I’m pro-the initiative process in theory. But man alive does how much money gets thrown at it make me not like it in fact.
Major agribusiness companies and grocery chains appear set on a “Shock and Awe” approach to defeating Initiative 522 on Washington’s November ballot, and have poured nearly $9 million into the cause over the last two days.
The latest big bucks include $3.2 million from Dupont, on top of $171,281 previously given; a $562,000 pledge from Dow Agrisciences and a $500,000 pledge from BASF Plant Science. Montsanto made the biggest investment earlier in the week with a $4.5 million contribution to the No-on-522 campaign.
I mean really, $9 Million in just two days. That attempt to buy having the law what they want is just stunning. Even if you don’t like food labeling, that should be enough to put you into the “sure, why not” camp. I can’t imagine anyone thinking Dow and Monsanto should be able to keep the law as they like it if they have enough money. But we’ll see.
That said, I would be interested in how well the frankenfood industry does here. The last few examples of big industry buying their way to success in the initiative process (Costco’s liquor store privatization, the plastic industry defeating the Seattle bag fee and the junk food industry keeping extra taxes off sugary foods*) don’t bode well. But, I’d suspect that labeling is more popular than taxes and liquor stores. This might be a tougher task than those.
* This list originally had the income tax, but since the Gates family and others supported it, it had money on both sides, and wasn’t quite the same dynamic.
As far as I’m concerned, the voters deserve the high liquor prices they got by disbanding the Sho-Shu-List state liquor store system.
As far as I’m concerned, the voters deserve the high liquor prices they got by disbanding the Sho-Shu-List state liquor store system.
Of course they deserve the high prices, they ASKED for their taxes to be raised, then were shocked because they didn’t read what the initiative said.
I’m loving this. Look at how much money Big Ag has to throw out there to defeat a handful of hippies on a shoe string budget!
My only question is, who do we make spend their millions next?
So how much did liquor prices go up?
Not that I much care.
I’m working on a case of ale purchased a year ago.
@4 My only question is, who do we make spend their millions next?
Why not go after all of them?
How about an initiative to end corporate personhood and special rights.
And a second initiative to restore the limited lifetime provision for corporations. Say every 10 years a corporation must prove its value to society or it is discorporated.
And a third initiative to restore criminal liability to a corporation’s officers for the criminal activities of a corporation.
One thing that really infuriates me is we pay the FDA 2.5 BILLION dollars a year to protect us from just this sort of abuse. By placing former(?) employees in places of power in the agency they have in large taken control of it. Our tax dollars are being used to promote corporate gain and do little to defend us from the very abuses this agency was designed for. This is just one example of many. Until the corporate control is removed from Washington we would do better to wipe our collective asses with our tax dollars. The FDA has become a piggy bank for the biotech industry. A few million dollars placed in strategic places and you gain control of billions. This is a crime- one worthy of a capitol offense verdict.
@7