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Opinion Editorial Don't allow war issue Americans face a daunting task between now and November. We must choose a president and congressional representatives who will put this country back on track. At issue are the very heart and soul of our democracy and who runs our country. So, while the war in Iraq and other foreign policy failures of the past few years overshadow the issues on the home front, the key domestic concern is who will control public policy — the big corporations or the people, whom our government is supposed to serve. That single public policy direction for this country will have an effect on more Americans than any other. Here are two recent examples that illustrate this point. The Federal Aviation Administration was embroiled in a scandal over the agency's failure to properly oversee safety inspections of commercial airliners and resisting whistleblower attempts to fix the situation. Congress dragged FAA officials into hearings last week, and The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday reported FAA safety personnel in Texas had been assigned to other duties, but they weren't fired. Whether Congress does anything and whether the Bush administration lets the FAA plead poverty as an excuse to charge noncommercial aircraft for the right to fly remain to be seen. An equally dangerous threat to the health and safety of Americans is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, which is being asked to protect drug companies from lawsuits. The industry and Bush administration are advocating the position that if the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug, the manufacturer should be protected from liability if the drug causes harm. Ample evidence exists to demonstrate that the corrupt pharmaceutical industry withholds information about drugs undergoing clinical trials. And the FDA is either incompetent or in the thrall of drug companies. Whatever the high court does, Americans need their government to take action to protect consumers. These are only two examples of federal oversight failure. More will become evident in the next few weeks. Keep this in mind as you consider your votes. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: April 10, 2008
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