|
yeah, the watchdog thing can really only work if courts uphold their right to obtain information.
But seriously, the FDA said it couldn't have done anything to close the factories or whatnot? Why could it have not just made it public information that either there were documented instances of problems or that companies were refusing to disclose that information? That doesn't seem like too much work to me.
This is a case of bureaucratic half-assedness as much as it is Bush's fault for stripping the FDA down. I can get on board with regulations, as long as they are presented sensibly and are accountable to the public - the FDA seems to be one of those cases in where government regulation does make sense. In today's world, it's politically impossible to get rid of the FDA even if we wanted to. At the same time we should realize that there are ways to improve government effectiveness without just throwing money at it.
|