``I try. Money for Nothing, the Corporate Mugging of America, delves into how deliberate and collusive the government / corporate / Wall Street alliances and strategies across the energy, telecoms and banking industries were and are, using details of some of the recent scandals in those sectors as illustrative cases.
Also, it takes issue with the regulatory bodies (FERC, FCC, SEC) supposedly designed to 'protect the public interest', but who were in fact, MIA. This, against the backdrop of over inflated stock, debt, capacity, and fraud.'' Nomi
-----------
Well, cool. That was certainly an easy sale. I'll keep an eye out for it.
One detail I came across in internet searches, but don't remember where, and don't remember seeing it noted elsewhere are the de-regulation lobbies, with names like `Electric Choice Consumer Education'---the one under Nora Browell. At least some of them were created through some bogus front `foundation' by Tom DeLay, TX (R).
They go by names like Consumer Choice and of course Electric Choice, Power to Choose, etc..... in Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, California. But there are others in other states. These were political lobby groups that paraded as bringing `free market' choice to consumers of state regulated public utilities. They were basically shock troops in the wave during the mid-90s to destroy state controlled public utilities and they were everywhere, drumming up debates and creating a fog of bogus issues (who needs choice to flick on a light switch?)
So, I've never read about or seen a detailed linkage laid out between these public utility lobby groups, the electric power and natural gas companies, the respective PUCs in various states, and the elected officer holders like Tom DeLay (TX-R). There were similar groups drumming up the telecomm de-regulation fandango over land lines, cell phones, cable tv networks, and internet providers with probable linkages to assholes like Trent Lott (MS-R), and Thad Cochran (MS-R)---home state for WorldCom, and yet other schemers and swindlers in California who slavishly enacted whatever Silicone Valley wanted.
And then there is water.... Oh, never mind.
But the other sector I am personally interested in are the equally phenomenal swindles, frauds, collusions, and outrages that interlock the whole `health' care industry. The rough outline weaves together federal research grants, academic bio-science, medical and agricultural corporations, the drug industry, HMOs, Medicare and all their respective regulatory agencies, along with their requisite political hacks who populate all the congressional oversight subcommittees---all those wonderful folks who bring us the brave new world of frankenfoods, three eyed babies, human organs for sale, and wheelchairs that go bump in the night. It is all about commodifying the entire bio-sphere and merchandizing all the lives and breaths.
In this latter world of `health' care (death on the installment plan) all the neo-cons, neoliberals, and free marketeer swindlers run straight into the froth-at-the-mouth fundies, paleo-cons, and Repugnants-who-just-don't-get-it, in a wild theatrical farce of para-military anti-abortion groups, tragic mothers on Opra, bio-ethicists justifying euthanasia, bio-tech miracle of the week, various cons on privitizing social security, and god knows what else.... There is also a whole world of HMOs and medical groups who are attached to privitized prisons, or are under state contracts for other public `facilities'... branding Mengele-lite.
It leaves me breathless in wonderment. What ludicrous shit.
Chuck Grimes