[Date Prev][Date Next][Date Index]

Re: E-M:/ New property rights group-Midland

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enviro-Mich message from Larry Nooden <ldnum@umich.edu>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems important to understand how special interests bent on personal gains no matter their impact on others are operating. As this case illustrates, their impacts trickle down all over us.

Those interested in conservation, the environment or even democracy need to play a more active role in getting the whole story out there in public view.

Most remarkable is the cloak of religion and freedom that they wear, and this deceives many. Even though, these activities too often translate our into 'antisocial' (contrary to the common good), they are embraced by religious groups contrary to their religious mandate to act prosocialy (Norenzayan A and Shariff A [2008] The origin and evolution of religious prosociality. Science 322:58-62). Unfortunately, as our news media fade, and special interest money pours into talk show hosts and political infomercials coming out out of "think tanks" like our own Mackinac Center are increasingly controlling public opinion and being accepted as the 'whole truth'.

WC Fields said it quite well: you can not fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough to make quite a good living. I would only modify this to say that with enough political and news media power, you can make great fortunes. But then, many people have been convinced that it is 'unAmerican' to question this.

So, what can be done? Supporting public broadcasting seems like a start, although they need to reminded not to be swayed by sponsors like the National Mining Association and Microsoft.


--On Tuesday, February 24, 2009 7:57 PM -0500 MICHDAVE@aol.com wrote:



In a message dated 2/24/2009 4:17:24 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
ldnum@umich.edu writes:

This is part of an emerging and concerted push from special interests to
use the economic crisis (that they and their political ilk have created)
as
an excuse to by bypass/overrule environmental protections.



It's the perfect storm:

 Like the conservative think tank, Mackinac Center in Midland, CIVPROS
contributors are " confidential".  The Mackinac Center is where Russ
Harding landed at the end of the Engler administration

Also worth noting that Midland Co is home to John Rappanos. Who never met
a wetland he liked.

And Midland is home to a number of elected officials who want to
eradicate the "facility" designation under Part 201 Act 451--- which
defines properties and parcels which Dow Chemical is responsible to
address for their release of a smorgasbord of chemicals including dioxins
and furans.



Michelle Hurd Riddick 


==============================================================
ENVIRO-MICH:  Internet List and Forum for Michigan Environmental
and Conservation Issues and Michigan-based Citizen Action.   Archives at
http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/enviro-mich/

Postings to:  enviro-mich@great-lakes.net      For info, send email to
majordomo@great-lakes.net  with a one-line message body of  "info enviro-mich"
==============================================================
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
All views and opinions presented above are solely those of the author or
attributed source and do not necessarily reflect those of GLIN or the Great Lakes Commission.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *