Shen writes: "The company managed to survive the many lawsuits from poisoned communities and distance itself from its toxic past - largely thanks to the help of Mitt Romney."
Mitt Romney looks at an ear of corn in Iowa. (photo: AP)
Romney Helped Monsanto Poison Massachusetts
06 October 12
new lawsuit over harmful levels of the coolant polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in Massachusetts school buildings is forcing biotech firm Monsanto Company to revisit its unsavory past. Before Monsanto became the agricultural giant it is today, the company's major product used to be PCBs, which it routinely dumped in rivers and open pits while deliberately attempting to hide the damage. The company managed to survive the many lawsuits from poisoned communities and distance itself from its toxic past - largely thanks to the help of Mitt Romney.
But now the town of Lexington is trying to hold the company accountable for the PCBs used in school construction between 1950 and 1976, when PCBs were banned by Congress. The lawsuit, which seeks to represent all Massachusetts schools, claims Monsanto should have warned manufacturers of the health and environmental dangers posed by exposure to PCBs. The chemical has been definitively linked to cancer and serious neurological and hormonal disorders.
Monsanto's corporate affairs director fired back that the company is not responsible for the outdated building: "It is our understanding that the school in question was built over 50 years ago, was poorly maintained, and was scheduled for demolition years ago since it had outlived its useful life."
Many of the schools in Massachusetts have also "outlived" themselves, partly due to the same man who helped Monsanto outlive its disastrous PCB scandal. As governor, Romney slashed state funds for local aid in 2003 and 2004, forcing towns to cut corners and enact freezes on education spending. As almost half of all municipal revenue goes toward education, Romney's austerity budgets dealt a serious blow to local schools.
Later, Romney took credit for then Treasurer Tim Cahill's plan to refinance school building assistance, which was meant to clear the more than 400 pending school construction projects in the state. Soon after the refinancing plan was passed, however, Romney froze state contributions to local school construction projects, leaving cities and towns to scramble for funds and suspend some of their backlogged projects.
Lexington's lawsuit states that more than half of the state's 1,900 schools were built between 1950 and the 1970s, making them likely to contain harmfully elevated levels of PCBs.
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Comments
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Stop Romneyhood. Stop Monsanto
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
The alternative is a disaster for us.
bo was probably afraid of picking more blood-sucking ticks. he's picked up so many on k-street, wall street, etc, that probably can't support many more of these feederz.
Monsanto is desperate need of a hair cut and Georgia Shave.
I don't think this accurately describes where the offices of Monsanto are located. You can be sure they are not followers of the carpenter from occupied Palestine.
As a Ma. resident I nearly fell out of my chair laughing ! He cut funding for schools in our state to the bare bone ! This man tells so many lies about his governorship in Ma it isn't funny !
I wish someone would call him on his real record in Ma including the billions of dollars in law suits from that no bid contract he gave this construction company that used shoddy material causing the Big Did Project to collapse killing one woman and injuring others.
Mr Romney beat feet out of town and the governorship mid term not wanting to face the consequences of his pay to play no bed contract !
This man is about as corrupt and dishonest as they come !
If you turn to "corrupt" in the dictionary, you'll find Rmoney's picture there. I continue to wonder why people keep asking what Rmoney's going to do. HE CHOSE LYIN' RYAN! Isn't that enough? Although the Liar Rmoney continues to talk about HIS budget, he has nothing - zilch, zero, nada - on paper. Ryan brings with him a budget that dismantle's the Social Safety Net as we've known it over the years. Ryan and his budget have been castigated by the Bishops and Nuns of the Catholic Church. It'll be the end of Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, education, women's health, veteran's health, minority rights, immigrant rights, LGBT rights, and a serious effort at cutting Social Security benefits. Meanwhile Ryan's Folly would alter the tax code to tax the rich even less, while practically eliminating taxes on capital gains, dividends, interest income, and the estate tax. This will spawn more billionaires and seriously cut into the well being of the middle class... not to mention the poor.
Between the R&R Boys, I don't know who lies the most, but Rmoney is the more polished liar of the two. Whereas Ryan looks like a deer in the headlights when he's trying to lie his way out of a situation. But I do know this: THE RMONEY/RYAN CAMPAIGN IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF SHIFTING SAND SOON TO COME CRASHING DOWN!
Knowing this, what choice would you make?
This man will DO ANYTHING, SAY ANYTHING, BE ANYONE to put his rancid self into the White House. Spread the word do NOT let this unacceptable thing happen. Massachusetts knows he was a lousy governor, increased unemployment and worse lied on his qualification of residence in the state to run for governor. He lived in Massachusetts then like I lived at the North Pole although I am looking into a residence there if the worst thing on planet earth should happen to this nation and that is this flip-flopper liar-in chief get elected.
