Photograph Source: Office of Speaker Mike Johnson – Public Domain
Hear it? What’s that sound? “Whoop-whoop-whoop.” It’s Washington’s revolving door, allowing corporate interests to come directly inside Congress to pervert public policy.
That door is now spinning fast, because there’s a new boss operator in Congress. He’s Mike Johnson, who was recently unanimously chosen by Republicans to be their Speaker of the House. He’s a corporate dream — an affable ultra-conservative from Shreveport, Louisiana, who consistently backs the plutocratic agenda of Big Business over workers, the poor, consumers and most other Americans.
Moreover, Johnson maintains it was God (!) who elevated him to his new position of authority, and that the Bible will guide his policy views. Well, selected parts of the Bible — don’t expect much mercy, justice, or peacemaking from this hard-core laissez-faire
For example, guess who he’s chosen to be his director of policy? Big Pharma’s top Washington lobbyist!
Dan Ziegler has been the chief influence peddler for a dozen multibillion-dollar drug giants, including Eli Lilly, Merck, and Pfizer. Ziegler has furiously opposed every legislative effort to stop the rampant price gouging by profiteering drug makers — even though 90 percent of Americans are clamoring for Congress to clamp down on their rip-offs. But we don’t control the revolving door — Mike does.
Johnson piously cloaks himself in both the Christian gospel and libertarian myth of “free markets,” yet he has consistently pushed government action to restrict competition and protect drug monopolies. Now, in his first substantive action as speaker, he is literally bringing Big Pharma inside to sit beside him in the seat of legislative power.
Drug pricing reform will soon come up for a vote in Congress. Before Mike’s lobbyist buddy tells him what to do, let’s demand that he re-read the Sermon on the Mount.
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