Exciting things are happening!

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...

VUI - Voting under the influence of lobbyists.

This is a collection of comments I mentioned in my first post about Voting Under the Influence. Some of these reflect issues near and dear to my Congressman and the constituents that live to wince whenever his staffers blog, tweet, or Facebook.

• In case your representative seems a little distracted, looks past you, ignores your questions or inquiries or acts contrary to a majority of the people in the area, he may be voting under the influence of lobbyists (VUI).
• If your representative is talking overly ambiguous or generally about issues, they may be VUI.
• If your representative talks about "cutting government spending" and opposes EVERY EFFORT TO SO WITHIN THEIR OWN DISTRICT, they may be VUI.
• If your representative spends more time talking to the Chamber - and "listening" - than he talks with ordinary people, he might be VUI.
• Fatigue from continuously lying and spinning is a symptom of VUI.
• If your representative is trying to convince you of the dangers of the Chinese, while ignoring the ignoring the impact of long-term chronic deficits on our own economy, he may be VUI.
• If your representative is so controlled by their leadership that they have to check-in before taking a stand, they may be VUI.
• If your representative is so wishy-washy that you don't know what he really stands for, may be VUI.
• If your representative asks you how $4.00 gas prices are impacting you - and is obviously out of touch - he may be VUI.
• If your representative wants to overturn a bill that helps the middle-class get health care - while maintaining their own GOVT. sponsored NON-vouture - health care, he may VUI.
• If your representative is talking out of three sides of his mouth - to lobbyists, typical political BS and the truth - he/she may be VUI.
• If your representative sits on the Armed Services Committe and can't find a few dollars in that huge bloated budget to cut - without reducing our national defense - they are DEFINITELY voting under the influence of lobbyists (VUI).
• If your Congressman thinks the Citizens United case was a good decision by our Supreme Court (SCOTUSes), they are definitely VUI.
• If your Congressman believes one ethnic groups' voting strength should continue to be diluted in the upcoming redistricting votes, they are probably VUI.
• If your Congressman is rich and wealthy and believes that most of the people in his/her district are as well when they really aren't, they are probably VUI.
• If your Congressman was in office in the run-up to our nation's biggest recent disasters - Banking, oil spills and mortgage scandals - and still believes that government regulations has NO BENEFICIAL ROLE TO PLAY, they are definitely VUI.
• If your Congressman believes that government health care vouchers are a great idea except for Congress, government employees, active military and military retirees, then they are voting under the influence (VUI).
• If your Congressman thinks that banks should be able to prey on the poor and middle-class by luring them with attractive rates on credit cards and raising the rates - for often trivial things - they are VUI.
• If your Congressman thinks that lying-by-omission is okay with the Bible, he is VUI.

Copied direct without editing. Keep 'em coming!