|
ħħħħħħħ
5/31/05
|
ATTENDANCE
NEEDED at meeting regarding South Weymouth (MA) Naval
Airbase property... |
 |
The redevelopment of the South
Naval Airbase is important to our members as it will provide a
number of good work opportunities. A meeting regarding its re-use is
scheduled for Thursday, June 2nd at 5 PM at the Rockland Radisson
Hotel on Route 228 (929 Hingham Street, Rockland, Massachusetts
02370). Please join fellow workers at a rally to support JOBS,
SMART GROWTH and LOCAL CONTROL of the future of this
property.
For an
EXPEDIA map of the Rockland Radisson
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/31/05
|
It is with deep regret
that we announce
the passing of our friend and brother
Joe O'Connor
Book # 850935 - Local 7
Services will be held from the Sweeney Funeral Home -
66 Concord Road - Billerica, MA on Thursday, June
2nd at 9 AM.
Visiting hours
at the Sweeney Funeral Home: Wednesday, June 1st from
3 PM - 7
PM
|
|
For a MapQuest map to the
Sweeney Funeral Home
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/31/05
|
WARNING: Do
not let this man near your copy machine! |
 |
For more
information on a copy machine's "worst nightmare"
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/31/05
|
Quad
Builders top-off IKEA job in Stoughton, MA |
 |
Friends and co-workers
of Quad dedicate ceremony to our late brother and friend
KEVIN ROY |
To see pictures of the event
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/31/05
(Originally run on 5/26/05)
 |
NOTE: |
Time of rally has been
changed from
2 PM to 10 AM |
|
Help needed...
Especially
from our members up North! |
 |
Rally to support the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers and the members of Iron
Workers Local 745 |
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is threatened with
closure after more than 200 years of service to the United States
Navy. Some of the members of the Base Realignment and Closure
Commission will be visiting the shipyard during the afternoon of
June 1, 2005.
We will be holding a rally outside Gate 1 of the shipyard at
10 AM
to
demonstrate to the Commissioners the community support of the
shipyard. Come help our brothers and sisters from the various locals
ESPECIALLY THE MEMBERS OF IRON
WORKERS LOCAL 745, who have performed admirably, won numerous awards
for that hard work, and are now facing the possibility of losing
their jobs.
SHOW UP - STAND UP - SPEAK UP!
June 1, 2005 - 2 PM
10 AM
(note new time!)
Wallingford Square - Kittery, Maine
ħħħħħħħ
5/27/05
|
Old Charles
Street Jail in Boston to become 4-Star Hotel...finally! |
It's taken five years -
and $20 million more than he planned on spending, but Boston
developer and hotelier Richard Friedman today will
break ground on his long-planned conversion of the 19th
century Charles Street jail next to Massachusetts General
Hospital into a four-star hotel. |
 |
To read the entire BOSTON HERALD story or see a larger
picture
JH
NOTE: There is no truth to the rumor that several of our members
spent time at this posh location prior to its 4-Star status!
ħħħħħħħ
5/26/05
|
What's up
in
Western Massachusetts? |
Local 7
BA/Industry Analyst Fiore Grassetti checked in with
some pictures of our members from around the Springfield
area... |
 |
For a look at the pictures
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/24/05
|
What's up
with the
Local 7 Ironmen MC
Glad you
asked! |
 |
Arny Krane weighed in
with some information on upcoming events.
To catch up on what's going on (if it ever stops raining)
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/24/05
|
Capco Steel
starts G-Tech job in Providence, RI |
 |
 |
For a larger look at the
initial stages of steel erection at the GTech project in Providence,
RI
JH
NOTE: I've instructed our intrepid photographer, Mr. Roy Coulombe,
to stand a little closer to the subject in the future. A lot of guys
wish he stood this far away when he was running work all those
years!
ħħħħħħħ
5/20/05
|
Meet
Madison McKinley |
 |
A shining
example for everyone, a District Council hero, and a poster
girl for the American Cancer Society's RELAY FOR LIFE
program... |
When Madison
McKinley, the beautiful young daughter of Local 7 member Jeff
McKinley and his wife Karen, went in for a checkup prior
to starting kindergarten she was more worried about getting a shot
than being diagnosed with cancer....
To read more, or to see a larger photo of our hero, Madison
McKinley
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/20/05
|
Want to
meet some
real low-lifes?
