DeLauro praised for consumer help

11/8/07
Taking the lead on an issue that has shoppers around the country fearing the worst, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, is demanding accountability from the Bush administration by seeking the ouster of the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Given the White House record over the past seven years, it’s likely a losing battle, but one that should be fought anyway.
DeLauro accuses chairwoman Nancy Nord of failing to do her job by actively opposing legislation that would allow the department access to more resources and authority to keep products safe. It was a stunning move, seeing a federal official argue against more money for her agency, and by itself ought to have disqualified Nord from her position.
Especially in light of recent scandals over lead paint and other hazards on toy imports, it’s vital that consumers take seriously the efforts of the federal bureaucracy to do its job. It’s been proven that trusting the corporations and importers to do the job themselves is foolish, and counting on countries of origin with far more lax health standards is also a bad idea. So it falls to our government.
DeLauro has made this cause her own, and deserves plaudits for sticking up for regular consumers. Also on her list of complaints is the acceptance of trips by Nord paid for by the industry she is charged with monitoring — a bad idea by any standards.
But the ethical transgressions are a sideshow. This is yet another case of a government official who does not believe in her agency, and does not believe it is the job of the government to perform this function. Which begs the question — whose job is it? Are parents shopping for their kids’ Christmas presents supposed to know which imported, prepackaged toys have lead paint and which ones don’t?
It’s another in the long list of tasks we trust to the government, whether we complain about the tax collector or not. And it’s yet another reason why it matters who wins federal elections, even when the contests are trivialized and well-meaning candidates disdained. And it’s another good reason to be glad we have, at least, people like DeLauro doing their best to keep an eye on things.