Well, things have been busy. A Facebook page has been set up, mostly to have an easy place to consolidate ideas and discussion and to disseminate and keep track of noteworthy news and opinion pieces. I've been joined by two friends that are equally passionate about putting light on the way people with money and power shape our nation to help with the admin side of things.
One theme that seems to be sticking out in the intervening time has been around food and agriculture issues. Monsanto has been a huge name in the news in this regard be it in the Ag Gag laws going through several legislatures, in their support of Public Radio shows and influence buying, or in the case of the USDA and RoundUp along with it's resistant GM crops. They have also been mentioned in discussions on raw milk raids due to their production of rGBH, a synthetic bovine hormone used to increase milk production in industrial dairies. And industry trade groups are even going so far as to try to jump through legal hoops in order to defraud consumers into buying a product they don't want that other trade groups are suing. Meanwhile, the American Farm Bureau Federation is trying to run interference and tell everyone that local, sustainable, and food safety advocates are elitists trying to scare people.
Then there was more talk about the revolving door in Washington between industry and the agencies that regulate them that was met with shock by the nation, but a shrug inside the beltway when After approving NBC buyout, FCC Commish becomes Comcast lobbyist.
Finally, the new consumer protection agency has been under attack by the House Financial Services Committee today in a follow-up to Senate GOP'ers threatening to block confirmation of Elizabeth Warren as head unless the agency is weakened. Meanwhile, the banking industry has been lobbying congress hard and even taking out ads in the DC metro claiming the legislation designed to protect consumers is going to cost them (when the banks aren't making enough profits... you know, what's left over after paying bills, salaries, and bonuses in the way of raising fees).
And here everyone thought it was going to be a slow news week with the death of Osama bin Laden...
