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Deregulation And Regulatory Capture Are Killing Us All

After The Boeing Scandal, It’s Hard To Imagine Reforms

Brakes on a plane, brakes on a train
Breaks to make you go insane. ~~~ The Breaks, Kurtis Blow (1980)

Ben Norton has a superb piece on how deregulation and regulatory capture directly caused the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank et al, see:

• US bank bailout benefited billionaires, exposing corruption: ‘I understand why Americans are angry’

Which reminded me that the Boeing crashes and the East Palestine train crash (February 3) preceded the Silicon Valley Bank crash (March 10) – and all happened for the same reasons.

Ralph Nader explained why way back in his 1965 book: “Unsafe At Any Speed”.

In the wake of the Paulsboro Toxic Train crash and before that the Gulf of Mexico blowout, we explained those reasons.

Here’s an example: a NY ABC TV news story (6/17/10) on Gov. Christie’s Executive Order #2 on deregulation:

Environmentalist Bill Wolfe spent 13 years with New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection. He says the massive spill in the gulf occurred because B-P cut corners on safety while the regulators looked the other way. Wolfe says Governor Christie is making the same mistake by issuing executive orders that call for immediate relief from “regulatory burdens” and “waivers” from regulations.

Bill Wolfe: “This executive order will put into force of law, the exact same policies that led to the disaster in the Gulf.”

Eyewitness News Reporter Jim Hoffer: “You’re saying that this executive order will bring the polluters and government to an even cozier kind of relationship?”

Wolfe: “Right, it will make government facilitate, not regulate, but actually promote the interest of the polluters, protect the polluters, not the people of the state.”

Current NJ Gov. Murphy has not reversed the Christie DEP regulatory rollbacks.

He has maintained continuity with virtually the same pro-corporate regulatory policy and to demonstrate that Murphy even appointed a former corporate lawyer as DEP Commissioner.

And so it goes.

(as my grandfather would say: “How do you like ‘dem apples?”)

[End Note: From a regulatory policy perspective, the Boeing plane crashes served a similar role as the prior Sandy Hook elementary school massacre. When massacres of children at school and plane crashes do not prompt assault weapons bans and stricter gun control and plane crashes killing hundreds of people don’t result in criminal prosecution (jail time), stricter regulations, and bans on privatization and deregulation, you know that democracy and government are badly broken and subservient to corporate power.]

Diverts Money From Investment In NJ’s Woefully Underfunded Public Health System

Another Federal Bailout Of Irresponsible NJ Politics

$1 Billion In Corporate Subsidies

Black Death – Bosch (1450 – 1516)

Gov. Murphy must not be allowed to divert resources from a demonstrably underfunded and totally inadequate public health program that is facing increasing threats – 35,000 people DIED to demonstrate that.

In his third article on the issue in the last week, today NJ Spotlight reporter Jon Hurdle again reports on Gov. Murphy’s plans to divert federal COVID recovery funds from public health programs, this time to stormwater infrastructure programs, see:

• Stormwater management: Who pays for it?

“This budget will invest federal American Rescue Plan funds to continue upgrading and replacing our aging water infrastructure. We’re on a multiyear path to securing clean water for every family. And this budget will keep us on that path,” Murphy said.

I am astounded that none of those reports mentioned the purposes of federal COVID relief money, under legislation dubbed The American Rescue Plan.

I find it equally astonishing that after over 35,000 people died from COVID and a million more suffered from a broken and underfunded public health system – a system that faces growing pandemic and other threats – that there is absolutely no mention of the need to invest in public health.

NJ has failed to invest in public health programs. We warned about that at the outset of the COVID pandemic, in March 2020:

• NJ State Officials Knew For Years That A Pandemic Could Cause Healthcare System To Collapse And 50,000 Residents Could Die

To at least inform the “debate” (there seems to be none, at least according to Hurdle and NJ Spotlight), here is US Dept. of Treasury program fact sheet and program’s final regulations. Does anyone know of this priority use of funds?

• Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical sectors

I was disgusted by the failure by Congress to target those federal funds for public health related investments, by the elevation of corporate economic interests over public health, and by the extremely broad allowable uses by States of those funds. Revealingly, there are only 2 ineligible uses and one is ideological:

Compounding all that, the federal COVID money repeats a longstanding pattern of federal bailouts of irresponsible NJ State government, particularly regarding NJ’s State government failures:

• to plan for and regulate development;
• to invest in critical infrastructure, including public health program infrastructure; 
• to adequately tax corporations, developers, and the wealthy to fund those investments.

NJ is one of the worst states in the country for repeat FEMA flood claims due to poor land use planning and regulation.

NJ has stormwater flooding problems due to poor land use planning and regulation.

NJ has abdicated State level taxing and regulatory powers and devolved them to local government.

Yet NJ is one of the country’s wealthiest states and is the home of multi-billion dollar profitable Fortune 100 corporations in pharmaceutical, chemical, real estate, and energy industries.

For all those failures to be totally ignored and again bailed out by federal COVID funds makes me literally sick to my stomach.

But it gets worse.

Of course NJ Spotlight reported that the business community supports the diversion of COVID funds to water infrastructure – that alleviates their burden of paying impact fees for the flooding and water quality problems they create:

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association also called for the money to be spent on water upgrades.

