use Perl

• you are aware i assume (Score:2)

  by hfb (74)

  That the deputy administrator of the EPA is Linda Fisher....an executive at...*drumroll please*...Monsanto.
  • Re:you are aware i assume (Score:1)

    by ajtaylor (1283)

    Please tell me you are kidding! Am I stoned or is this a clear case of conflict of interest?! And Monsanto is the company on trial in Alabama ( my home state :-) ) for contaminating a whole town w/ PCB's. Hmmm.... how do people get away w/ these type of things?

    --
    "Perl users are the Greatful Dead fans of computer science." --slashdot comment
    • Re:you are aware i assume (Score:1)

      by pudge (1)

      Well, she WAS an executive at Monsanto. She no longer is, of course. That would be a clear case of conflict of interest, yes. But it isn't any conflict of interest.
      • Re:you are aware i assume (Score:1)

        by ajtaylor (1283)

        But still it seems like a potential conflict. Just because she is no longer on Monsanto's payroll doesn't mean she could not be influenced. Surely she must still have friends in high places there...

        I guess what I'm getting at is that we should take a long look at where people come from before they get into important offices like this one. No, she doesn't work for them anymore. But is it likely she will be "friendly" to them? Probably. Could she also make impartial decisions? Probably. But how do we know?

        --
        "Perl users are the Greatful Dead fans of computer science." --slashdot comment
        • Re:you are aware i assume (Score:1)

          by pudge (1) on 2002.02.26 14:07 (#5153) Homepage Journal

          Yes, she could be influenced. So could anyone. Clinton's Chief of Staff -- perhaps the most powerful man in Washington, aside from the President himself, because he runs the White House -- Mack McLarty left the White House to take a job at Enron. This was shortly after Clinton and Ken Lay had gotten together to discuss a few things about energy policy. Was there a conflict of interest there? I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not.
          
          The point here is twofold; first, the obvious, that this kind of thing happens all the time, and in both parties. Political organizations and business organizations with strong political interests often share personnel, including and especially executives and lawyers.
          
          Second, related to that, is the idea that it is unfair -- that is, according to American tradition -- to say someone shouldn't be able to have a particular job because of related work in past jobs. There's no real evidence from what I've seen that she is any more susceptible to influence by Monsanto than anyone else Monsanto has had dealings with, including Congresspeople and Senators from Alabama.
          
          I think it is far more interesting to point at specific viewpoints or actions by Fisher and say how they are inappropriate or wrong-headed etc., than to try to paint her as being unduly influences by Monsanto ... unless, of course, there's some real evidence that such undue influence is taking place. Maybe there is, but for all I know, Linda Fisher was against the Monsanto actions in question, and left the company because she was fed up. It is possible, and the point is that we just don't know.
          
          You want a real conflict of interest? The HEAD of the EPA used to be governor of NEW JERSEY! :-)
          

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          • Re:you are aware i assume (Score:1)

            by jjohn (22)

            You want a real conflict of interest? The HEAD of the EPA used to be governor of NEW
                  JERSEY! :-)
            

            I very nearly was going to take a crack at that, but I figured: too easy. New Jersey gets a bad rap for Newark (which is a frightening example of urban ruin and decay). Trenton and the coast are very pleasant indeed.
            • Re:you are aware i assume (Score:1)

              by pudge (1)

              I worked next door to Trenton for awhile (in Princeton), and while Princeton is pleasant, I really can't say the same for Trenton. Maybe "tolerable" is better. Actually, I think the nicest parts of New Jersey are inland, the northwest portions, where there's a ton of forest. The worst parts are all adjacent to the turnpike. Too bad that's half the state.