The Stealing of America: The Bush White House - Book Report/Review Example

The Stealing of America: The Bush White House More than any other President in modern history, George W Bush's assault on America was the most devastating blow that our 200-year-old democracy has ever had to endure. In his book Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy, Robert F Kennedy Jr. details the ways in which the Bush administration dismantled the environmental laws, made a mockery of the government, and ruled with contempt for our constitutional form of government. Kennedy begins the book by detailing the years that Bush spent as governor of Texas, which became one of the most polluted states in America under his governorship. At every step of the way, Kennedy demonstrates Bush's disregard for the government, as he appointed cronies eager to get their hand in the cookie jar of corruption and greed. Kennedy makes the case that in the end our national security is at risk, our people are less safe, and the laws that were put in place to protect Americans have been set back decades by Bush's corruption and greed. Well before Bush took office as President, he was busy in Texas honing his skill at corruption. In exchange for campaign donations and favoritism, Bush was busy making a bad environmental situation in Texas even worse. As the home of oil refineries and petrol-chemical plants, Texas has had a long record of poor environmental controls. Still, Kennedy contends, "rather than remedy the situation, George W Bush set out to destroy virtually all attempts to clean up the state's tainted air, water, and land" (12). The end result, Kennedy would write, was that Texas created one of the worst environmental records in America, endangering the public's health, while he and his corporate cronies profited from the lax environmental law. Kennedy states that Texas was just Bush's training ground, as he would carry this attitude to the White House in 2001. Much of what George Bush accomplished in the way of destroying the environmental fabric of America was accomplished with the cooperation of the extreme right wing. Working with radicals such as Gale Norton, Linda Fisher, Thomas Sansonetti, and Jeffery Holmstead, Bush was packing the departments of government with people that had been prior leaders of some of the country's worst polluters. Using the organization "Wise Use", he created a coalition of people dedicated to, as founder Ron Arnold would say, "Our goal is to destroy, to eradicate the environmental movement. We want you to be able to exploit the environment for private gain, absolutely" (27). Through a series of "stealth" governmental tactics, Bush and his anti-environmental cronies, "doled out waivers that exempt campaign contributors and polluters from rules or regulations" (32). Kennedy illustrates that the White House was up for sale to the highest bidding lobbyist, and the environment was the prize. Kennedy leaves no doubt about the direct connection between corporate greed and the Bush White House. He states that as of 2004, Bush and the Republican Party had raked in over $100 million in campaign donations (96). And these investments in greed and corruption were paying off. Drawing from his close corporate ties in the energy, oil, and the gas industries, nearly two thirds of his transition team came from the oil industry (96). In addition "4 cabinet secretaries, the 6 most powerful White House officials, and more than 20 high level appointees are alumni of the industry and its allies", and filled the roster in the Bush administration (96). But the corruption did not stop at just the oil and gas industries. They also targeted coal and found ways to make the excessive carbon dioxide emissions more acceptable, or at least not illegal. Quin Shea was a top lobbyist for the big polluting Edison Electric Company and a major advocate of burning coal at any environmental cost. After working to defeat the Kyoto Agreement that would regulate CO2 emissions, Shea boasted, "We're taking steps right now to reverse every piece of paper that EPA has put together where they could call CO2 a pollutant under the Clean Air Act." (119). Kennedy further details the destruction of Appalachia as the coal industry ravages the landscape with total disregard for people's health or well being. Kennedy also dissects the paradox of the Bush administration's militant view on terrorism and right wing security extremism, while the reality is a country that is far less safe today than it was when he assumed the Office of President. For example, efforts to secure the chemical industry from terrorist attacks were labeled as "jihad against the chemical companies" (159). In 2003, in a typical Bush maneuver, the authority for inspecting chemical plants for security was removed from the EPA and transferred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to Kennedy, "From the industry's perspective, the DHS was the perfect overseer. A fledgling department with no expertise to inspect chemical plants or legal authority to require the chemical industry to implement tougher security standards, the DHS was unlikely to impose new burdens" (161). In fact, there has been little oversight of the security at