Corruption Archives – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Chemical Safety Sacrificed on the Road to GDP

June 4, 2026/0 Comments/in Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Kirsten Stade, Limits to Growth, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

Trump’s second-term regulatory rollbacks have already undone decades of progress in protecting public health and the environment. Not surprisingly, the safety of agricultural chemicals is among the casualties of this deregulatory fervor.

The president’s single-minded pursuit of GDP growth has meant ordering the production of more herbicides. It has meant intervening to protect their manufacturers from lawsuits, when those downwind get cancer or lose their crops. It has meant stacking his administration with former chemical industry lobbyists.

Spring: Ever More Silent

May 14, 2026/4 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Consumption, Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Pollution, Population, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood and Marwa Ebrahem

Humans have come to rely on chemicals not only to increase the fruits of our agricultural labor but also to stop other species from partaking in the feast. And the toll exacted by these “pest”-killing chemicals is immense.

Over 60 years ago, in Silent Spring, Rachel Carson detailed the effects of DDT, the first widely used chemical pesticide, on ecosystems and human health.

Eliminating Public Comments: Another Bow to GDP

May 7, 2026/4 Comments/in Autocracy, Corruption, Democracy, Economic Growth, Governance, Kirsten Stade, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

The public’s ability to weigh in on vital matters impacting human health, safety, and our ecological footprint is under grave threat. As part of its aggressive campaign of deregulation, the Trump Administration has been eliminating the opportunity for public comment on rules made by federal agencies.

In the early months of 2025, the Trump Administration issued a series of Executive Orders that declared economic growth a priority.

Selling Off Public Lands: The Push to Privatize a Public Treasure

March 5, 2026/0 Comments/in Conservation, Corruption, Democracy, Economic Growth, Kirsten Stade, Politics, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

The Trump Administration, in its dedication to self- and industry enrichment, is hoping to sell a sacred cow: public lands. And while many such efforts have been defeated in the past, the current no-holds-barred growth regime elevates their chances of success.

Federal lands are set aside in all 50 U.S. states for the benefit of all Americans. Primarily in the American West, these lands span 640 million acres of natural resources,

On Public Lands, a Feeding Frenzy for Growth

February 5, 2026/5 Comments/in Conservation, Corruption, Economic Growth, Endangered Species, Energy, Fossil Fuels, GDP, Kirsten Stade, Limits to Growth, Politics, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

American public lands management has always embodied a tense balancing act between conservation and exploitation. Too often the balance has tipped in an unsustainable direction. But the Trump Administration appears determined to break the scale, with unprecedented efforts to sell out public lands to extractive industries.

Four agencies manage most federal lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior,

The New Food Pyramid: Packing the Plate for GDP

January 15, 2026/20 Comments/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Governance, Politics, Steady State Herald, Trophic Theory of Money /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

Say what you will—pro or con—about the nutritional merits of the Trump Administration’s new food pyramid, but the thing is a masterclass in political artistry. It systematically serves vested interests, a political party, and an ever-competing president. And, I’ll argue, it’s subtly designed for a surge in GDP.

On its face, it certainly is an artistic endeavor, designed to grab you from several angles. The first thing to catch your eye is its surprising disposition.

Investors Profit from the Affordable Housing Crisis

December 31, 2025/7 Comments/in Corporate Reform, Corruption, Economic Policy, Governance, Inequality, Money and Investments, Steady State Herald, Wealth, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by Amelia Jaycen

Today, we see endless suburban sprawl and no shortage of stories about the U.S. affordable-housing crisis. So, why aren’t there enough homes yet?

The story is one of “artificial scarcity,” in which there are plenty of means to close the affordable-housing gap, but scarcity is created by investment companies buying up homes. Investors own 20 percent of single-family homes in the United States. Loopholes in the U.S.

Federal Land Management Reaches Full Sellout Under Trump

December 18, 2025/4 Comments/in Autocracy, Conservation, Corruption, Economic Policy, Endangered Species, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Governance, Kirsten Stade, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

While U.S. federal land management agencies have seldom been bastions of conservationist vision, their level of regulatory capture has reached a new high in the Trump era. From opening up protected areas to oil and gas development to efforts to sell public lands outright, the current administration and Congress are looking to turn over public lands to extractive industry for its private profit.

We are in a new era of public lands mismanagement,

Revisiting the Fight for the Final Forest

December 11, 2025/1 Comment/in Conservation, Corruption, Dave Rollo, Economic Policy, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Limits to Growth, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

By Dave Rollo

The fight to save Sledge Forest in New Hanover County, covered in the Steady State Herald this past spring, continues in earnest. As reported then, Hilton Bluffs—a massive, 4,000-unit development—pits county residents against Copper Builders, an outside developer. The proposal threatens what locals refer to as “The Last Forest.” The community’s resistance, spearheaded by the group Save Sledge Forest, has continued and grown,

Labour’s Military Spending Undermines Climate Goals

December 4, 2025/6 Comments/in Climate Change, Corruption, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Materials use, Money and Investments, Peace, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Darryl Rigby

As Edwin Starr once sang: “War, what is it good for?” If we’re to believe the United Kingdom’s Labour Party government, it’s good for boosting GDP and protecting your population from the existential threat of Russia.

But one thing increased militarisation most certainly isn’t good for is the environment. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently announced his plan to steadily increase the defence budget over the next decade.