriotic criteria now, is to hold to the nationalization and to reject the return of the foreign multinationals to control our most important material and strategic riches. ...
The petrol is the property of the people of Iraq,and we shall sever the hands which cedes it to the US! Great Iraqi people masses!Despite that our Party has times and again clarified its stand concerning the petrol question, what is going on en rapport to this requires to reconfirm our stand:1- Controlling the oil of Iraq was one of the most important objectives to invade Iraq not only in order to loot more and in a gangster way the peoples' riches by the US brigands and bandits but also to use the petrol as a tool to blackmail the whole world, to enslave the big powers and establish the global US dictatorship.
2- Safeguarding the petrol nationalization is one of the most important objectives of the Iraqi Resistance, while leading the Armed Iraqi revolution against the Occupation! Therefore, to keep the petrol as an Iraqi possession, an Iraqi industry, an Iraqi decision, an Iraqi distribution and an Iraqi utility and services are one of the most important objectives of the Baath Combat and the Armed Resistance. We shall deal without any hesitation with any step which might threaten this patriotic, and fundamental Iraqi reality, and we shall stand firm and resolved against anybody who tries to get around the nationalization and we shall use every possible mean against him.. The most important patriotic criteria now, is to hold to the nationalization and to reject the return of the foreign multinationals to control our most important material and strategic riches. ...
here’s a short list the mind-boggling transformations that have become standard operating procedure in the good old USA
Coming of Age in Bush’s America! By Reggie, Contributing Editor, TvNewsLIES.org
...
Really think about these last seven years and recoil at what it actually means to have come of age in Bush’s America,
To assist your reality check, here’s a short list the mind-boggling transformations that have become standard operating procedure in the good old USA. Read them carefully:*
* The outcome of an a presidential election can be decided by a handful of Supreme Court Justices rather than the people.
* A President of the United States need not speak honestly, coherently or intelligibly when not reading from a prepared text. It is acceptable for the President to be reviled around the globe and to be unable to travel anywhere without extraordinary protection from huge protests against his visit and his policies.
* Where it was once highly respected, the United States of America is now the most feared nation on Earth. The US can murder more civilians than all the world’s terrorists combined and claim its actions are meant to liberate people.
* The major tools of executive governance are lies, secrecy and the abuse of executive privilege. These methods are implemented under the guise of national security in order to thwart any and all departmental oversight.
* Voting machines can be privately owned by members of one political party, and need not have paper trails for verifying results. It is irrelevant to the election process that voting machines have been shown to be easily hacked, and that voting irregularities have prevented many thousands of people from voting or having their votes counted.
* Elected leaders and their cohorts can lie with impunity to the American people, to the Congress, to the UN and to the world. There is no oversight; there are no checks and balances, and no mainstream media to act as watchdogs for the people.
* The President can quietly override the will of the people by the use of signing statements. He can claim the authority to disobey hundreds of laws enacted by Congress, thereby asserting the power to set aside any statute when it conflicts with his personal interpretation of the Constitution.
...
* Soldiers can be sent into an immoral and unjust war with little planning and inadequate armor, and unending redeployment. At the same time, veterans’ health care is unimportant and can be shamefully administered.
* Terror threats can be fabricated at will to keep the public in a state of constant fear. Creating an illusory ‘war on terror’ can be used to gain public support for a costly and failing war that reaps huge profits for private contractors.
* Americans and others living in the US can be spied upon without probable cause and without the acquisition of warrants in defiance of existing FISA laws.
* Anyone can be declared an enemy combatant at the whim of the administration and can be confined indefinitely without being charged or having access to counsel.
* Torturing detainees in violation of the Geneva Convention is acceptable, and if in doubt, rendition to countries that will do the torturing is a viable alternative.
* There need be no accountability for anyone in or connected to the White House for inept performance, for disastrous decisions, or for criminal acts such as lying under oath, obstructing justice or revealing the identity of a covert CIA operative.
...
* Empirical science can be invalidated by biblical precepts.. Global warming and evolution are junk science.
…and on and on and on and on.
Do you really need more examples to ponder? I think not.
The distinction is clear: coming of age in Bush’s America means living with a new set of principles and practices that are diametrically opposed to those upon which this nation was founded.
...
Really think about these last seven years and recoil at what it actually means to have come of age in Bush’s America,
To assist your reality check, here’s a short list the mind-boggling transformations that have become standard operating procedure in the good old USA. Read them carefully:*
* The outcome of an a presidential election can be decided by a handful of Supreme Court Justices rather than the people.
* A President of the United States need not speak honestly, coherently or intelligibly when not reading from a prepared text. It is acceptable for the President to be reviled around the globe and to be unable to travel anywhere without extraordinary protection from huge protests against his visit and his policies.
