wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Executive Changes at the Last Minute

Monday, December 15, 2008

Joaquin Sapien, reporter with ProPublica, and Veronique De Rugy, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, look at the Bush administration's "midnight regulations."


Comments

  • [1] granitejersey.com from Paterson NJ December 13, 2008 - 05:27PM

    Yea I knew bush was going to do something before he left office. Just wait till we see his final pardon list, its going to be bonkers. Corporate criminals left and right.


  • [2] mc from Brooklyn December 15, 2008 - 09:06AM

    Mind the mountaintop mining, concealed weapons in National Parks and rules easing protections of species when energy companies want to explore and drill.


  • [3] Samuel from NYC December 15, 2008 - 09:36AM

    Can't the new Obama team undo any mindless deregulation changes the Bush administration makes?


  • [4] adf December 15, 2008 - 09:44AM

    yes -- sam's/3 is the question.

    nobody can accuse bush of being hypocritical on what he thinks of transparency in government: on this he is perfectly transparent.


  • [5] michaelw from INWOOD December 15, 2008 - 10:06AM

    Sure Obama can undo these Bush last minute regulations however don't hold your breath.

    Obama and Bush think more alike than people want to realize.

    For example the Bush tax cuts worth billions which Obama doesn't want to repeal.


  • [6] O from Forest Hills December 15, 2008 - 10:40AM

    How about being grateful Obama won and change is on wings of flight to us!


  • [7] lucy from brooklyn December 15, 2008 - 10:40AM

    ...and another dumb decision:

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122221563395669421.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

    i've heard that whatever bills passed by the president during the lame duck session, CAN be overturned, but takes longer (6 months?) than normal. does that sound right?


  • [8] Bob from New York December 15, 2008 - 10:42AM

    Why do administrations wait until the last minute? Wouldn't it make sense to do this early in the administration?


  • [9] O from Forest Hills December 15, 2008 - 10:43AM

    Bilderberg controls all of the Presidents and all the people including Obama and the Clintons (we know who wears the pants in that one). Bilderberg controls the politics and they tell them what to d o.


  • [10] mercedes from cortlandt manor ny December 15, 2008 - 11:01AM

    I have to ask, "Why would anyone NEED to carry a concealed weapon into our nationally protected forrests?" Who is behind it politically? What legislation could ensue as a result of this regulation?

    Another question, why can't the logging industry (and others) begin to look for other means of wood? "Grow your own," perhaps? Does anyone remember the NPR piece that talked about the sounds of nature before and after logging? There were no sounds of nature (birds especially) after a few years of logging. There is no way to protect our wildlife and wildife areas if any logging is done. Why not think of saving our natural habitats as progress rather than moving in and using it? Why not spend your energy on creating alternatives rather than spending your lobbying dollars and energy on something that takes yet another piece of our earth away from us. It has been proven that wild, ecologically balanced habitats are more healthful to us than any populated area we have. Must we take over inch of this earth?


  • [11] mc from Brooklyn December 15, 2008 - 11:30AM

    mercedes #10

    Who benefits? Unknown. Who pushed it? The NRA.


  • [12] Jose A Perez from Washington Heights December 15, 2008 - 12:29PM

    The biggest problem with our judicial system is especially prominent in theses last minute legislative changes by the Bush White House; It's often very difficult to understand these laws and even harder, to understand the special interests behind them. The $700 Billion Dollar Bailout Plan is a good example, they took the money but we don't know who it's really going to, or what it will be spent on. This is a National problem, not just bush. The Obama Administration is a good beginning, we need to keep a close eye, demand more transparency and become more active in these politics that affect us so directly.


Leave a Comment

Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. WNYC reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the WNYC.org Comment Guidelines before posting.

Your comment


* required
The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party.
 
Back to Episode