After Gutenberg

Writing for Think Progress, Brad Johnson reports that Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) announced at a recent gathering of coal-powered executives that “he, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) were introducing yet another piece of legislation to roll back Clean Air Act action on global warming pollution.” This blog sees such an announcement consistent with rampant corruption in the U.S. Congress.

More and more Americans seem to have lost faith that American Government remains a representative democracy. Average tenure in the Senate exceeds that in the House of Lords. Thus, Lawrence Lessig’s observation should come as o surprise: “A higher percentage of Americans likely supported the British Crown at the time of the Revolution than support our Congress today.”

Editor’s note: As a friend observed, one inherits membership in the House of Lords; one’s election to the Senate is an investment.

Since the Senate has stalled clean energy legislation, the Obama administration through the EPA has taken steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Emperor Fossil cannot tolerate such regulation, thus we see repeated legislative efforts to restrict such action. EPA restriction appeared in House and Senate versions of the stalled climate change legislation, and in what Think Progress likes to refer as Dirty Air Acts.

Skelton’s legislation would forbid defining any greenhouse gas as an “air pollutant” on the “basis of its effect on global climate change,” and prevent the consideration of the effect of ethanol production on land use.

Ironically, Skelton ignores “the recent series of deadly floods, catastrophic ice storms, killer tornadoes, dangerous heat waves, and drought that have harmed the fourth congressional district of Missouri — all of which will worsen if global warming isn’t held back.”

In U.S. Congress, corn to ethanol politics prevails over good sense science.

Emperor Fossil has enlisted its clientage in this current example of BAUAAAE (Business As Usual And Above All Else). As this blog has warned, Big Eddie and Big Ag are into Dirty Acts also. On average, 50% of U.S. electric power is coal-fired. U.S. agriculture is very dependent upon petroleum to power equipment and to make fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

Editor’s note: Dirty Acts is more that ensuring their continuing right to dirty the air; such legislation, obstruction of legislation, and failure to enforce existing legislation enables poisoning of water and land. In Johnson’s example, we obviously see ear-tagged Congress critters representing the interests of the utilities (Big Eddie) and Big Sugar.

The rural electric cooperatives, though nominally publicly owned, are part of a nationwide network of climate-denying coal-powered companies, who are fighting climate legislation, even though it would lower their customers’ bills and stabilize energy prices. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is a top donor to Skelton, giving him $57,100. Peterson’s top donors include coal-powered American Crystal Sugar, at $84,585 among the $1,745,973 Peterson has received from agribusiness.

The overt failure of Congress to represent the electorate is frightening. As Jeff Strabone has cautioned, we need to worry when the State shamelessly serves the interests of a powerful few without bothering to pretend that it’s not.

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