“I’m going to slash government regulations!”  Candidates for office

Who is their audience for this absurdity?

This is my simple take on a very complex issue.

Many candidates for office talk about cutting regulations.  What are they talking about?  Why doesn’t the media ask them what regulations they want to cut? One presidential candidate wants to cut food regulations?  Cut the Food and Drug Administration rules that govern food production, cleanliness, food packaging and temperature? Ridiculous!

Do we really want less regulation on financial institutions? What have we learned from Wells Fargo? Should we allow banks to cheat their customers like Wells Fargo did?  I had a problem with U.S. Bank selling my credit card number to a health club. It took months to get my money back after unauthorized charges were placed on my credit card. Banks need to be regulated!

David Brooks has said, that capitalism without  a moral compass is a failure.  As evidenced by this presidential race, we have lost our moral compass.  Capitalism/for-profit businesses should NOT be deciding what standards they want to follow. Does it work to let corporations set their own rules about polluting our water and dirting up our air when profit is a top priority? What do you think?

Regulations and standards are to keep the public safe.  Sometimes rules seem extreme, but they keep us safer regulating our workplaces, food, many products, and other necessary things.

Self regulation does not work.  Farmers in the United States were given a pass in the Clean Water Act.  They think they can regulate themselves.  Is that why the corn and soy bean belt in the United States has dangerous nitrate levels in their drinking water? Business and Republicans think regulations are too expensive.  But communities, such as Des Moines, with polluted water pay enormous amounts of taxpayer money to clean their water.  Smaller communities often must drink and use this dangerous water.

This is a wonderful story of farmers regulating themselves and trying new things to protect our water resources. Read it here.

Then there is the drug industry.  Is there anyone that thinks their self-regulation and monopolies are working? MORE regulation is needed of the drug industry!!

It is less expensive to keep from polluting our air and water in the first place, but of course business doesn’t have to pay for the pollution and sick people they create.  Five million people die from air pollution every year.

Never vote for a candidate who promises to cut regulations. They can’t be trusted with the health of people or the earth.  They are not for what is good for our children, wildlife nor for the good of human beings on this planet!  In the long run clean-up is more expensive than doing the right thing in the first place.

Clean Air Act

http://time.com/4219575/air-pollution-deaths/