Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - [Market-farming] NAIS or making an omlette with rotten eggs

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Leigh Hauter <lhh AT hughes.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] NAIS or making an omlette with rotten eggs
  • Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 21:55:38 -0500

Anyone that thinks NAIS will have anything much to do with public health has pretty much been living in an alternative universe for the past several decades (at least) and especially for the past several years.

This last congress was the laziest congress on record, taking a month more vacation time than the previous record setter (I think the congress of 1948). Of the 11 funding bills that need to be passed this year for the government to work only something like 2 or maybe 3 were completed. The rest we can expect during the lame duck session when no one can do anything about it.

As to what does into the legislation, several studies this year have shown a direct quid pro quo between 'donations' (read bribes) and line items on bills. As it, I want a line in a bill, let's say NAIS and I'm a chip manufacturer, there is probably a rising scale for how much of the business I get related to how much I give. This is the truth.

Unlike ever before, bills are all being done behind closed doors (don't think that stuff you see on C-Span has much relationship to anything) mostly by the senior majority party members.

Almost always now, bills are written by specific industry lobbyist. Again, the more donated, the more of the bill a particular industry gets to write. What do you think the Abramoff affair, or the K Street project is all about?

So, back to NAIS, people that watch DC do not think a NAIS bill is going to pass this year. Reason why? Not enough money has been raised out of the specific industry lobbiest yet. In other words, a bill like NAIS should make a number of important congresspeople a lot of money. So far, it hasn't. Once the bribes, I mean donations, get high enough then you will see legislation. Again, this will be legislation written in private, written no doubt by the highest donors.

So, again, anyone that thinks this legislation is going to be written in the public interest, in the interest of fighting whatever disease, wake up and read the papers.




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page