ArcaMax

A major political group says that to solve America's environmental problems, we must let Big Oil have more control over public policy. That group is Big Oil.

Indeed, such giants as Exxon and Shell Oil have long complained that environmentalists, consumers, and other busybodies keep using legislation and lawsuits to interfere with their environmental "innovations." But now, top state officials in (where else?) Texas have found a solution: Just ban the public from meddling in oil industry business.

At issue is a scheme by oil barons to sell the wastewater they use in "fracking," a notoriously destructive way of forcing oil out of the ground. It's also terribly wasteful, requiring five barrels of water to get one barrel of oil. But, "Eureka!" cried industry profiteers -- we can treat that "backwash" with some chemicals and market it as "produced water." Letting us pump this fracking product right into the state's lakes, rivers, aquifers, and other waterways, they say, will replenish the state's dwindling water supply.

But is that safe? Rather than answer, the corporate powers rushed to the governor and legislature -- not seeking protections for the people, but to protect themselves and their profits from the people. Sure enough, the state's corporate-corrupted politicos dutifully passed a law decreeing that companies producing, selling, or transporting recycled fracking water cannot be held liable for any "consequences" suffered by those using the product. Consequences? Yes, like poisoned crops, illnesses ... and death!

When the Sierra Club demanded safety studies on the obvious dangers of spewing oil wastewater on and in everything, an industry functionary scoffed, declaring: "We've studied this problem to death." Ooooo -- bad choice of words!

CAN YOU BUY AMERICA FOR $5 MILLION? ASK JBS, INC.

News flash: one of the president's media handlers has inadvertently issued a political statement that's actually true!

She didn't mean to. She was responding to the damning revelation that President Donald Trump has just given a huge government benefit to a global corporate criminal from Brazil -- after -- that corporation donated a whopping $5 million to fund his extravagant inaugural party. Trying to dismiss this obvious quid pro quo, the spokeswoman declared that Trump "is not bought by anyone."

Right. Not by "anyone," but by many ones. The most flagrantly corrupt president in U.S. history, Trump's Oval Office theme song is, "If you've got the money, I've got the time." Remember, last year he bluntly instructed Big Oil to deliver a billion dollars to him, promising he would deliver many billions worth of government favors to them. They did ... and he is.

So, now, high-tech billionaires, foreign dictators, Wall Street elites, and other oligarchs are lined up at the White House, offering personal and political gimmies to entice him to rig the system for them. Take that $5 million pay-to-play money from Brazil. It came from JBS, the global factory farm monopolist infamous for price fixing, child labor abuse, vast environmental crimes, etc. Even our anything-goes stock exchange refused to sanction JBS' immorality. But then Trump took the money and enthroned JBS in the prestigious New York Stock Exchange.

His sellout means the Brazilian bully can now raise billions in new capital through our stock market, jacking up its monopoly power over U.S. farmers, consumers, businesses, and the environment. Doing it all with a presidential seal of approval -- bought for only $5 million.

To find out more about Jim Hightower and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

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