White House quietly issues OMB report vindicating Obama regulations

More facts to help expose the lie behind Libertarians Deregulation Siren’s Song.  Here's another example of Enlightened Self-Interest showing itself to be the more rational constructive way to approach our problems.  I’ll leave the rest of this story to someone who can explain it better than I can.  

These are the facts we need to learn about and share with others. 

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REGULATIONS

Contradicting Trump, OMB report highlights rule benefits

Maxine Joselow, E&E News reporter

Published: February 26, 2018 

https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2018/02/26/stories/1060074795

The White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday evening released its annual report on the costs and benefits of federal regulations, showing that the benefits of major Obama-era rules far exceeded the costs.

E&E News broke the story, but it’s only available to subscribers so I’ll relate David Roberts report from VOX.com:

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Trump White House quietly issues report vindicating Obama regulations

It was easy to miss, but OMB demolishes the GOP’s deregulatory claims.

By David Roberts  |  david@vox.com  |  Mar 6, 2018, 9:30am EST

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/3/6/17077330/trump-regulatory-agenda-omb

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For a copy of the Report itself, this has been posted by E&E News.net

   

2017 Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations and Agency Compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

   

https://www.eenews.net/assets/2018/02/26/document_pm_01.pdf\

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President Donald Trump’s administration has been on a deregulatory bender, particularly when it comes to environmental regulations. As of January, the New York Times counted 67 environmental rules on the chopping block under Trump.

¶ Open let LaPlata BoCC - re anonymous letter(s?) - February 28th, 2018

An open letter to the La Plata County Commissioners

Brad Blake

Julie Westendorff

Gwen Lachelt

February 28, 2018

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Hello County Commissioners,

I live in rural La Plata County and yesterday I was called by a neighbor about an unsettling anonymous letter received in their mail.  The letter isn't threatening per se but it does intimidate, 'we know who you are, where you live, and we don't like what you say in public!' sort of thing.  Besides the intimidation, its content is vague, inaccurate and directed at the wrong people. An angry myopic venting that deserves a response.

It’s not worth calling the sheriff, but on the other hand it is certainly worth reporting and making a big deal about since I believe it's another example of outside forces bringing high-powered ruthless political practices into our community.  It's pure poison.

Stoking hostility and misunderstanding and yes intimidation is not the American way to go, that’s the stuff of totalitarianism and hopeless conflict.

Our current land code planning controversies can only be resolved by recognizing that time does change our reality.  Our population has been exploding and population densities do matter a great deal, no matter how much our nostalgia wants to wish it away.  

Dreaming about the freedom of a bygone wild era, when the nearest neighbor was a mile or many miles away, are not going to help us deal with today’s down to Earth problems and moving into the future.  That past is gone.

Kochs' Weaponized Philanthropy Machine - MapLight.org - 2018

I fear most don’t have any conception of what’s been happening so far as the Koch machine’s hostile takeover bid on our government, with its many tentacled infiltration of local politics as exemplified by the malicious and deceptive Lachelt Recall Petition - and if you think about it, there's something downright totalitarian leaning about the multilayered smarmy operation.

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Koch-Linked Dark Money Organization Seals 2016 Tax Return Section From Public Scrutiny

Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Andrew Perez | January 17, 2018 | Maplight.org

https://maplight.org/story/koch-linked-dark-money-organization-seals-2016-tax-return-section-from-public-scrutiny/

A conservative dark money organization linked to billionaire libertarian brothers Charles and David Koch is refusing to disclose information about the size of its donations, defying IRS regulations that govern the tax-exempt entities.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the flagship political organization of the Koch brothers, spent at least $13 million to help elect Republicans during the 2016 election. It raised almost $64 million in contributions, according to its tax return.

The organization, however, last week formally rejected MapLight’s request to release a redacted section of its annual tax return that lists any donations of more than $5,000. MapLight, a Berkeley, Calif.-based money in politics watchdog, has filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service.

“AFP is secretly influencing our government and elections through more than $60 million in dark money and refusing to comply with even the minimal transparency law still applicable,” said Daniel G. Newman, president and co-founder of MapLight. “Americans have a right to information about the efforts to influence our political process by unelected, anonymous billionaires.”