* Where it was once highly respected, the United States of America is now the most feared nation on Earth. The US can murder more civilians than all the world’s terrorists combined and claim its actions are meant to liberate people.
* The major tools of executive governance are lies, secrecy and the abuse of executive privilege. These methods are implemented under the guise of national security in order to thwart any and all departmental oversight.
* Voting machines can be privately owned by members of one political party, and need not have paper trails for verifying results. It is irrelevant to the election process that voting machines have been shown to be easily hacked, and that voting irregularities have prevented many thousands of people from voting or having their votes counted.
* Elected leaders and their cohorts can lie with impunity to the American people, to the Congress, to the UN and to the world. There is no oversight; there are no checks and balances, and no mainstream media to act as watchdogs for the people.
* The President can quietly override the will of the people by the use of signing statements. He can claim the authority to disobey hundreds of laws enacted by Congress, thereby asserting the power to set aside any statute when it conflicts with his personal interpretation of the Constitution.
...
* Soldiers can be sent into an immoral and unjust war with little planning and inadequate armor, and unending redeployment. At the same time, veterans’ health care is unimportant and can be shamefully administered.
* Terror threats can be fabricated at will to keep the public in a state of constant fear. Creating an illusory ‘war on terror’ can be used to gain public support for a costly and failing war that reaps huge profits for private contractors.
* Americans and others living in the US can be spied upon without probable cause and without the acquisition of warrants in defiance of existing FISA laws.
* Anyone can be declared an enemy combatant at the whim of the administration and can be confined indefinitely without being charged or having access to counsel.
* Torturing detainees in violation of the Geneva Convention is acceptable, and if in doubt, rendition to countries that will do the torturing is a viable alternative.
* There need be no accountability for anyone in or connected to the White House for inept performance, for disastrous decisions, or for criminal acts such as lying under oath, obstructing justice or revealing the identity of a covert CIA operative.
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* Empirical science can be invalidated by biblical precepts.. Global warming and evolution are junk science.
…and on and on and on and on.
Do you really need more examples to ponder? I think not.
The distinction is clear: coming of age in Bush’s America means living with a new set of principles and practices that are diametrically opposed to those upon which this nation was founded.
An independent oversight board created to identify intelligence abuses ... was vacant for the first two years of the Bush administration
In Intelligence World, A Mute WatchdogPanel Reported No Violations for Five Years By John Solomon Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, July 15, 2007; A03
An independent oversight board created to identify intelligence abuses after the CIA scandals of the 1970s did not send any reports to the attorney general of legal violations during the first 5 1/2 years of the Bush administration's counterterrorism effort, the Justice Department has told Congress.
Although the FBI told the board of a few hundred legal or rules violations by its agents after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the board did not identify which of them were indeed legal violations. This spring, it forwarded reports of violations in 2006, officials said.
The President's Intelligence Oversight Board -- the principal civilian watchdog of the intelligence community -- is obligated under a 26-year-old executive order to tell the attorney general and the president about any intelligence activities it believes "may be unlawful." The board was vacant for the first two years of the Bush administration.
...
Gonzales wrote that he did not consider the conduct in those reports to be abuses because the violations involved mistakes, not deliberate misconduct. "My testimony was completely truthful, and I stand by that testimony," he wrote.
Leahy scoffed at Gonzales's explanation. "The American people deserve an attorney general who will fully and accurately inform the Senate and the public about violations of civil liberties. Instead, they have one who misleads Congress and then hides behind dictionary definitions," he said.
An independent oversight board created to identify intelligence abuses after the CIA scandals of the 1970s did not send any reports to the attorney general of legal violations during the first 5 1/2 years of the Bush administration's counterterrorism effort, the Justice Department has told Congress.
Although the FBI told the board of a few hundred legal or rules violations by its agents after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the board did not identify which of them were indeed legal violations. This spring, it forwarded reports of violations in 2006, officials said.
The President's Intelligence Oversight Board -- the principal civilian watchdog of the intelligence community -- is obligated under a 26-year-old executive order to tell the attorney general and the president about any intelligence activities it believes "may be unlawful." The board was vacant for the first two years of the Bush administration.
...
Gonzales wrote that he did not consider the conduct in those reports to be abuses because the violations involved mistakes, not deliberate misconduct. "My testimony was completely truthful, and I stand by that testimony," he wrote.
Leahy scoffed at Gonzales's explanation. "The American people deserve an attorney general who will fully and accurately inform the Senate and the public about violations of civil liberties. Instead, they have one who misleads Congress and then hides behind dictionary definitions," he said.
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