Over reach of regulatory agencies--the deep state

NPR--liberal:  "The U.S. Supreme Court wrestled Wednesday with the implications of overturning a nearly 40-year-old precedent that could weaken the way the federal government regulates, well, everything.

A system in place for decades has governed how judges review curbs on air and water pollution, gun safety measures and workplace protections. But conservative legal foundations and business groups have urged the court to scrap that system, arguing it hands too much power to federal agencies at the expense of Congress and the judiciary.

Several of the court's conservative justices expressed deep skepticism of the current framework. But all three left-leaning justices offered support for keeping the system in place. And Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, raised concerns about "inviting a flood of litigation" if they reversed course."

Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that could weaken federal rulemaking : NPR

Daily Signal--conservative: "The U.S. Supreme Court took up two cases Wednesday regarding the regulatory authority of the federal government as fishermen argue that government agencies are exceeding their authority by imposing costly mandates.

In Loper Bright Enterprises vs. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. vs. Department of Commerce, fishermen are challenging administrative law, dubbed “Chevron deference,” that asserts that when a federal statute is ambiguous about specific regulations, courts should defer to the implementing agency’s interpretation of the law.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration implemented a rule in 2020 forcing fishing companies (such as Relentless Inc.) to pay for federal observers to monitor the fishermen at sea on their own fishing boats—even though Congress did not give the agency authority to do so."

https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/01/17/supreme-court-hears-fishermens-challenges-to-costly-regulatory-authority-of-feds/?

NJB opinion:  Both Democrats and Republicans lean heavily on long-time bureaucrats to carry out their agendas, however Democrats also have the power of academe in their corner. Few conservatives can even get hired at major, powerful universities, let along make it through P & T. That limits their ability to get past the gatekeepers at the journals and print media. So we have the revolving door of CDC, FAA, EPA, FTC, FCC, FDA CFPB, etc. plus all the "tools" and "acts" and lobbyists and union leaders who control these groups. The liberal media are screaming that the SCOTUS could "gut" or "strangle" these agencies. Without ever mentioning the constitution. Or what's happening to us, the citizen/voter.

A friend says we need to pray about the SCOTUS decision: I'm all for prayer; Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. But it also wouldn't hurt Christians to be informed. What if each young mothers Bible Study group chose to look at just ONE agency/act /regulation that the federal, state and county governments are doing about foster care, trafficking of children, Head Start, safety of playgrounds, SNAP, school nutrition, and so forth. There are probably thousands. Sometimes church involvement is limited to applying for grants which in turn puts the government in the middle of the church via its budget.

Biden's EO 13990 and EO 14008 on Climate

"On January 20 and January 27, 2021, President Biden signed two executive orders (EOs)—EO 13990 and EO 14008—to deploy an “whole-of-government” regulatory agenda to rapidly phase out the production and consumer use of conventional energy. The goal is to halve U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (relative to 2005 levels) and ultimately reach “net zero” emissions by 2050.

With these two orders in the first week of his term, Biden took his hands off the wheel and let regulatory agencies do the rest of the job via obscure rulemakings, guidance, reports, standards, and bureaucratic forms. For example, the Federal Reserve, Department of Defense, and Bureau of Land Management are all currently seeking comments on new climate regulations.

It should concern every American, whether conservative or liberal, climate catastrophist or realist, that these executive orders have made nearly every agency a climate agency, regardless of its statutory mission established by Congress.

 
Most Americans haven’t heard of EO 13990 and EO 14008, and for good reason: They are busy living their lives and being productive. These two executive orders put in motion a whole-of-government regulatory agenda that is only just beginning to affect Americans’ everyday lives. (The Charge, Heritage Foundation, January 26, 2023)

Strangling business with regulations

The major regulations imposed by the Obama administration now cost Americans more than $80 billion a year—twice as much as the rules issued by the Bush administration at the six-year mark, according to a Heritage Foundation report released today.

The report, “Red Tape Rising: Six Years of Escalating Regulation Under Obama,” documents an increase of 27 major rules in 2014, which brings the administration’s total to 184.

http://dailysignal.com/2015/05/12/the-obama-administrations-major-regulations-cost-more-than-80-billion-annually/

Anthropogenic global climate change

That big word means simply, "human caused,"--it's the same word stem as "anthopology" the study of humans, or "anthopomorphic," giving God human qualities or attributes. Anthropogenic global climate change theories and worries may be the absolute height of ANTHROPOCENTRICITY, the belief that humans are the most significant entity of the universe and everything must be interpreted in terms of our experience, especially science. Are you ready to come down a notch or two.