Meet the
Jackson Lewis
union busters... |
 |
When Jackson Lewis, showed up in Waltham, Massachusetts to
disseminate their usual union busting propaganda, Kathy Casavant
and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO was there to greet them. Jackson Lewis
took umbrage at their presence and resorted to the intimidation
tactics they usually teach others for large sums of money...so that
the money doesn't have to be paid in wages. Thanks to Local 7's
Neil Conley for forwarding the pictures.
For a slide show of this event
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/20/05
|
 |
A possible LNG Plant in
Maine? |
$400M job could result in a
number of jobs for
Local 496 |
PLEASANT POINT -
According to the Bangor Daily News, the Passamaquoddy
leadership Thursday night accepted a deal to build a
multimillion-dollar liquefied natural gas facility on tribal land in
eastern Washington County.
To read the entire
Bangor Daily
News story
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/20/05
|
The
ANTI-PLA
clowns are at it again! |
 |
Aided and abetted by
the ABC's anti-union, anti-working family puppet Scott
Lehigh of the BOSTON GLOBE, who should be docked a day's
pay for once again dredging up this nonsensical, tired, old
story that has run under the name of countless other
"authors" in the past, project labor agreements are once
again under attack... To hear the
Lehigh/ABC ANTI-PLA theme song or to review the lyrics
JH
|
To read
Lehigh's
story
JH
If you
already read
this
reconfiguration
of the old
wives' tale
and want to
send Lehigh
an E-Mail
JH
"A Tale
of Two
Cities"
-
To
underscore
the
importance--and
effectiveness--of
Project-Labor
Agreements
(PLAs), a
study was
undertaken
and a video
was
generated on
the findings
- all the
way back in
1999.
Notwithstanding
the
self-serving
and
misleading
rhetoric of
SCOTT
LEHIGH, in
the end, he
cannot
shroud the
truth. PLA's
are nothing
new and the
effectiveness
of these
agreements
has been
well
chronicled
for years.
It's become
obvious to
us that the
ABC and
their plants
in the media
are simply
refusing to
let the
truth get in
the way of
what they
perceive to
be a good
story (once
again).
"A Tale of
Two Cities"
represents
the
quintessential
example of
their sizzle
versus our
steak...
|
"A
Tale
of
Two
Cities"
explores
the
very
different
experiences
of
two
Massachusetts
cities:
Malden,
MA,
and
Lynn,
MA,
as
they
embarked
on
major
school
construction
projects.
For
Malden,
which
signed
a
project-labor
agreement,
it
was
"...the
best
of
times..."
as
the
schools
were
completed
on
time
and
under
budget.
In
Lynn,
it
was
quite
a
different
tale.
SCOTT
LEHIGH
missed
this
when
he
was
"researching"
his
story
on
the
perils
of
PLA's...SEND
IN
THE
CLOWNS! |
Do PLA's
work well?
You
be the
JUDGE!
This latest
version of
"PLA's Don't
Work" make
it obvious
that the ABC
and their
plants in
the media
have already
appointed
themselves
to the jury,
not to
mention the
executioner's
job, even
though it is
a proven
fact that
PLA's do
work,
notwithstanding
the flawed
and biased
findings of
the Beacon
Hill
Institute.
To
review "A
Tale of Two
Cities"
JH
An
additional
thought to
ponder on
PLA's: Bob
Kraft
of the New
England
Patriots is
generally
recognized
as one of
the top
businessmen
in America.
His team has
become the
gold
standard for
success and
he recently
built a
$400M
stadium to
accommodate
his loyal
fans. That
stadium is
in Foxboro,
Massachusetts,
about thirty
miles
outside of
Boston. It
was
privately
funded
(unlike many
of this
nation's
stadiums,
where the
taxpayers
are
surcharged)
and did NOT
have any
wage
requirements
other than
minimum
wage.
Being thirty
miles from
Boston,
Foxboro can
hardly be
classified
as a union
stronghold,
but when Mr.
Kraft
decided to
put up $400M
of his own (or
borrowed)
money
to realize
his dream,
he did it
under a
Project
Labor
Agreement
(PLA).
Would this
highly
respected
businessman
and
legendary
negotiator
have agreed
to a PLA if
it wasn't
in the
best
interest of
his company?
I didn't
read
anything
that would
lead me to
believe that
Scott Lehigh
checked in
with Mr.
