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epiphiny43 -> RE: Scientists not welcome... (5/16/2015 6:25:23 PM)
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All occupational and environmental regulation is normally based on Congress power to regulate interstate commerce. Which is in the Constitution. The work and pollution are very rarely confined to a single state and most pollution involves large industry and regional or continental geographic systems such as water sheds and atmospheric pollution paths. The current world debate is on how to properly address the whole Earth level of much current economic activity and human pollution and other effects on where we live. Food Security is an euphemism for controlling against Starvation. Which is sort of important?
Local and State regulation historically was a total FAIL for these problems or there wouldn't have been the consensus for the Clean Air and Water Acts. Signed by Nixon, and disowned by the Republicans at corporate urging as a blow to the current chorus that Govt. 'Can't Do Anything Good', and the Dems as a Republican signed them into Law. Nevertheless, truly one of the transformational legislative acts of the 20th Century. A whole nation deciding to wipe up it's shit before we died of it. A good start, not an answer.
That individuals with interest in the health of the country, economic base and the environment of the country and whole planet seek employment in the prime regulatory agency world wide for this work shouldn't be a surprise. Where else would their education have such ethical and legitimate application? Nor that NGOs sharing many goals and concerns don't communicate regularly at all levels. As do most businesses affected by current or future regulations.
Whacked out Zealots?? Despite the accusations, the 'new normal' during the various Bush years became industry and political interests sitting in private meetings (where No public record has ever been produced and most records NOT kept) with White House political appointees to Write administration legislation and regulations. An unprecedented letting the coyotes design the henhouse. Also a new move, the regulatory agencies were directed in an astonishing number of cases to enforce all regulations to the most permissive standard of possible ranges of rules and metrics, not balancing interests and effects between the many stakeholders besides the major industry interests. This gutted a large number of previously effective environmental controls and guides. Industry labels any current return to the legislative intent or wording of regs as 'Green Wackos killing jobs and ruining America.' Sure.
NGO and other suits for compliance with rules by bureaucracies is normally seeking compliance with existing written regulations. Findings of financial damage is a far higher standard of proof in Federal Court and a higher standard of status as a party to an action. Recovery of costs is part and partial of many civil actions, a long established practice of Law designed to eliminate pointless adjudication and delay. Offices Knowing they will lose don't contest court appeals unless a political decision is made higher up that delaying implementation of the existing rules serves political interests more valuable to the appointees or their masters than the costs of compliance being litigated. Welcome to politics??
Courts are attacked by both sides for enforcing what Congress Wrote. The impossibility of determining what was the intent of a messy and often totally undocumented compromise and bargaining process has been recognized at all levels of the courts. That this has recently changed by the repoliticizing of the Supreme Court (It never was truly objective, but a short period after the War was exceptionally non-partisan, or rather, equally balanced between Judicial Activists and more traditional views of the court function) other than in the views of losers of major cases. The Rehnquist and Roberts courts have notably less balance, or non-partisanship. (Bush vs Gore?)
The cut on current ability of large corporations to co-opt conservative interests in damaging the sustainability, competitiveness and ultimately the military security of the country and the sustainability of our planet shouldn't be happening if those who profess to love the country would take a bigger view than what issues and tests the ultra wealthy interests sell to them as significant. If Big Government is bad because individual freedom and interests and Constitutional values are at risk, Big Business is even more dangerous? None face elections and have vastly disproportional assets to distort public persuasion and debate and unprecedented ability to affect internal workings of both private and public organizations. The recent SCOTUS decision giving all groups status as citizens for political contribution purposes simply took the fences and doors off the hen house at the bequest of the coyotes.
For those with short memories, National Socialism was Not in any way socialist, but a marriage of convenience of big business and illegitimate political ambition. "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." Be careful who your allies are, you may be their next meal. If you work for a living, Wall Street probably is your greatest present danger to prosperity. It's not the people trying to keep your children and grandchildren from having exceptional numbers of eyes or fingers. If they are even born alive. A bit of reading on BPA shows the same old Cigarette industry propagandists poisoning the country for Tropical vacations and second homes.
If Big Oil took a longer view to profits and company success than the lifetimes of the current board members, they would be divesting oil and investing in research and positions in environmentally sustainable and Obviously cheaper energy sources in the coming decades. We expect national leaders to take these long views when necessary. What happened to the Right?? It's not like the Left has the competence to guide humanity in the details where the rubber hits the road. It takes all of us?
The times are transformative far beyond any in human experience. As are the risks of getting our responses to these challenges wrong. Sadly, the most evolutionarily successful group so far has been the developing industry in obfuscation of Science for temporary economic gain of large corporations. (Wow, back to addressing the thread topic directly!) It's a legitimate criticism of those who allow their being co opting in enabling monied distortion of responses to these massive world changes affecting national interests and long term human survival.
This discussion is not the place to criticize other partisan failures in addressing the challenges of the future, by all current major political parties.
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