In the news
A couple of one-liners about regulatory laws in Michigan and the United States earned some giggles for our comedians-in-chief during both the State of the State and the State of the Union addresses, with Gov. Rick Snyder fixating on toilet seats, and President Barack Obama reaching for a pun about spilled milk.
Out of context, regulations like these can certainly seem humorous. But the ability of government agencies to create health and safety regulations is a deadly serious matter. Right now, a number of bills designed to create hurdles in the process of making new safety rules are heading to the U.S. Senate.
Agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (and their counterparts in Michigan) have helped ease the minds of parents and consumers in an untold number of ways, from ensuring that cribs will not collapse on infants to reducing the amount of toxic mercury emitted from power plants. Adding layers of new bureaucratic processes on top of simple public health rules is nothing to laugh about.
Meghan Hess
Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM)
Ann Arbor
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