Kraft.,
another
example of
his "not
letting the
facts get in
the way of
(what he
thought was)
a good
story."
|
|
ħħħħħħħ
5/20/05
"Should any political party
attempt to abolish social security, unemployment
insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs,
you would not hear of that party again in our political
history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that
believes you can do these things. Among them are...a few
other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional
politician or business man from other areas. Their
number is negligible and they are stupid."
--President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954
|
It
looks like influential U.S. leaders of the past saw the
"Bush Express" (41 & 43) chugging out of Texas 51 many years
ago!
(Thanks to LU7 BM/FS-T Jim Brown for
forwarding this to our attention) |
ħħħħħħħ
UPDATE: 5/20/05
(Originally run on
5/19/05)
|
 |
It is with deep regret
that we announce the passing of our friend and brother
George Moores
Local 7 - Book #542818
Please remember George's family
in your thoughts and prayers
Additional postings
will be made on the website as final arrangements for his services
become available.
NOTE: Services are
scheduled for Monday (May 23) at:
Carafa Funeral Home
389 Washington Street
Chelsea, MA 02150-3601 |
|
UPDATE:
George Moores' wake is scheduled for
Monday, May 23, 2005: 4 PM to 8 PM
Funeral service
on Tuesday, May 24, 2005
at the Funeral Home at 10 AM
|
For MapQuest directions to
Carafa Funeral Home
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/19/05
(Originally run
5/18/05)
|
 |
See MORE
photos of
500 Atlantic Avenue's
TOPPING OFF Ceremony |
To see additional photos of
the topping off event
JH
|
500
Atlantic Avenue
job tops off! |
 |
 |
Local 7 topped off the 500
Atlantic Avenue for the J.F. Stearns Company on May 17th.
Congratulations are in order for another job well done!
To see several pictures of the
project and surrounding area
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/19/05
|
Finally!
Upcoming transit projects will lead to many great work
opportunities for members... |
$770M
transit plans announced...
Somerville
branch would add $100M
|
State officials
announced yesterday that Somerville's Union Square would get
a separate branch of the Green Line extension, adding $100
million to the cost of transit projects promised to offset
the environmental impact of the Big Dig. The list of
commitments totals $770 million and calls for building
stations on the Fairmount Line, which runs through Hyde
Park, Mattapan, and Dorchester; doubling service on the
Worcester-Boston commuter rail line; and adding 1,000
parking spaces at as-yet unspecified commuter rail and
transit stations throughout the Boston region... |
To read the rest of the BOSTON GLOBE
story
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/18/05
|
Another
look at the |
 |
Convention
Center
Hotel
|
Due to an appointment for a
story that we hope to see run in a prominent Boston business
publication regarding egregious inadequacies we've encountered in
the industry, I was allowed out of the office yesterday for a quick
photo shoot that will accompany the story (hopefully - the story,
not necessarily the picture!). It was great to see so many familiar
faces and, as usual, our members were throwing steel and pre-cast
concrete up in record time.
JH
To see a couple of pictures of
the project
JH
NOTE: If you
want your job highlighted I need you to forward pictures to the DC
office. All of the contact information is on the website's HOME
page.
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/18/05
|
 |
Meet two
members of
our extended family...
An early Father's Day present
(and better than a tie!) |
 |
To identify the kids
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/17/05
|
Please
help! |
Brother Jonathan Kinahan of
Winthrop is in Iraq and would greatly appreciate some
contact with his brothers and sisters back home. Brian
Hayes talks with Jonathan regularly and he has asked me
to reach out to our members to try and make this happen.
Please help out in this matter by sending Jonathan an
E-Mail. Thank you. |
To
send Jonathan an E-Mail
JH |
ħħħħħħħ
5/17/05
|
Mandatory
overtime rises as a major issue for labor... |
It is vital that we keep our
eye on other industries and the trends that are impacting
those industries. As workers, we are inextricably woven
together against the mighty powers of big business and big
business friendly politicians and administrations, locally
and nationally. Never, in the lifetime of most of our active
members, have we been subjected to such unconscionable and
constant attacks, as we face now. One example is an old
staple - the forty-hour work week - which was only
arrived at through the doggedness of organized labor. Few,
if any, people ever dreamed that they would have to fight
this battle again, but a current solution trend is mandatory
overtime - and the result is the disintegration of family
life for middle-class Americans. The BOSTON GLOBE's Diane
Lewis ran a story on this subject this morning that
requires your attention. Today it's our brothers and sisters
from NStar...Who's next? |
To read the entire BOSTON GLOBE story
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/17/05
|
Do you
think that the military base closings doesn't affect us?
