Tuesday, December 30, 2008—In our next paper, we’d like to run a list of some of the Bush/Cheney (mal)administration’s most egregious last-minute rule changes.
Visitors to this site are invited to nominate their “favorite” attempt to do last-minute damage by writing a Comment, below.
UPDATE: Thursday, January 1, 2009—For better or worse, we’re preparing to go to press. Thanks to everybody who left suggestions through Comments or e-mail. The next issue should be on the street early tomorrow afternoon.—The Ed.
How about the passive act of finalizing the formal acceptance of NewSpeak into US political language? According to 12/30’s Washington Times, “Republican Party officials say they will try next month to pass a resolution accusing President Bush and congressional Republican leaders of embracing ‘socialism,’ underscoring deep dissension within the party at the end of Mr. Bush’s administration.”
War is peace? Old hat. Bush is a socialist? Now that’s the 1984 we’ve all been missing.
The further expansion of religion by goverment decree into the health care system, with the rule allowing an insurance co, health care worker to not provide medical services that they disagree with on religious or moral grounds. This is specifically targeted at women and abortion and birth control medical services. But one could think of scenarios involving patients who are gay, or people of other religions, etc..
I guess I’d have to say 1. that the new and currently-being-refurbished coal plants don’t have to follow the rules (lax as they are!) environmentally and 2. that the land (hundreds of thousands of acres?) around national parks has been deemed okay to drill for oil.