The Things You Don't Hear About

The Washington Post has an interesting article about how "on the last day of 2003, in an action so obscure it was not mentioned in any major newspaper in the country" the Bush administration eliminated the OSHA rules for tuberculosis testing. The article goes on to say how "OSHA has altered its regulatory mission to embrace a more business-friendly posture. In the past 3 1/2 years, OSHA, the branch of the Labor Department in charge of workers' well-being, has eliminated nearly five times as many pending standards as it has completed. It has not started any major new health or safety rules, setting Bush apart from the previous three presidents, including Ronald Reagan. The changes within OSHA since George W. Bush took office illustrate the way that this administration has used the regulatory process to redirect the course of government."

So instead of using government agencies to look out for the well-being of people, we are now using it to look out for the well-being of businesses.