Think again! |
KITTERY, Maine The
Pentagon's decision to gain recommend the Portsmouth Naval
Shipyard for closure could spell the demise of the nation's
oldest shipyard and an end to a history as rich as the
nation's itself. The latest round of proposed base closings
is nothing new for the shipyard. It survived three closure
attempts in the late 1980s and early '90s. The history of
military shipbuilding on the site dates back some 288 years
to the construction of a British frigate. Formally
established as a government shipyard in June 1800 during the
Presidency of Thomas Jefferson, the yard has been involved
in the design, construction and repair of virtually every
type of warship, from sailing vessels to steamships to
nuclear-powered submarines. |
Did you know that we
have a highly productive and widely respected DC Shop Local
- Local 745
- whose very future depends on this yard remaining open?
|
To read the entire Manchester Union Leader story
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/16/05
|
Safety
Alert!
 |
| Billy Leonard, president of
Local 37 in Providence, RI, recently forwarded the
following information to the DC office regarding a possible
faulty SAFEWAZE LANYARD. The particular model
number of the potentially faulty lanyard is 3550-0241.
|
To read more about this alert
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/16/05
|
Just heard from Local 7
Business Agent and Seabee Mike Durant. Mike is in
Souda Bay, Crete (pictured @ right) to serve this year's
active time. |
 |
To Email
Mike
JH |
ħħħħħħħ
5/16/05
|
A look back
at
Charlie "Ski" Zukowski |
 |
With Memorial Day bearing down on
us, it was ironic that Charlie "Ski" Zukowski stopped by the
DC office this morning. Several years ago we ran a picture of
Charlie receiving an award for his service during WWII from the
Government of France aboard the French aircraft carrier Jeanne d'Arc
(Joan of Arc) in Boston Harbor. Charlie is one of the all time great
guys and we once again thank him and the many other Veteran's in our
membership for their heroic service to our country and we felt
compelled to share that picture with our members once again.
To see a larger copy of the picture
of Charlie being feted
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/13/05
For a look at a recent IMPACT promotional
brochure selling our industry
JH
To see the other side of the
brochure
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/12/05
|
A note from DC
President Jay Hurley... |
I am both proud and
humbled to announce my appointment as 9th General
Vice-President of our International Union by General
President Joe Hunt during a meeting in Washington DC on May
10th. |
For more on this
appointment
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/9/05
|
It is with deep regret
that we announce
the passing of our friend and brother
Robert John Tatham, Sr.
Book # 648032 - Local 424
Brother
Tatham was a member of Local 424 since 1959. He retired
on April 01, 2004 and passed on May 7th.
Services will be held from the Iovanne Funeral Home - 11
Wooster Place in New Haven, CT - on Thursday, May
12th.
Visiting hours: Wednesday, May 11th from
4 PM - 8
PM
|
|
For a MapQuest map to the
Iovanne Funeral Home
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/9/05
(Originally run on 4/12/05)
NOTE PRICE CHANGE...
|
Local
7's Annual Golf Tournament
Saturday, June 25, 2005
President's
Golf Course
Quincy, MA.
First come, first served....$100 per player...Tee
times a must...Gifts, food, fun...
|
NOTE: The original price of $75 has been changed |
|
 |
John
Coyle
(617-669-1484)
Dave MacKenzie
(617-327-3512)
Barry Sullivan
(781-762-5701)
|
ħħħħħħħ
5/9/05
(Update)
(Originally run on
5/8/05)
|
|
It is with deep regret
that we announce the passing of our friend and brother
Tom Magee
Tom was the former owner of New England Steel Erectors and
was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
Additional postings
will be made on the website as arrangements for his services
become available. |
Additional information
now available
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/6/05
|
We
regret to announce the passing of brother
Rudolph Mauritz II
Longtime member of
Local 424 New Haven, CT
Rudolph was the father of Local 424
member Rudolph Mauritz III. Please remember the Mauritz
family in your thoughts and prayers.