Oh, but Ann says her husband's integrity is "golden", Natalie. And that's appropriate for a guy who would do anything, anybody, anywhere to get his hands on some GOLD! The arrogant "It's our turn" Ann wants the White House as badly as Mitt, but they shouldn't get a free pass without some tough scrutiny, like for instance: "Where are the taxes?"; "Tell us more about your Swiss, Cayman, and Bahamas accounts."; "Didn't you protest FOR THE DRAFT AND FOR THE VIET NAM WAR while hiding out in France?"; "How did you manage to write off $77,000 on your taxes for a SHOW HORSE???"; "Explain the details of your economic plans when you gain office? Really, aren't you going to follow the "Marvelous" Ryan budget?"; etc, etc. And I don't believe they'll hold up if the right shots are fired.
Rmoney/Ryan in the White House? It would be Bush on steroids. The Nation would be thrown back into a COMPLETE DEPRESSION!
EPA did no testing so they could slink by and did about Monsanto, Dow etc to feed the world....I saw no one protest.
Dept Of Ag is so far into pockets between welfare farmers, Corporate Farmers payoffs you cannont trust them...I saw no one protest.
Blaming OB about Monsanto I think not...we protested Monsanto over twenty five years ago. We protested Dow and Agent Orange in 60's and 70's where were you?
This just didn't start happening, Monsanto and parteners have been poisoning the USA and World for nearly a half century if not more. If any of you could really use a computer, you might see that Walt Disney wasn't such a Mouseketeer either when it came to dumping poisonous chemicals from cartoons. When we rant, we have information to back us up. When we get upset, we actually do something...Yup pies are the problem because they are so busy getting stuff esp from China, and keeping their heads in sand it is a wonder anyone bothers to post here. Where have you all been for 52 plus years?
Stop Blaming other people look at yourselves and your parents...Chang e because it isn't going to get better if you do not. Most of us who have protested are dead, ill or toooo tired to care after all none of you did.
PLEASE, do NOT vote third party. You will only reduce the chances of the one whom you consider LESS objectionable of the two candidates. Vote for the "lesser of the two"!!!!
You've lost your bet, it seems. Lucky for you there wasn't any actual money at stake.
Trying to buy GOP with niceness never worked. GOP are not nice people, they do not recognize niceness, they only recognize good in evil.
OB did not put us in Monsanto's pocket that is over half century old all the past presidents looked the other way...read up.
Romney everything Evil esp Bain.
Monsanto is sly and in bed everywhere like a GOP whore.
Round Up, Fertilizers but so many small companies that have names, pseudo names...it was on Media just how slimey they are... Kotch is slime also but they are too stupid to care if you know them. You see they produce for other companies so even if you do not buy Dixie...you are buying Kotch under a generic brand. Same with Georgia Pacific...hard to get other brands in some places, other brands are crappy.
GP is getting crappier to for their price. There is list in past RSN...I am sure the ranters here will not have the list because they have not boycotted.
Democratic White House, Democratic Senate, Democratic House of Reps... Re-elected and it feels soo good (sung to the tune of "Reunited" by Peaches and Herb circa 1982ish... :~) Did everyone FORGET the bushco fiasco already???
Right now in my county there are no signs for Biden and OB that was same four years ago Sleazy Phonies
Unless a law were enacted to prevent this whirling dervish symptom of senior executives, nothing can ever stop what we are witnessing and being forced to deal with in our everyday lives - voter suppression, planet degradation, financial improprieties, banksters continuing with their greed unchecked, drilling and fracking, an so forth.
It's depressing to contemplate that few of our "leaders" have the fortitude of Senator Bernie Sanders who has never wavered from his avowed commitments to fairness.
This is a bad rap. Yoou are judging the past by the present, not fair. No one has claimed injury from PCB's and the hormonal effects etc. are known from animal studies using far larger amounts of the toxid material than any human could be exposed to. The people pushing this (and making a bundle) are the retrofitters. This is the same as the asbestos abatement companies, who have raped shool districts for millions.
No shool children have been harmed by asbestos. The workers who breathed it and got sick worked with it during World War II. Again, judjing the past--distant past-- by the present. UNFAIR.
Of course you have an agenda: "From each according to his ability to each according his need"--Karl Marx
An amusing somewhat related story concerns my introduction to the then CEO of Monsanto several years ago. His greeting was "I was in your General Chemistry course in 1952 and you gave me a grade of D". He agreed though that my action was not all bad and this helped him decide that his career should not be in scientific research but rather in business (where he did quite
Richard Stein
Goessmann Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
University of Massachusetyts, Amherst
He will do the same as president. His self-interest will always come first and damn the rest of us.
There are just too many of these kinds of sociopaths. Even academia over morals.
Vote Obama.
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