Bush Pushing Changes To Endangered Species Act Now, To Make It More Difficult For Obama To Renege
By Nicole Belle Thursday Nov 20, 2008 6:00pmAs the media focuses on President-elect Obama and the transition of power here in Washington, the Bush administration is quietly trying to push through a wide array of federal regulations before President Bush leaves office in January.
Up to ninety proposed regulations could be finalized by the outgoing administration, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment. According to the Washington Post, the new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era. They include rules that could weaken workplace safety protections, allow local police to spy in the so-called “war on terror” and make it easier for federal agencies to ignore the Endangered Species Act.
While it’s nothing new for outgoing administrations to try and enact these so-called “midnight regulations,” the Bush administration has accelerated the process to ensure the changes it wants will be finalized by November 22nd. That’s sixty days before the next administration takes control. Most federal rules go into effect sixty days after they’ve been finalized, and it would be a major bureaucratic undertaking for the Obama administration to reverse federal rules already in effect.
I know that it will surprise no one that most, if not all, of these regulations come at the benefit of corporations and to the detriment of the American people and the environment, including making it easier to pollute near national parks, easing mining restrictions, and neutering the Endangered Species Act.
So much for that lame duck quackitude, Bush is going to place his anti-Midas touch on as many areas as he can before he's kicked out the door.
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Strongly hint to GW that the likelyhood of being prosecuted increases in proportion to the number of these dubious laws he's trying to pass.
Then have him arrested in Janaury anyway.
THIS idea I like a lot!!!
I'd settle for shunning. May we never utter or write his name again.
the Congressional Review Act (I think that is the name) which was touted as a little known Clinton thing which provided Congress the ability to review these midnight things and revoke them?
I just read about that the other day. I is cornfused.
I wouldn't have shook that creep's hand either. POS.
yeah...right!
Prosecute the bastards!!
It's a good thing for chimp there were no prior drugs and alcohol tests for the presidency.
Dubya is going to screw America until his last minute in office. After that, who knows. He may turn out to be the worst Ex-President ever as well.
So what are we going to do about this? It seems Bush is so intent on making sure that America goes out with him.
The scary thing is that we are used to so many of Bush's fuck ups we are behaving like this is nothing new.
We should have reason to worry because with this happening, Obama's job will be made a lot harder and it will be a lot more difficult to heal the country.
Prosecuting Bush is out of the question simply because Democrats lack the balls to indict him now and he will preemptively pardon himself and his cronies before he leaves office.
The good news is the Congressional Review Act [http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/bills/blcra.htm], a part of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
According to this law, any regulation finalized within 60 legislative days of congressional adjournment is considered to have been legally finalized on the 15th legislative day of the new Congress, likely sometime in February. Congress then has 60 days to review it and reverse it with a joint resolution that can’t be filibustered in the Senate.
In other words, any regulation finalized in the last half-year of the Bush administration could be wiped out with a simple party-line vote in the Democrat-controlled Congress.
It promises to be an interesting new year.
Vomiting on what he can't eat so nothing else can eat it either. He wants to screw up, kill off, and destroy as much as he can before he is booted out. I just hope his cohorts wise the hell up for a change and tell him to get stuffed, but I am not gonna hold my breath.
I want to see George Bush turned over to the International Criminal Court more than mere words can describe. For crimes against humanity, and nature he needs to be imprisoned until the very day he stops breathing. His criminal acts violate the US Constitution, US and international laws. The death, poverty, and suffering that he has already caused are immense. Even in his final weeks in office he is doing everything he can to increase the profits of both corporations, and the wealthy at the cost of humanity, and nature. Life in prison without the chance to ever see daylight, breath fresh air, or any human contact would be a most fitting punishment. Let him spend the rest of his life in a concrete and metal cell, with a space at the bottom of the door where the barest needs to sustain his life can be passed to him.
All Obama has to do is issue an Executive order rescinding all of the crap the previous resident issued. In fact, if he let it be known to those various departments and agencies to be affected that he intended to do exactly that, my bet is they'd just defy the new regs until Bush and his criminal cabal are gone.
Oh yeah, and perhaps there's a better use for Guantanamo after all-
No way - the climate's too nice. Let's build a Gitmo-style prison in Prudhoe Bay: the neocons want to alter Alaska so much, then they should get a first-hand view at how "wonderful" the climate is from their jail cells there - especailly the 6 months of night.
Better yet, build one on Diomede Island, AK, that way they could keep an eye on the Rooskies for us. Hell, I'd even pay 'em to do it. I believe the going prison rate is .12/hr - they'd be getting more than they're worth but it'd be a valuable service to our country.
Just when I think I've seen the "last" neocon eff you to America, they bring on the next one.
Toss him in a pen with a few endangered species and let Darwin decide.
how can anyone pretend that a sitting president has less power than a former president?
Hand up, all those of you who believe Bush is doing more work in these
last two months than in the previous eight years!
And you thought the scorched earth policy was solely associated
to the Russians.
The Days are few but, still they cant come soon enough.
Please go on vacation. Forever.
This story reminds me of something that Bill Maher said a few days ago, that he's convinced Bush will not be completely satisfied until he leaves the White House with the country "a smouldering ruin".
Why are we not surprised at this little "gift" as he slithers out the White House door? He and his criminal buddies have stolen the Treasury, bankrupted the nation, shredded the Constitution, broken the back of the military, and pissed on the American people. Mission Accomplished.
The terrorists have won, obviously.
Glogrrl has probably said it most efficiently with Dubya's own famous quote.
WORST.
PRESIDENT.
EVER.
At least he's being true to his principles, which is being an eternal dickhead.
At long last Bush, have you no shame? In the name of the Constitution, impeach, indict and convict this piece of human garbage.
I've never really HATED anybody... till now! This incompetent POS destroyed every endeavor he put his hands on. His recent resume "accomplishments" fucked up the whole world. Heck of a job W.
And saddest is for all his wrong doing he will go scott free and never spend a day in prison. That makes it doubly difficult to accept and only intensifies the HATE.
It's almost as if Bush's sole purpose on this Earth is to teach us one impenetrable lesson: never vote for another stinking Republican ever. No how, no way!
OK, I get it already. Would someone please tell him to stop?
Criminal to the end...
Do the world a favor. Go on a two month bender and wake up in time for the inauguration.
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