One of the Republican talking points which drives me crazy is there are too many government regulations. My response is “which regulation? I am sure there are some regulations which are unnecessary, but saying many or all regulations are bad is not correct.” (What I am really thinking is this is a mindless, unreflective, thoughtless statement. In my opinion, many Republicans rely more on ideology vs. data.)
I have the typical American belief - I don’t trust anyone whether person, company or government agency so there needs to be checks and balances. Unfortunately, human beings and institutions are fallible and some are just plain evil.
To prevent bad things happening, we need to be vigilant with regulations. Many thanks to dsteffen who has written extensively on Regulations.
FDA - Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act is a set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics.
The introduction of this act was influenced by the death of more than 100 patients due to a sulfanilamide medication where diethylene glycol was used to dissolve the drug and make a liquid form. There was no testing of the product on animals prior to introduction to the market. The owner said after the deaths, “We have been supplying a legitimate professional demand and not once could have foreseen the unlooked-for results. I do not feel that there was any responsibility on our part.”. Can you say Evil?)
Some Libertarians and Republicans would eliminate the FDA. Here are a few examples using a simple google search:
Eliminate the FDA, the Insurance Companies, and Medical Education Before They Kill You
Eliminating the FDA is a Must
That is not to say there are not problems with the FDA – see http://en.wikipedia.org/... , BUT the criticisms need to be specific and measurable.
Here are a few gross examples of no enough Regulations:
Bhopal disaster
I realize this is not an American regulation example, but it is a lack of regulation of an American company.
On December 3 1984, more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, immediately killing at least 3,800 people and causing significant morbidity and premature death for many thousands more. The company involved in what became the worst industrial accident in history immediately tried to dissociate itself from legal responsibility.
I am not a proponent of the death penalty, but if ever there was a case to execute someone – in my opinion,
Warren M. Anderson CEO of Union Carbide should have been executed. The Indian government charged him with manslaughter not murder but he successfully evaded prosecution.
On a side note, Union Carbide cannot bleed or die in like a real human being Supreme Court!
I brought this example up because it shows how the lack of regulation kills real flesh and blood human beings.
Now for the lack of regulation …
There are probably numerous examples of the lack of regulations which resulted in bad things happening. Here are two (2):
Elk River chemical spill in West Virginia
The Elk River chemical spill occurred on January 9, 2014 when crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) was released from a Freedom Industries facility into the Elk River, a tributary of the Kanawha River, in Charleston in the U.S. state of West Virginia…Following the spill, up to 300,000 residents within nine counties in the Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area were without access to potable water… Federal and West Virginia state regulators had not inspected the Freedom Industries chemical storage site in Charleston since 1991 when the facility was owned by Pennzoil, according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Under state law, the facility had been required to have only an industrial storm water permit, which it possessed… Residents were without potable water from 1/9/2014 – 1/14/2014… Businesses, schools and hospitals were closed.
West Virginia government failed. EPA failed. (what do you think about this Mitch McConnell?)
Martin County coal slurry spill 2000 in Kentucky.
“The Martin County coal slurry spill was an accident that occurred after midnight on October 11, 2000 when the bottom of a coal slurry impoundment owned by Massey Energy in Martin County, Kentucky, USA, broke into an abandoned underground mine below… The water supply for over 27,000 residents was contaminated, and all aquatic life in Coldwater Fork and Wolf Creek was killed. The spill was 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill (12 million US gallons (45,000 m3)) and one of the worst environmental disasters ever in the southeastern United States, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.[2] The spill was exceeded in volume by the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill in 2008… ”
The Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill is probably more well know but it is the same it is worth repeating … this is the failure of two (2) government agencies – TVA and EPA. (To repeat … - I don’t trust anyone whether person, company or government agency so there needs to be checks and balances.)
There is a term smart regulation which is used by politicians like the EU and the business roundtable, but this is what is needed even by liberals. Regulations need to be cost-effective and data driven.