You have to hand it to the Bush administration, they are really good at accomplishing the tasks at which they are interested. You see, the whole crew has two basic points of focus; expanding presidential power at the expense of the judiciary and legislative branches of government, and destruction of any government oversight or regulation of business interests. Throw in a generous helping of disdain for virtually any government function, and you have yourself a Bush administration.
Here's a good example of how the Bushies are perfectly willing to sacrifice people's lives in defense of every effort to avoid any regulation on business - "Popcorn Lung." You may have heard of it from the several news reports which have covered the issue in the past six months or so.
Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a
microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was
modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a
rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.
Within months, they concluded that the workers became ill after exposure to diacetyl, a food-flavoring agent.
But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
charged with overseeing workplace safety, reacted with far less
urgency. It did not step up plant inspections or mandate safety
standards for businesses, even as more workers became ill.
Ok, so after all of the news reports, the State of California has moved to ban diacetyl, and its enactment seems likely soon. Since the Bushies had appointed industry lobbyists to administer the Federal OSHA, those guys were not going to act on their own to regulate the substance. In fact, during the whole Bush administration, OSHA has not issued A SINGLE rule on workplace safety, not a single one.
Since OSHA has been captured by the manufacturers which it is supposed to regulate, the only way to ban this substance is through legislation in Congress. In fact, Congress has done just that, and the House is about to pass a law which would require OSHA to promulgate rules on diacetyl exposure. Guess what... the Bushies have come out against the bill. What a surprise! I guess they figure that the workers whose lives are destroyed just aren't worth the bother...
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