Sabotaging the "Jordan Rules"

[This blog entry has been cross posted from NC Policy Watch's weblog, The Progressive Pulse, where it was originally posted by Rob Schofield, editor.]

How polluters and ideologues are attempting to block the clean-up of a vital water resource.

In case the recent deregulation-induced meltdown of much of world capitalism wasn't enough to convince you, here's another reminder of why the myth of the infallible "free market" is just that - a myth: It's a little thing called "the environment."

The guiding premise of the market fundamentalist ideology extolled by the likes of Milton Friedman, cinema icon Gordon Gekko and Raleigh's local conservative think tanks is, in essence, that "greed is good." If humans pursue what's in their own selfish interests, goes the tired old mantra, the "invisible hand" of the market will make it all work out for the overall societal good. While the flaws in this crude and often evil ideology are plain to see in many areas, the environment is one of the most obvious examples. It is precisely this "what's in it for me?" approach to human behavior that has left modern society on the cusp of ecological catastrophe. Dying oceans, disappearing species, and a rapidly warming planet - all remind us on a daily basis that we humans are in deep trouble if we don't start working together to curb (or at least alter) our individual appetites.

Unfortunately, turning such macro-realizations into practical policy solutions on the ground (or in the air or water) can be incredibly difficult - especially when shortsighted public officials and businesspeople team up with polluters and conservative ideologues to make sure that each and every attempt at incremental regulatory improvement is the equivalent of an administrative law steel-caged death match. (more...)