Everyone knows big business does not like to be regulated. They say they can and do regulate themselves, yet everyone knows big business keeps exposing their own lies. The latest violation of regulations involves Volkswagon and Halliburton, two giant companies. The Times Picayune recently carried both stories which most news media outlets just winked at.
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn admitted his company installed stealth software on over 11 million diesel Volkswagen that the software switches its engines to a cleaner mode during OFFICIAL EMISSIONS TESTING and then switches off again giving the cars more power while emitting as much as 40 times the legal pollution limit during actual driving according to the EPA. Volkswagen said they were dishonest with the EPA, the California Air Resources Board and all of you.
The EPA said Volkswagen could be fined $37,500 per vehicle and that any one found personally responsible is subject to a $3,750 fine per violation. This was a deliberate act by Volkswagen to by pass federal and state regulations concerning automotive emissions. Volkswagen's CEO resigned a few days after the public disclosure. This writer bets Volkswagen will give him millions in payout even though the deceit happened on his watch.
Halliburton reached an agreement with the U.S. Labor Department to pay 1,016 workers $18.3 million in back overtime pay. Halliburton routinely classified those workers incorrectly as not entitled to over time pay. Failure to pay overtime wages to qualified employees is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Labor Department has been investigating the energy sector for several years where federal officials suspect workers are classified incorrectly. The Labor Department said Halliburton also did not keep accurate records of the hours worked by employees. It should be noted that Halliburton is one of the largest service companies in the oil and gas industry and it certainly employs enough managers to make sure their employees are classified correctly.
Both companies are profitable companies who looked for ways to get around regulations and were caught by two agencies of the federal government. And conservatives think the federal government can not do any thing right and big business can do no wrong. Yes, my fellow Americans, our country and its people are protected from corporate wrong doing and deceit by Democratic administrations while republicans continue to give big business a pass and excuse for deregulation.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
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