[I]n September 2003, Richard Farmer, bossman of the nation's biggest industrial launderer, pitched one of the bribe-orgies known as "campaign fundraisers" for his longtime pal, the Toxic Texan. In a single night, he forked over $1.7 million to Bush. A few weeks later, Bush's minions at the ever-more ironically named Environmental Protection Agency introduced a new rule that would exempt Farmer's industry "from federal hazardous and solid waste requirements for shop towels contaminated with toxic chemicals."
How much quid was this pro quo worth? The EPA says industrial launderers will save more than $30 million a year by ditching safety procedures for their wage slaves, most of them low-paid immigrants. Not a bad return on a $1.7 million investment. But hey, that's our George for you: he gives great quid.
...But is the EPA decision really so awful? Will anyone die from it? Probably not; not immediately, anyway. Oh sure, patches of their skin will fall off, their sinuses will rot, their lungs will deteriorate, they'll be crippled, pain-wracked - and saddled by crushing debt from a rapacious medical system whose measly public benefits were gutted late last year by yet another quid job between Bush and his corporate johns: more than $46 billion siphoned from the public purse to private health plans, as the New York Times reports.
... The new EPA rule will allow the bosses to process 100,000 tons of toxic solvents - which will then find their way into the rivers, streams and groundwater of the surrounding communities. Not to worry, though: Farmer's sweatshop empire has a sterling record of environmental husbandry and concern for community health. For example, one of his Connecticut plants has been cited a mere 250 times for violations that can cause "death or serious physical harm," including "excessive emissions of cancer-causing solvents" and "serious lapses in worker training, hazardous material handling and protective equipment."
But any real people affected by the Ranger's runoff - nice white people with office jobs, suburban homes and "Bush-Cheney '04" stickers on their Jeep Cherokees - can probably afford a good private health plan, right? As for the laundry workers, who cares? If God wanted to protect them from unregulated poisons and brutal exploitation, then why didn't He arrange to have them born into wealthy families grown fat from generations of war profiteering and crony stroking like the divinely appointed Leader, hmm? You going to argue with God?
No - but you can still argue with Bush. His Ranger-romping rule is not yet final; the EPA "comment phase" is open until April 9. Why not go to www.epa.gov and tell them what you think? (They don't make it easy, but follow the "Laws, Regulations and Dockets" link through "EPA Dockets," then "View Open Dockets," then "Docket ID RCRA-2003-0004.")
Will it do any good? Of course not!
Counter Punch article
How much quid was this pro quo worth? The EPA says industrial launderers will save more than $30 million a year by ditching safety procedures for their wage slaves, most of them low-paid immigrants. Not a bad return on a $1.7 million investment. But hey, that's our George for you: he gives great quid.
...But is the EPA decision really so awful? Will anyone die from it? Probably not; not immediately, anyway. Oh sure, patches of their skin will fall off, their sinuses will rot, their lungs will deteriorate, they'll be crippled, pain-wracked - and saddled by crushing debt from a rapacious medical system whose measly public benefits were gutted late last year by yet another quid job between Bush and his corporate johns: more than $46 billion siphoned from the public purse to private health plans, as the New York Times reports.
... The new EPA rule will allow the bosses to process 100,000 tons of toxic solvents - which will then find their way into the rivers, streams and groundwater of the surrounding communities. Not to worry, though: Farmer's sweatshop empire has a sterling record of environmental husbandry and concern for community health. For example, one of his Connecticut plants has been cited a mere 250 times for violations that can cause "death or serious physical harm," including "excessive emissions of cancer-causing solvents" and "serious lapses in worker training, hazardous material handling and protective equipment."
But any real people affected by the Ranger's runoff - nice white people with office jobs, suburban homes and "Bush-Cheney '04" stickers on their Jeep Cherokees - can probably afford a good private health plan, right? As for the laundry workers, who cares? If God wanted to protect them from unregulated poisons and brutal exploitation, then why didn't He arrange to have them born into wealthy families grown fat from generations of war profiteering and crony stroking like the divinely appointed Leader, hmm? You going to argue with God?
No - but you can still argue with Bush. His Ranger-romping rule is not yet final; the EPA "comment phase" is open until April 9. Why not go to www.epa.gov and tell them what you think? (They don't make it easy, but follow the "Laws, Regulations and Dockets" link through "EPA Dockets," then "View Open Dockets," then "Docket ID RCRA-2003-0004.")
Will it do any good? Of course not!
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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