STUFFING THEMSELVES AT OUR EXPENSE
Ahh, Thanksgiving. Americans by the tens of millions gather to enjoy a festive meal and reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. The wealthy special interests who fund political campaigns probably are the most pleased. For the funny thing is, everything about this quintessentially American ritual has been subtly shaped by--you guessed it--money in politics. Herewith, a Thanksgiving holiday guide to all the special interests who have taken an bite off your table.
Start with the trip home, one of the busiest travel days of the year. You probably don't remember the Airline Passenger Fairness Act, which would have required the big airlines to be more open with consumers about fare hikes and scheduling delays. That's because that bill was replaced by a feeble substitute that merely called on the airlines to be nicer. Time magazine reports that "in the weeks preceding a key Senate vote on the airlines' substitute, almost $300,000 in soft money went gushing into the accounts of both parties." Since 1997, the airline industry has given just over $6 million in campaign contributions to parties and federal candidates, 60% to Republicans.
Assuming you drove to dinner, did you notice all the giant, gas- guzzling, safety-endangering, global-warming S.U.V.s on the highways? Congress once again voted this fall to prevent the EPA from raising fuel efficiency standards and extending them to cover light trucks. For that, GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and the United Auto Workers--the chief opponents of any change in CAFÉ standards--are thankful they've given more than $8.8 million to federal candidates and parties since 1995, outspending environmental PACs by nearly 6 to 1.
Special interests are sitting right there at the table with you. For starters, Grandma's recipe for cranberry sauce, if it's got any sugar in it, cost more to make than it should. Consumers pay an estimated extra 10 cents for every pound of sugar, because of the federal price supports on sugar, which have been kept in place thanks to $3.5 million in contributions from sugar and beet producers since 1997. One sugar producer alone, the Fanjul family of Florida, gives nearly a million in campaign contributions and gets an extra $65 million a year back thanks to the inflated price of sugar.
Is the turkey cooked safely? It better be. Despite dramatic changes in the technology of meat and poultry production, food safety practices have not changed appreciably since Teddy Roosevelt's day, when Congress mandated carcass-by-carcass inspections. That's why one epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control says, "We recommend that you treat all meat as though it were contaminated." Amazingly, Agriculture Department inspectors do not have the power to assess civil fines for unsanitary conditions in meatpacking plants. The reason: Since the beginning of 1995, individuals and PACs connected with the meat and poultry industry have given nearly $6.9 million to congressional candidates and party committees. The industry has also turned back proposals from the Clinton Administration to increase user fees to pay for more meat and poultry inspections. Umm, pass the potatoes?
So you're done with dinner and want to relax with the latest entertainment on cable? Then don't think about how much your cable bill has gone up since Congress deregulated the telecommunications industry in 1996. The average consumer has seen their bill rise about 21 percent in the last three years, almost four times the inflation rate. The communications and electronics industry invested heavily in the passage of the Telecommunications Act, donating $23.7 million to congressional candidates in 1995-96. The cable industry, a smaller but by no means insignificant subset of that group, has fought hard to keep Congress and the regulatory agencies from reviewing the law and possibly capping rising cable rates, giving a total of at least $3.4 million since then.
Ready to drive home? Be extra careful. Last year, the combined efforts of the liquor lobby and the restaurant industry prevented Congress from imposing tougher mandatory standards against drunk driving. Happy Thanksgiving!