The human contribution to the greenhouse effect is 0.28%. Ocean biologic activity, volcanoes, decaying plants, animal activity, etc. (none of which we can control) accounts for 4.72%, and 95% of it is caused by water vapor. Feel better now? Less guilty or more helpless? If these stats make you feel more helpless, it's because of your wanting to feel powerful, the root is your anthropocentricity. If you feel less guilty, then you probably suspected all along they were feeding you a load of crap.

And here's some more. The human contribution to sources of CO2 emissions is 3.4%. Nature does the rest--96.6%.

Every region, state and city seems to be writing and passing standards and legislation for either green house gases, or CO2 emissions or both while we the voters watch Dancing with the Stars or cheer the Buckeyes or pull our hair out over the Bengals. Wake up America. They are stealing our country (what we haven't already destroyed with sloth, gambling, pornography, hedonism, and turning away from God) with massive e-regulations you never voted on that will put Kyoto to shame. The EPA is expanding at such a rate, that the head may soon have to fight Hank Paulson to determine who is the most powerful!

Ohio is already loaded with this alternative-save-the-planet stuff, with only lip service being given to the economic advantages of clean coal, which is God's stored sunshine and energy just waiting for us to be grateful. And don't you think the rest of the country isn't eyeing Lake Erie--the next battle over water will make fights over oil look like squabbles on the playground!

Read this policy analysis on the expanding authority of the EPA.

The green clergy

If environmentalism is a throw back to the pantheism the Christian missionaries faced down after Pentecost, the new age religion that has been growing like a destructive mold on our college campuses since the 1960s, the robes of its well organized clergy are "green." My husband's professional architectural, engineering and construction magazines and e-zines are so loaded with this religious hype and jargon it is astounding. Here are a few quotes from the latest issue of Buildings. (The editor says that readers of Buildings are the key decision makers in the commercial and institutional buildings market, and although that may just be trade hype, these same ideas are reflected in all building related materials and publications, but especially in the college courses. If he chose to, my husband could do nothing but attend professional credit classes on this stuff.)

Being green is more than just a practice, however, it's a process, a culture, and a belief system. "Green," "environmental" and "sustainable" are more than just labels. They're practices that include every aspect of business: invention, definition, construction, production, and the ultimate disposal of the product. . . The green trend continues to grow exponentially. . . the greatest impact that green building can have in the commercial arena is on a company's most valuable resource: its people. (long list here of all the health advantages, especially respiratory illnesses) Then it turns to the other green--money. "It's hard to understand why any business or consumer would be hesitant about going green. An investment in commercial green practices is ultimately returned in the long run. . ." p. 32, May 2008

Wow. What a market. Land in most cities has become very dear--let's just grab some neighborhoods, declare our right to do this so "the people" will have better air circulation and lower density, and build something new and green. Let's promote it as more healthy, something that will emit less CO2. Then let's forbid cars or tax them into disuse, get rid of those smelly buses and install a trolley line.

Some 19th century buildings might be saved if they can be declared historic, but look out 20th century! This means tearing down or rezoning just about everything built in the 1970s and 1980s, not that this would be a huge loss from an aesthetic viewpoint, but most of these were designed for what were current ideas at that time about energy (air tight), and they caused huge problems for air circulation and hazardous materials. They will also be extremely difficult to carry to the dump, because of all the new green regulations. And the stuff with asbestos or lead paint? We've been tearing those down for years creating jobs for lawyers and regulatory agencies, not to mention haulers and dump truck operators. There will be litigation, more regulation and in general, only the largest and wealthiest builders and developers will survive, more low income people will be pushed out of their homes and jobs, and in general, red tape will become green.

Americans are losing their representative form of government to regulatory agencies. The latest polar bear scam is just one of the more glamorous, well publicized examples. There are thousands and thousands of green candles being lit down the road as this religion converts more and more sensible, thinking people into mindless believers. I'm not sure what the bread and wine will be, but it will have a green tinge.