Jose Luis Magana/AP
Who says Bush is a lame duck president? While Obama, powerless until January 20, is wrestling with the financial meltdown by remote control, Bush is busily slipping through last-minute measures that will take months, even years to unpick. The Observer pulls together a list of all the “midnight regulations” Bush is busily signing that run contrary to the spirit of the November 4 election results. One makes it easier for coal firms to dump debris from strip mining into valleys and streams. Another allows power companies to build coal-fired power stations near national parks. Another allows coal-fired stations to increase emissions. A last-gasp regulation lengthens the number of hours truck drivers can drive without rest. Another surrenders government control of rerouting the rail transport of hazardous materials around densely populated areas and gives it to rail companies. Yet another chips away at the protection of endangered species. Gun control is weakened by allowing loaded and concealed guns to be carried in national parks. Abortion rights are hit by allowing health care workers to cite religious or moral grounds for opting out of carrying out certain medical procedures. And the list goes on.