The dance begins

The other night the President gave a lengthy set of policy proposals and laws to enact his insane vision of such things as health care, environmental policy, and banking regulation. Well surprise of all surprises, like the rats returning to Capistrano to eat the dead swallows, the lobbyists and bag men for these industries have flocked to Washington lest our crazy black President actually make our lives better.

The day after Mr. Obama formally laid out his policy goals in his first address to Congress, the former chief executive of HCA Inc. unveiled a $20 million campaign to pressure Democrats to enact health-care legislation based on free-market principles.

"What you see is when the government gets involved, you run out of money and health care gets rationed," former CEO Richard Scott said Wednesday, after announcing the creation of Conservatives for Patients Rights.

Mr. Obama's ambitious agenda...threatens to disrupt the business models of a broad swath of America's biggest companies.
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The agriculture lobby quickly recoiled Wednesday against President Obama's vow to "end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don't need them," though industry leaders and farm-state legislators weren't sure which government payments they'll have to defend.
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Meanwhile, an alliance of electric utilities, coal and mining companies said it will spend as much as $40 million to make sure Congress approves a global-warming plan with funding for technology to reduce emissions that includes carbon capture and storage at coal-fired plants. In his speech, Mr. Obama called for a $15 billion-a-year investment in clean-energy sources, including clean coal.

Conservative for Patients Rights? Those poor patients. In any event it's money spent lobbying they probably don't have to spend. If it goes like any other health reform, it'll be fucked up and a failure long before voting happens. You have the right to get fucked on a schedule of the health insurance industry's making. Good to see the farm industry is at least a little worried, seeing as they're the biggest welfare queens on the block and a whole raft of terrible environmental, economic, and health polices stems from the fact that we pay agribusiness to produce more than we need and artificially drive prices down on a litany of products with needless subsidies. But don't listen to me on that, listen to Michael Pollan.

Nice to see we're still going to fall for the clean coal bullshit. Millions and potentially billions on a plan that not only doesn't exist, won't exist for 2 decades at least, but is based around the idea that instead of pumping carbon into the air, let's just pump it into the ground. It's funny that the free market people all go quiet when some mentions regulating carbon emissions with a cap and trade system. Just build the smokestack facing down and pump that shit, it's the mole people's problem now.

At least we have a front line of stalwart heroes in Congress ready to stand against such incursions. LOLlerskates! No, most of this stuff is coming out of any budget because it's too esoteric for our betters to understand, while campaign donations, free plane rides, and high pitched whining from men in expensive suits isn't. Hopefully Barry is willing to fight to keep it in. We'll see...a man can dream...about decent food policy. Alright, it's a lame dream, but it's still worthwhile.