Services are
tentatively scheduled for the
Abriola
Parkview Funeral Home
419 White Plains Road
Trumbull, CT
As more information becomes available,
we will post it for your review.
(The funeral home can be reached at 203-373-1013) |
|
For a MapQuest map of
Abriola Funeral Home
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/6/05
|
 |
Local 7
Scholarship winners...
Over $50,000.00 awarded! |
 |
For a slide show of
pictures from the Scholarship Award Ceremony
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/6/05
 |
What do the ingredients
of that drug you're taking cost? |
Bill Tweet,
Executive
Director of our International's Jurisdictional Department, forwarded
the following information regarding the actual costs of the
ingredients in drugs that people take each day to maintain their
quality of life, and what it costs us to purchase these drugs. While
there are certainly research and development and marketing costs
associated with being able to bring these products to the general
public, it was still staggering to review the difference in pricing.
To review the list
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/6/05
|
Why organize? |
 |
The DOL's Bureau of
Labor Statistics "Real Weekly Earnings" in construction
fell from $386.65 in March 2004 to $374.31 in March of 2005.
|
Our friend Dave Gornewicz
of Florida forwarded a story about real wages in the construction
industry. The biggest obstacle we face is the unrepresented workers
in our industry who think they have no other options because the
only voice they hear is the voice of the owner - the person who
controls their future ability to make a living. Polls show that 55
million people would join unions if given the opportunity. The short
term attraction of bids arrived at through low wages, no health
insurance and no pension, is a powerful obstacle to overcome and is
the driving force behind these meager wages for such arduous work. A
rising tide raises ALL the boats!
To read the entire story
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/6/05
|
 |
Tower Glass
wraps up
Amherst College |
 |
We received a photo of Tower
Glass workers wrapping up the Amherst College project. Tower
Glass is expanding their Western Massachusetts presence as they are
also going to be performing the work at the upcoming Springfield
Court House job.
For a better look at the photo
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/4/05
|
For those who think
George Bush's idea on privatizing
Social Security is a good one, consider this...
According to the
calculations of Dean Baker,
an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research: |
The Bush
Plan would guarantee only the bottom
30 percent of wage earners the benefits
they get under the present system.
Currently, that's people making less
than $22,000 a year. Everyone else
would get a benefit cut, and the cuts
would increase over time.
|
|
Someone with an income of $36,500 --
roughly the median -- would get a 13 percent benefit cut by
2030, a 21 percent benefit cut by 2050, and a 40 percent cut
by 2080, depending on when retirement began. |
An upper-middle-income earner with a current income of
$90,000 would get steeper cuts: 24 percent by 2030, 41
percent by 2050, and 60 percent by 2080. And these cuts
would apply whether or not you diverted part of your payroll
taxes to private accounts. These are cuts in the guaranteed
part of the benefit. |
| THERE IS one useful thing
about President Bush's ''progressive indexing" proposal for
Social Security. It finally makes explicit what we suspected
-- that Bush intends benefit cuts for most American
workers in order to finance his privatization plan.
Privatization, requires either
new taxes, increased government borrowing or benefit cuts --
you can't spend the same money twice. Under the present
system, payroll taxes pay the cost of Social Security
retirement checks. Bush would divert some of that tax money
to optional private accounts. Consequently, privatization
would worsen Social Security's modest projected shortfall by
trillions of dollars unless benefits are cut.
''Progressive
indexing" is a disguised benefit cut, but the disguise is
pitifully transparent. Here's how it works:
To read the rest of Robert Kuttner's BOSTON GLOBE story
JH |
|
The Devil
is in the Details... |
 |
ħħħħħħħ
5/3/05
|
|
From our
ranks...
Mark Dennington, a union ironworker from Louisiana,
envisioned a need for a higher standard in fall protection
for quite some time. He didn't talk it to death, allowing
his thoughts and feelings on this important subject to
languish, he did something about it. Dennington Safety
Gear is the result. |
To read more about
Dennington Safety Gear
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/2/05
|
Attention
Local 496 members... |
Local 496
will be holding a
Red Cross C.P.R. Class
at the union hall on
Saturday, June 11th at 9:00 AM...
Space is limited to the first
25 members who sign up...
There is no cost...
Contact: John Evans at 207-426-9555
|
 |
ħħħħħħħ
5/2/05
|
 |
The Night
"Mayors"
from McCourt Construction |
Local 7 BM/FS-T Jim Brown
stopped by to visit the nightshift gang for McCourt Construction.
