14 August 2004
Regulation Reform vs. Legislation
According to the New York Times on 14 August 2004, the Bush Administration is apparently using its control over eliminating government regulations of business operations to circumvent the legislative process, which the Democratic Party has the ability to obstruct. This strategy affects the enforcement of standards for the environment, occupational and consumer safety, medical privacy, and media ownership.
It is fair for the Republican administration to resort to changes in regulations to carry out its perceived mandates from the general population to modify government behavior. After all, Congress long ago abdicated the power of regulation-writing to federal departments, subject to its oversight through public hearings. The dangerous feature of the Bush Administration’s regulation-writing is its reserving the process from public oversight, in the purported pursuit of efficiency.
If regulatory reform is to substitute for public legislation, it must also be subjected to at least a surrogate for the electoral process that gives citizens ultimate control over the behavior of Congress. Particular issues are not decided by the quadrennial President elections. Even though the news media are not officially a part of the American system of government, allowing the “fourth estate” to investigate changes in government regulations is a better answer to Congressional roadblocks than evading elected representatives in secret.
According to the New York Times on 14 August 2004, the Bush Administration is apparently using its control over eliminating government regulations of business operations to circumvent the legislative process, which the Democratic Party has the ability to obstruct. This strategy affects the enforcement of standards for the environment, occupational and consumer safety, medical privacy, and media ownership.
It is fair for the Republican administration to resort to changes in regulations to carry out its perceived mandates from the general population to modify government behavior. After all, Congress long ago abdicated the power of regulation-writing to federal departments, subject to its oversight through public hearings. The dangerous feature of the Bush Administration’s regulation-writing is its reserving the process from public oversight, in the purported pursuit of efficiency.
If regulatory reform is to substitute for public legislation, it must also be subjected to at least a surrogate for the electoral process that gives citizens ultimate control over the behavior of Congress. Particular issues are not decided by the quadrennial President elections. Even though the news media are not officially a part of the American system of government, allowing the “fourth estate” to investigate changes in government regulations is a better answer to Congressional roadblocks than evading elected representatives in secret.
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