chemical plants. Bush had successfully run roughshod over the environment, health, and security, while enriching his close associates and contributors in the energy, oil, gas, coal, chemical, and nuclear industries. Kennedy's book is a stark reminder of how fragile our democracy is and illustrates the power that a President has to effect policy and programs just outside the view of the public. Kennedy puts into print what many have known for years; The Bush White House was the greediest, most corrupt, and mismanaged administration in America's history. The eight years of Bush cost America dearly in term as of public health, national debt, a polluted environment, a crumbling infrastructure, poor education, and a national security at great risk. If anyone doubts the power of the President, all they will need to do is examine the eight years of Bush and see its power to destroy. The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, bills that were spawned in the Nixon era 40 years earlier, fell prey to the industry lobbyists that were waiting in the wings when Bush took office. Bush made a full frontal attack on America, and did it under the guise of conservatism and conservative American values. Bush attacked the foundation of our American way of life by having contempt for the Constitution, making a mockery of our democracy, and placing corporate greed and avarice above the good of the people and the security of the nation. The entire Bush administration, and years in office, were built upon lies and perpetuated by the deceptive practices of the people that he surrounded himself with. One of the big lies was using the label of being a conservative. 'Conservative' means conservation and an adherence to traditional values and cultural traditions. The true American conservatives do not wish to plunder the environment and destroy the beauty of America. In fact, the NRA is one of the more conservative organizations in the country. Yet, they are also conservationists. Conservative and a clean environment go hand in hand. They are, as Kennedy tells, the farmers that struggle against the industrial meat moguls, and the "traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters" (58; Backflap). Yet, Bush and his cronies were able to hijack the conservative name and hide their misdeeds behind the label. Even more puzzling was how the Bush administration was able to attract the support of the Christian Right wing extremists in his dismantling of America. The Christian religion traditionally believes in the Ten Commandments and the teachings of the bible. However, these beliefs do not reconcile with the lies, theft, deception, killing, and damage that were the hallmarks of the Bush administration. According to Kennedy, "They invoke Christianity to justify the rape of the land, violating manifold Christian precepts that require us to be careful stewards" (196). Of course, none of this would have been possible without the help of his Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney had been a long time friend of the 'Wise Use' anti-environment organization and was supported by the Christian Right. Cheney was able to reinvent the notion of 'Conservative' as a free market economist that held common enemies in the counter-culture in America. Cheney's authoritarian platform had many common foes with the Christian Right. These included gay rights, pro-choice, the feminist movement, and affirmative action. Building on these single issues, Cheney was able to get the conservatives and the Christian Right to overlook the raping and pillage that was going on just under their nose. Bush, with the help of Cheney, was able to redefine capitalism in the minds of Americans and in the public discourse. Our founding fathers warned that capitalism, a free market, and our democratic liberty came at the cost of a huge responsibility. The capitalistic free market was never meant to be the 'anything goes' atmosphere that the Bush White House operated in. It was designed to be a responsible free market with a conscious. The Bush White House disregarded the responsibility and replaced it with greed and corruption. This has been a hallmark of Bush's career. While in Texas, Bush rolled back the environmental regulations on the oil industry and allowed them to pollute unabated under a law that 'grandfathered' 1000 of the biggest polluters in Texas. These smokestack polluters were dumping nearly 1 million tons of pollutants into the Texas air by the end of the 1990s. The threat to public health was enormous as 290 schools were located within 2 miles of these smokestacks (18). Yet, while the environment was suffering and children were falling ill, nine of the biggest polluters gave $100,000 each to Bush's 2000 run for the White House (18). This was an irresponsible votes for cash scheme that enriched the polluters and furthered Bush's political career. No clear thinking American can believe that this is what our founding fathers envisioned as the free market, or one man one vote. After Bush and Cheney had hijacked the label of conservative and ensnared the support of the Christian Right, Bush went about making a mockery of our democracy in Washington. Our government works through our