I found this article today, and felt it should be viewed by everyone interested in the integrity of our candidates for the presidency. For your review:
Away from the bright lights and high-minded rhetoric of the campaign trail, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has quietly worked with corporate lobbyists to help pass breaks worth $12 million.
In his speeches, Obama has lambasted lobbyists and moneyed interests who “have turned our government into a game only they can afford to play.”
“It’s an entire culture in Washington — some of it legal, some of it not,” the Democratic hopeful told a New York crowd in June, rallying support for his ethics reform agenda.
But last year, at the request of a hired representative for an Australian-owned chemical corporation Nufarm, Obama introduced nine separate bills exempting the company from import fees on a range of chemical ingredients it uses in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides. Nufarm’s U.S. subsidiary is based in Illinois.
Nufarm wasn’t the only beneficiary of Obama’s efforts to reduce customs fees and duties. In early May of 2006, two Washington lobbyists registered to work on behalf of Astellas Pharma, a Japanese-owned drug company which also has offices in Illinois.
I wish I could say the article surprises me, but it doesn’t. Does the tendency to preach about certain issues reflect concealed actions, much like Vitter’s problems right now?
To make matters worse, the chemicals involved are dangerous:
Economics aside, some medical researchers also harbor concerns over 2,4 D. Studies have purported to find a link between high exposure to the chemical and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer. Defenders of the chemical say it is safe, and note that even scientists who believe a link exists cannot explain how the chemical may cause the cancer.
Finally, Justin Hood of ABC News, and author of the article, quotes Obama:
“We need a president who sees government not as a tool to enrich well-connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as the defender of fairness and opportunity for every American,” the candidate said in his June speech. “That’s the kind of president I intend to be.”
Couldn’t agree more.
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Concerned that certain widely used lawn chemicals can cause birth defects, the state of California is taking steps to require that consumers are informed about these risks. On November 18th California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced its intention to list the herbicide 2,4-D and related compounds as developmental toxicants under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, more commonly known as Proposition 65.
“People assume that if a product is on the shelves of their local store, it’s safe,” noted Dr. Susan Kegley, Senior Scientist at the Pesticide Action Network. “But 2,4-D is far from safe. When this herbicide is finally listed under Prop 65, the public will be notified that chemicals they are using on their lawn can affect women’s ability to bear healthy children.”
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Exposure to 2,4-D in drinking water is also coming under increasing scrutiny. U.S. EPA currently uses a limit of 70 parts per billion (ppb) as the level of concern, but the Minnesota Department of Health is proposing a draft guideline of six ppb for 2,4-D, based on EPA’s own risk assessment. 2,4-D is capable of leaching into ground water, is sometimes used as an aquatic herbicide, and is used near waterways that may be drinking water sources.
The active ingredient 2,4-D and its derivatives were first marketed in 1944. These compounds have been off-patent for many years and are currently manufactured by many different companies around the world, including Dow Chemical, Agrolinz, Atanor, AH Marks (UK), Nufarm (Australia), Polikemia, Rhone-Poulenc, Sanachem, Sinochem (China) and Ufa, together with four other producers, in Turkey. The global market is estimated to be over US$300 million.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."that Hillary has done her share through co-sponsoring tariff suspensions. They are bought off so cheaply, aren’t they?