“Using this money to make transformational changes will also alleviate the need for more taxes or rate hikes in the future, all of which businesses pay,” said the group’s Ray Cantor [NJBIA]

Diversion from public health to water infrastructure is a huge corporate subsidy (another $700 million this year would make the total $1 billion).

Of course, NJ Spotlight frames the issue and parrots the right wing slogan “rain tax” to describe what is really an IMPACT FEE:

That may not be easy given opponents’ claims that a stormwater utility amounts to a “rain tax” that they say would add to already-high New Jersey property taxes.

“I think a lot of municipalities are shying away from it because they think it is a rain tax. Let’s call it something else, not a tax,” she said

Of course NJ Spotlight limits potential revenue sources to unpopular and highly regressive local property taxes and ratepayer fees:

If New Jersey doesn’t take bold action today, New Jersey residents will be forced to shoulder the burden of higher water rates, surcharges and other costs,” Rodriguez [of NJ Future] said

An of course corporate founded, funded and dominated astroturf groups like NJ Future literally carry the business community’s water (just look at the NJ Future Board and their funders and supporters).

So, when the next pandemic or public health crisis hits, don’t forget Gov. Murphy and his friends at NJ Future and NJ Spotlight.

Prescott National Forest (where the desert meets the pines)

So far, it looks like we timed the migration out of the desert about right this year – avoided the heat without freezing in the snow and rain. We’re now at 6,300 feet in Prescott National Forest (just outside Prescott Az) and are very glad to be in the presence of real trees, despite heavy logging and thinning of what the US Forest Service calls a wildland- urban interface forest (lovely ponderosa pine). Perfect weather (40 at night, 70 days) and there are still patches of snow visible on the peaks of the mountains (and with an internet connection!)

Bouy (dog) is not suffering in pain, but he’s practically crippled and has a tough time walking a few hundred feet to relieve himself 2 or 3 times a day. But he still seems happy and ready to go every morning despite the fact that he can’t. Really tough decision as to when to put him down and its consumed me for 3 months now.

No plans in mind, but next stops likely to be Sedona (spectacular colors), Flagstaff (great ponderosa pine forest there too), and north rim of Grand Canyon (before the crowds get there).

Thumb Butte

“No New Revenues” Approach Exposes Corporate Control Of Faux Green Groups

Corporations, Builders, And Developers Evade Infrastructure Funding Obligations

My prior post on West Windsor’s selfish attempt to grab $20 million of COVID money is chump change compared to this: (NJ Spotlight today)

“It’s going to help but it’s not going to solve the problem,” said Schrauth, who is leading an effort to use $700 million in New Jersey’s share of pandemic relief money for upgrading water infrastructure. She said the higher-than-expected amount for lead service lines reflects a recalculation by EPA for states like New Jersey that have an especially high number of the lines.

The diversion of this money away from glaring public health system needs is a total disgrace (even though the water infrastructure expansion would provide some public health benefits).

(and I can’t wait to hear the claimed nexus between COVID and decrepit water infrastructure!)

Why can’t the Green Ghouls demand NEW FUNDING and NEW REVENUES to fund their projects?

They did exactly the same thing in the Keep It Green Campaign where they diverted DEP and State parks money to open space because they lacked the spine to fight Gov. Christie for new money.

The rich and corporations have enjoyed decades of tax cuts and subsidies. As a result, wealth and income inequality is greater than the days of the Robber Barrons.

According to a RAND Corporation Report (no liberal think tank!), there has been a $50 trillion upward transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich during this period. That is obscene.

They have a huge ability to pay and should begin paying their fair share of public obligations.

This regressive Neoliberal corporate funding approach is the result of the environmental community’s larger sellout to corporate and right wing ideology and corporate Foundation funding.

It is what happens when fraudulent corporate dominated groups like NJ Future are allowed to define the agenda and control the politics and policy of public campaigns to meet critical public needs, like water infrastructure. New revenues are blocked by the corporate influence on NJ Future.

NJ Future has no business speaking for the public interest in water infrastructure – they are a corporate and developer dominated organization (just look at the NJ Future Board and their funders and supporters).

Things won’t change until progressives call this stuff out publicly and regain control of the policy agenda and force real change.

West Windsor, NJ

Something Is Seriously Wrong With This Picture

Source: NJ DEP Environmental Justice Mapping, Assessment, And Protection Tool

The move in Mercer County’s upscale suburb of West Windsor to seek diversion of federal COVID funds for open space acquisition to block a proposed warehouse was based, in part, on air pollution impacts from truck traffic: (NJ Spotlight):

Critics of the West Windsor proposal said air quality would deteriorate, pedestrian safety would be endangered by a surge in truck traffic and the development would ruin the quality of life in a quiet neighborhood. 

Well, it occurred to me that West Windsor is defined as a “overburdened environmental justice community” under NJ’s “historic” environmental justice law. (see map above).

According to US Census data: (July, 2022)

• The median household income is $175,707
• The median house cost $629,700
• 82.6% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher education

Given that his Governor’s office has 11 people working on the issue, maybe Gov. Murphy can enforce his “historic” environmental justice law to protect those suburban McMansions in West Windsor.

[End Note: BTW, speaking of overburdened air pollution, has DEP adopted those seriously flawed proposed environmental justice regulations yet?