Corporate Influence

The January 23 issue of High Country News includes an article entitled Billboard corporations use money and influence to override your vote.  The Editor’s Note column on page one is headed with “An era of increasing corporate power” and you can read the editor’s comment online under the title Billboard corporations and other big industries make their own rules. 

Another example of corporate power and influence on government can be seen in the 2012 session of the South Dakota legislature a bill to undue what some people believe was a legislative mistake gets tabled in committee.  HB1098 would have restored state permitting power on uranium mines and reversed last year’s legislation. Cheryl Rowe, Lilias Jarding, and Rebecca R. Leas wrote letters to the editor of the Rapid City Journal expressing support for this year’s proposed bill.  Other opponents of last year’s legislation from the area near where the uranium mining would take place also testified before the committee.  However, one of the bill’s main sponsors decided that the bill needed to be “refined” and that she would resubmit the new bill next year.  

The following article is taken from the West River Electric February 2012 issue of the “Cooperative Connections” magazine, page 15:

It is worth it to do a little research into the reversal of the so called ban on incandescent light bulbs.  For another explanation of whether or not there is a ban on incandescent light bulbs plus lots more information on the topic look here.  One article referred to this recent US Congressional activity as a victory for the US Tea Party.  Was it in fact a victory for the Tea Party or was it an example of the effectiveness of political influence capabilities of Koch Industries?

Okay, ignore my inference to right-wing conspiracy and ask yourself some questions. 

1.  Who benefits the most from the examples of political influence listed above?

2.  Do you like looking at the local scenery that you can see through bill boards or would you prefer to just look at the scenery without the bill boards? 

3.  Is it worth the risk of polluting our drinking water in order to make it easier for Power Tech to mine for uranium in the Black Hills?

4.  If you can save money and help the whole world save energy by changing to a light bulb that is more efficient, why wouldn’t you?

5.  Who benefits if you don’t change to the more efficient light bulb?

I would like to read you answers.