MSM aflutter over new law

There are some 66,000 chemicals being used right now, and our government only regulates something like a few hundred. It’s only ever banned something like five. Due primarily to “trade secrets” legislation, the EPA can’t even study most of them, much less apply new regulations.

I read righties condemning the EPA constantly for “crushing business” with regulations. In reality, it’s always been hamstrung by politicians — from both parties — and mostly goes after the lowest hanging fruit. It can’t go after thousands and thousands of potentially deadly compounds in our air, water, food, land, etc. etc. It’s not allowed. And with the TPP, there is even less ability to regulate. Trade agreements tend to always empower Capital to sue against proposed regulations and so on. And in recent trade agreements, foreign nations have newfound powers over our public safety regulators, if it can be shown that they might cause some difficulties for for-profit companies. Judges are invariably sympathetic toward the business view, from the getgo.

Everything is commodified, or about to be, and capitalism has become an almost sacred religion which can not be questioned.

Which reminds me: I wish the political compass test had some questions about capitalism itself, and alternatives. Like, asking if we favor public ownership of the means of production and so on. Asking if we thought it was moral or ethical for one person to be able to own another, even if it’s just for eight hours a day. I wish it had more things that were directly in the leftist wheelhouse.

It does build upon Adorno’s F Scale, with some of the questions being close to exact translations. . But I think it should include a lot more from leftist traditions. Broaden the scope a bit. All in all, it’s one of the best online, regardless.