Big Business is often blamed as a bully of citizens and legislatures. Meanwhile, as we struggle in a recession, the real bullies are the environmental groups and others that are intent on molding policy that costs jobs and creates less energy. While businesses are pushing to see what can be done, these real bullies are intent on dictating what can’t be done.
Walking through the streets the other day. I ran into a small group asking for signatures for a petition. The petition was for sweeping ethics reform. Those at the table were yelling, “help us take our government back.” In speaking to one of the men at the table, I discovered that this reform was targeted mostly at corporations using gifts to lobby Congress. At no time did this man mention the brutal tactics that environmental groups will sink to, to block development, or legislation that they don‘t like. These environmental groups use misinforming ads, and subvert Congress by holding development up in court. I’m not saying that there is no need for ethics reform, but any reform that disproportionately targets corporations, is missing the point.
The larger point of “special interests” having too great of a pull on those in power, must be balanced by evidence. On a national level we can see that there are corporations that have been “bailed out.” However, these large entities only represent a mere fraction of the number of national corporations at large. Still, greater regulation is nearly always forced on all corporations, not just those that were overleveraged. So who lobbies for these entities that aren’t troubled or troubling, or where is the representation for good corporations? The answer is that while many industries lobby for their interests, the most powerful lobbies are those of environmental and labor groups. One would be hard pressed to argue that these powerful labor unions, trial-lawyers or enviro-lobbies, have the interests of any corporation in mind. There is little effort to defend the “big businesses” that run responsibly especially in the case of energy companies, which are most often the target of environmental groups.
In my state of Utah, where this ethics reform is currently being discussed, energy companies are stymied by restrictive environment regulation. What is the evidence? There is currently no nuclear power generated in Utah, the states’ deposits of uranium, oil shale, natural gas, coal and countless other resources are largely untapped, and in some cases are even dormant. We have a low grade nuclear waste dump that stores waste like rubber gloves and shoes from other sites, but when the site asked to store waste from Europe, they have been told; “NO,” countless times. This rejection is in spite of the fact, importing this waste would bring money and jobs to the state. There is also a miniscule risk of anything going wrong. Still, the environmental groups have bullied legislators to not allow the import. So one asks, are the corporate lobbyists getting their way or are the environmental lobbyists succeeding.
Heal Utah, an environmental group in Salt Lake City has opposed anything that has the word “nuclear” in it’s title. The Sierra Club says that it opposes any utilization of coal, oil or nuclear power. They have called for clean energy in Utah, but not nuclear power. The environmental lobby is winning in most cases. In fact, the probability is that even if bills are passed to allow new nuclear power plants to come to our state, Sierra Club, Green Peace or Heal Utah will sue to hold things up. This has been their record on countless other occasions using the courts to stop development, including; new highways, bridges, housing developments and businesses. So our state will see no nuclear power, as the environment lobbies block our state from developing more oil, coal, natural gas or uranium utilization. Much like in the rest of the country, we will have an energy policy that creates less energy.
Environmental groups join aggressive lawyers and labor groups as powerful lobbies that stand in the way of new growth. Despite the recession these groups are gaining pull in legislatures around the country. They join to help sing the chorus that demonizes “Big Business.” They use “climate change” as an excuse to stop any new development proposals, or any other legislation that doesn‘t fit their agenda. So corporations are back on there heals, attempting to continue to survive in a hostile climate. Ethics reform is nearly always targeted at the “evil” corporations and rarely target these other “benevolent” groups. Ask yourself, how many jobs are created by environmentalists, complicit lawyers and their friends in labor? Why are the legislators fearful of these groups, and why have so many corporations spent so much time and money, running ads defending their practices?
So the next time you hear some activist whining about “taking government back from the corporations,” ask these whiners, “who will hold the labor groups, lawyers and environmentalists accountable?” Ask them “why such credence for those who kill jobs, and create nothing?”
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|2009-12-03 20:54:47 coffee shop poetSo brave to write the 'unspeakable' truth about our countries miguided methods for righting wrongs... Your article only scratches the surface. OSHEA, the EPA, the ERA, the NAACP.... all created with the most noble of intentions- but instead of giving these entities the means to a cure- our politicians instead take the easier route and grant autonomy. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Why do we constantly forget that?? Now productive society is at the mercy of all these groups. GREAT ARTICLE AGAIN.
