Thomas, Clarence
Taylor, Michael
[2012 Sept] Meet Monsanto’s number one lobbyist: Barack Obama by Jon Rappoport
[2012 May] The Secret Weapon U.S. Lobbyists Use to Ruin Your Health While
many other nations are banning genetically engineered foods, and/or require such
foods to be labeled, Monsanto's reach into the very heart of the U.S. regulatory
agencies and political offices has ensured that most Americans are completely
unaware of what they're eating, or the many dangers of genetically engineered
crops to both the environment and animal- and human health.
Contrary to other nations, certain U.S. states are actually passing legislation
that protects the use of genetically engineered seeds and allows for their
unabated expansion! At present, no less than 14 states have passed such
pro-industry legislation. Michigan's Senate Bill 777v , if passed, would make
that 15. The Michigan bill would prevent anti-GMO laws, and would remove the any
authority that local governments may have to "adopt and enforce ordinances that
prohibit or regulate the labeling, sale, storage, transportation, distribution,
use, or planting of agricultural, vegetable, flower or forest tree seeds."
Bills like these are essentially bought and paid for through
the millions of dollars Monsanto and other biotech companies spend lobbying the
U.S. government each year. In the first quarter of 2011 alone, Monsanto spent
$1.4 million on lobbying the federal government -- a drop from a year earlier,
when they spent $2.5 million during the same quarter. Monsanto is a perfect
example of the revolving door between industry, political offices, and various
regulatory agencies. There can no longer be any doubt that Monsanto's success is
largely due to the fact that an ever growing list of former Monsanto employees
are now in positions of power within the federal government.
