Bush administration sells out to business
Over the past four years, the Bush administration has willingly become a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America. Two recent stories illustrate this transformation.
Wal-Mart settled 24 federal child labor law violations for a fine of $135,400, a settlement called "less than a pittance" by Connecticut's attorney general. Worse, the Labor Department arrangement provided Wal-Mart a 15 days' heads-up notice in investigating these violations. This egregious deal nullifies the effectiveness of a 70-year-old federal law and brings shame to the Labor Department.
The cavalier attitude of the Food and Drug Administration is a second illustration. Not only is there an absence of regulation of "risky" drugs on the market, but intimidation of whistle-blowing conscientious employees has taken place. In this instance, a 40-year-old federal drug safety law is being neglected.
It is purely coincidental, no doubt, that Wal-Mart and large prosperous pharmaceutical companies are generous contributors to the Bush-Rove political machine. Crony capitalism is alive and well and, sadly, is likely to be in high gear in the next four years.
Thomas J. Leary
Greensboro
Comments (5)
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Get off the rhetoric. If you want to look at who is trying to do something FOR working people, look at Bush's SS proposal, look at his effort to reform tort laws the circus/lottery system of "justice" which sucks up huge amounts of our economic growth. You cite two tiny examples of "Bush's allegiance to big-business"...how about looking at where Dem money is coming from and compare. You will find just as much if not more from "big business" AND you will find George Soros who is a committed one-world socialist. OOPs perhaps that is what you are.
Mike Crouch
Posted on March 2, 2005 8:19 AM
And like Clinton/Gore weren't up to their eyeballs in Chinese " contributions " ? No quid pro quo.. sure! Our rocket guidance system wound up in the hands of the ChiComs as a result of the Democratic lust for money no matter waht the source or what they might have to give up later in exchange .
Posted on March 2, 2005 11:42 AM
Well, at least it is a level field now. Each agree that the "hero" of the other is a crook!
Now, why not begin rational discussion!?
Posted on March 2, 2005 12:56 PM
Daddy Warbucks,
Many of our technology has been SOLD to the Chinese as well as other countries, but it wasn't Bill Clinton that did the selling. Our military technology is designed by private companies that have the right to sell what they develop. The AEGIS radar system is a fine example.
Posted on March 2, 2005 6:55 PM
Mike's characterization of Soros as a "committed one-world socialist" is laughable. Soros made his fortune as a committed capitalist and his foundation network was formed to assist eastern European communist states transition to democracy. That remains its mission.
Mike attacks Soros because Soros opposes the current US administration. I guess in Mike's eyes that outweighs the billions of dollars Soros' foundations have given to hundreds of programs devoted to spreading democracy throughout the world.
Posted on March 3, 2005 2:53 PM