"Free Market Republicanism" versus American Values [View All]

[welshTerrier2]

republicans like to talk about "free market" economics ... "those evil bureacrats in Washington are interfering with business and hurting the American economy" ...

but what they really mean by a "free market" is to allow American companies to ignore their obligations and do whatever they please ... in doing so, they fail to recognize their responsibilities to comply with the values of the American people ...

do republicans want a market "free" to ignore the environment?
do republicans want a market "free" to ignore the health and safety of American workers?
do republicans want a market "free" from liability when business produces unsafe products?
do republicans want a market "free" to obtain American government contracts when they are exporting American jobs overseas?

the sad answer to all these questions is "YES" ... that's exactly what they want because republicans put profits for corporate shareholders ahead of the values of the American people ...

the "free" market sought by republicans is a market that thumbs its nose at a century of progress reigning in corporate abuses of the American society ... corporations are designed to act in their own selfish interests ... they will never act in the best interests of the American people unless regulations and enforcement exist to ensure they do so ... corporations will not do the "right thing" in a free market ... they will do the "wrong thing" ...

here's some proof ... check out this report from a group called OMB Watch:


WASHINGTON - September 15 - An analysis of four key federal agencies charged with safeguarding the public's air, water, food, health, transportation and workplaces reveals consistent and widespread obstruction, neglect and weakening of protections. The report attributes the pattern to a pro-corporate bias of the Bush administration and appointed agency heads favoring narrow special interests over the public good.

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"When our government abdicates its responsibility to provide us the protections we need, people suffer," said Robert Shull, the report's lead author and Senior Regulatory Policy Analyst with OMB Watch. "It weakens our nation and has long-term implications for generations to come."

"Since 2001, key regulatory plans have been abandoned, and those few major rules that have been undertaken favor corporate over public interests," said Gary Bass, OMB Watch Executive Director. "Statistics show a pattern of neglect, but not how the few rules being done decidedly favor industry."

This report updates and expands our May 2004 report, "Special Interest Takeover: The Bush Administration and the Dismantling of Public Safeguards," which OMB Watch and Center for American Progress produced for Citizens for Sensible Safeguards (CSS). Download both reports and background at www.ombwatch.org/regs