To see a larger version of the
picture
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/2/05
|
Local 496 members
"TOP OFF"
Building |
 |
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine |
Thanks to Artic
Construction, who did the steel erection, and Bowdoin College, for
utilizing the services of this well trained and hard working crew
from Local 496. Super job, guys!
To see a larger picture of the beam going up and a picture of "the
gang"
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/2/05
|
Local 474's
Dave
Kaczynski
wins award from
Vermont Workers' Center |
 |
The hard work of Local 474's Dave Kaczynski
was duly recognized by the Vermont Workers' Center
and the Vermont Building Trades
at a ceremony on May 1st. Dave has worked tirelessly to try and
bring fairness and justice to his brothers and sisters in Vermont
and is a worthy recipient of this honor. Over 150 people attended,
including Congressman Bernie Sanders,
who recognized the importance of committed labor leaders like Dave
for the future vitality of Vermont's workers. Congratulations, Dave!
To see pictures of the event
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/2/05
|
Short term gain
leads to long term pain
due to practice in Maine |
 |
Illegally classified
"Independent Contractors" costing Maine taxpayers a
fortune... |
AUGUSTA - Maine
home buyers might like the price of a house built by carpenters
working as independent contractors, but workers, the state and
law-abiding construction companies lose out if those carpenters are
illegally misclassified, according to a study done by two
Massachusetts universities of workers in Maine's construction
industry.
Such a practice
is pervasive in Maine, where approximately 3,200 workers in the
state's construction industry, or one out of nine, are illegally
classified as independent contractors instead of as employees,
researchers said Monday as they released their findings at the state
Capitol complex. Roughly 750 Maine companies, or one out of seven,
misclassify such workers and, within those companies, four out of 10
workers are misclassified, the researchers said.
To read the entire story
JH
ħħħħħħħ
5/2/05
|
 |
When it
comes to politics:
Don't
listen to what they say,
watch what they do
(and WHO they do it to!) |
One of the staples of the conservative right wing of the Republican
Party is less involvement by the government in your
life...UNTIL THEY GET ELECTED.
Once elected, their policies shift and BOSTON GLOBE
staffer Susan Milligan
hit the ball out of the park with a
story in Sunday's (5/1/05) GLOBE citing examples of the Bush
administration's "Don't do as I do, do as I say" policies.
Ms. Milligan kicked off her story with the following observations:
WASHINGTON -- Despite having made a commitment to return
power to the states, the Bush administration and the GOP- controlled
Congress are using legislation and the legal system to quash state
efforts to regulate industry, a trend state officials say is
weakening hard-fought efforts to protect the health and
safety of their constituents.
New and proposed
federal rules or laws would overturn California's ban on a vaccine
preservative some think contributes to autism, and would block any
state's efforts to control small-engine emissions. New England would
be thwarted in its efforts to control pollution wafting over from
other states, while Massachusetts and California would not be able
to keep unwanted liquefied natural gas terminals from their shores.
A recent banking rule change severely limits the impact of state
laws intended to protect consumers from shady banking practices.
To read more
JH
The story went on to touch on four areas of concern (listed below).
The common denominator of each of these areas of concern is the
growth of power for Big Business and the long term negative impact
this enhancement will have on America's citizens and taxpayers.
Devil's advocates might say that deregulation might lead to more
work. A valid point, but at what cost? There has to be balance to
succeed in leaving the country in better shape then it was when we
started. When Big Business has a stranglehold on the White House,
the majority party in Congress, the majority party in the US Senate,
and every regulatory board as a result - which is the case here,
decisions are going to be made in Big Business' favor. Not only is
the Bush administration deviating from their "less government
pledge," they are inserting themselves
Here's another quote from Ms. Milligan's story:
The result, attorneys general
say, is that some Americans will have less consumer protection and
less safe environments -- and states won't be able to do anything
about it. ''It's a whole pattern of accumulating power in Washington
[through] federal agencies that is more extensive than any
administration in the history of this country...."
Below, are four areas where Big Business is being rewarded by their
cronies in Washington DC:
| Deregulating
Industry |
To read more on this subject
|
| Conservatives'
Shift |
To read more on this subject
|
| Environmental
Changes |
To read more on this subject
|
| Banking Laws
|
To read more on this subject
|
|