elected officials, but the President has a large degree of authority by way of the political appointments that he makes. Generally, we would like to think that when the President appoints someone to an office that the person has the expertise, skill, and knowledge required to fulfill the duties of the post. In this way, out government draws on the best and brightest who serve a short term in public service for the good of the people and the country. However, this was not the way the Bush White House operated. In the Bush White House, these positions were up for sale to the highest bidder, and the highest bidders were usually from the oil, coal, and energy industries, or Bush's list of long time crony supporters. This is how the government ended up with Michael Brown at the incompetent head of FEMA, who presided over the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Energy policy was being made by industry heavyweights whose only interest was profits, and not the long-term sustainability of energy. The heart and soul of Bush's energy policy was based on the Report of the National energy Policy Development Group, a group of energy industry leaders. Environmentalists and alternative energy interests were not represented in the formation of the policy. The end result was that "the report was an orgy of industry plunder, transferring billions of dollars of public wealth to the oil, coal, and nuclear industries, which were already swimming in, record revenues" (99). His appointments continued to be based on corruption and greed, and not expertise or qualifications. He appointed Anne Gorsuch to head the EPA and James Watt to head the Department of Interior. According to Kennedy, "His [Watt's] deep faith in laissez-faire capitalism and apocalyptic Christianity led Secretary Watt to set about dismantling his department and distributing its assets, selling off public lands and water and mineral rights at what the General Accounting Office called 'fire-sale prices'" (25-26). This is not the responsible capitalism that our country was founded on. It is an outright abuse of power, and a perversion of the democracy that our nation is built upon. The end result of the eight years of Bush politics and lack of moral leadership is that we are less safe, less healthy, and less able to tackle the problems that confront us. The Heritage Foundation, a 'pollution based prosperity' think tank, declared early on that the environmental movement was "the greatest single threat to the American economy, dismissing global warming, acid rain, and other environmental crises as henny-pennyism" (24). Yet, after eight years of Bush policies the economy was in shambles, credit was unavailable, banks were failing, unemployment was soaring, and the national debt had hit record levels. If pollution was good for the economy, then where were the payoffs to the public for tolerating the abuse of power and misuse of public resources' If the Bush-Cheney strategy and the Department of Homeland Security were designed to make us safe from a terrorist attack, then why are our chemical plants still at risk and the potential for a terrorist attack higher than ever' It is quite simply because the George Bush White House was built upon lies and deception. You cannot expect a positive outcome when the input is based on falsehoods, greed, corruption, and cronyism. When political offices are up for sale and qualifications take a back seat to ideology and donations, then the outcome will be what we have witnessed from George Bush. A government riddled with corruption, the treasury looted, and the democracy teetering on the verge of authoritarian rule. In conclusion, Kennedy's book should be required reading for all high school students in a course called How Not to Run a Government. Had the first chapter of this book, that detailed Bush's pro-industry and anti-environment position, been available four years earlier, Al Gore may not have only won, but also been awarded the Presidency. Kennedy shows us that Bush's problems were systemic and deeply ingrained in his ways of doing business. This should be a reminder and a warning that we need to look closely at our political candidates, and examine their past as a predictor for the future. While it is true that a politician can change views over the course of their life, Bush's problems were a part of who he was. His total disregard for the environment was not subject to change. His mode of operating with cronies and contributors was not going to change. His lack of understanding the deep personal responsibility that comes with free market capitalism was not going to suddenly develop after a lifetime of contempt for democracy. Hopefully, the Right will be able to recapture what it means to be a true conservative. We need a good solid and honest conservative movement in this country to keep the government in check. However, we do not need a liar and a thief that dresses up in the conservative cloth to ever again hijack the movement, plunder the country, and threaten the fragile fabric of the world's greatest democracy. Works Cited Kennedy, Robert F. Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. Read More

 

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