Tidbits and Considerations - Good Government Edition

In a new study in the current issue of Traffic Injury Prevention the authors found that road fatalities in the United States have fallen 22 percent, primarily because of the poor economy and the increased prevalence of airbags, according to University of Michigan researchers. SOURCE

The auto industry has often been the one to implement safety features but usually following government prompts that were aimed to make them happen. A quick study of this relationship between the auto industry and the creation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows there has always been a contentious environment between the two. Though the auto industry was responsible under its own steam to install seat belts in the 1950's it was simply trying to stay ahead of President Truman's Federal Committee on Highway Safety formed in 1946 to reduce what were then alarming numbers of highway safety deaths.

The role of government in automobile safety has always been to raise the bar for an industry unwilling to implement such changes. Even today there is push-back from the auto industry to resist government changes that seek to eliminate ejection from a car during a roll over and a requirement for a backup camera in all vehicles SOURCE

The auto industry would always decry such changes would diminish sales due to the added costs to install things like automatic braking systems, airbags and traction control system which restore traction if driven wheels begin to spin, yet the record shows that not only have these saved lives but that consumers are willing to pay for them.

Japanese radiation detected in U.S. milk supplies

"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said a small amount of radiation has been detected in a sample of milk from Washington state.

Federal officials however commented that consumers should not worry. "Radiation is always around us in everyday's life. This result is not too bad compared to what people face every day, "Patricia Hansen, a senior scientist of the FDA, said.SOURCE

This is good information to know and hopefully the public won't over react to it. But concealing such information was preempted by our right to know, a responsibility that these two federal agencies are tasked to provide and which went missing much of the time when the Republicans were in control back during the Bush administration. However, with a new GOP majority in the House these are two agencies that face severe cuts from the Tea Party mentality that no cuts in spending are ever hurtful to the American people. SOURCE

And finally,

In a turn around, Tea Party candidate concedes government regulations are good.

Acknowledging that their thinking might have been skewered by a primitive perception on contemporary society, Tea Party darling Michele Bachman admitted that it's good that government agencies are there to look after the health and safety of U.S. citizens. Bachman noted too that allowing industries to police themselves can often lead to cutting corners that may help a company's bottom line but threatens to by-pass safeguards that can catch potentially hazards products and work safety issues.

Yes, this last item was an April Fools offering. Take a few minutes now to catch your breath and come back down to earth.