Bush Aides Rush to Enact a Safety Rule Obama Opposes

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Labor Department is racing to complete a new rule, strenuously opposed by President-elect Barack Obama, that would make it much harder for the government to regulate toxic substances and hazardous chemicals to which workers are exposed on the job.

The rule, which has strong support from business groups, says that in assessing the risk from a particular substance, federal agencies should gather and analyze “industry-by-industry evidence” of employees’ exposure to it during their working lives. The proposal would, in many cases, add a step to the lengthy process of developing standards to protect workers’ health.

Public health officials and labor unions said the rule would delay needed protections for workers, resulting in additional deaths and illnesses.

With the economy tumbling and American troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush has promised to cooperate with Mr. Obama to make the transition “as smooth as possible.” But that has not stopped his administration from trying, in its final days, to cement in place a diverse array of new regulations.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/washington/30labor.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

[truthisfreedom]

1. Naturally, they're going to booby-trap government as deeply as possible... like the Nazis when they

left countries behind at the end of the war.

[Hawkeye-X]

2. One of the things that Obama has to do is declare ALL Chimp's rollbacks illegal and declared null

and VOID.

Simple as that.

All Presidential decrees should be run through Congresss for approval, not unilaterally.

Hawkeye-X

[bushmeister0]

4. It's not so easy in many cases.

Propublica:

"While executive orders and rules that are not yet in effect can swiftly be reversed or altered by Obama’s appointees or his own executive orders, rules that go into effect before he takes office will be extremely difficult to undo. Rescinding a rule would require the new administration to restart the rulemaking process, which can take years and prompt legal challenges. Another strategy that has been talked about lately – getting Congress to disapprove the rules through the Congressional Review Act – carries political risks and has been used only once before.

'The problem with what the Bush administration is doing is that these rules are extremely cumbersome to adopt, and they are every bit as cumbersome to undo,' said David Vladeck, an administrative law professor at Georgetown University. 'It condemns the next administration to spend years fighting on the old administration’s agenda.'"

Propublica is tracking all Bush's midnight rules here:

http://www.propublica.org/special/midnight-regulations/

Of course, we wouldn't want to go after anyone in the Bush administration for any of the miriade crimes they've commited, because that would look like partisan retribution, right? It's like if Goering and the rest of the surviving NAZI regime told Eisenhower they'd make life difficult for the new German government if he went after them for WWII.

Let's just let bygones be bygones, OK? I'm sure the Republicans will play nice if we give them a clean slate and pretend the last eight years didn't happen.

[trollybob]

9. He's got to go thru every one of them.

After all, Bush had to have been right on one out of a thousand, don't you think? That arrogant, self-assured prick must have made a mistake in his own tiny mind here or there.

[msongs]

3. just write a new rule overuling the old rule after jan 20 nt

[AZ Criminal JD]

7. Sorry, doesn't work that way with regulations.

The Clinton administration did this in late 1992 and early 1993. The Bush administration could not reverse most of those regulations.

[Acadia Blue]

5. These pigs will do anything to hurt the average American and enrich

the corrupt parasites millionairs who support republicons

[peacetalksforall]

6. How can anyone deny the ceo's, top execs, and their lawyers - that winter trip to Marbella, their

new yacht or sailboat, their revamp of their third home or coop. And don't forget, there is the possibility that these corporations have already paid off the task of allowing them to make more money for themselves by denying safety.

Something practical should be done - a list of the corporations who will benefit should be compiled and displayed far and wide - it should include the number of stockholders each corporation shares the booty with.

Isn't this 'paper and signature terrorism' against us?

[stillcool]

8. They fell a little short of stacking the Supreme Court..

but I have no doubt that Scalia, Roberts, and Alito will do their damndest to make sure no corporation needs to pay too steep a fine for toxic waste, poisoning the environment, or any deaths or injuries that occur as a result.

[MadMaddie]

10. Remember that * lawyers and cronies are

careless. Obama not only understands law but his people are brilliant too. * and his cronies are terribly sloppy we all know this. It will be a mess to clean up but it will get done.

[liberal N proud]

11. Everything for corporate profit

Nothing to protect people.

Most criminal regime in American history and they will get away with it all.

[ixion]

12. what kind of headline is that? They're trying to loosen regulations, NOT

create a "safety rule". The headline is misleading BS.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. K&R

[XemaSab]

14. I'll tell you what hazardous shit that fucker Bush should be exposed to in his goddamn workplace:

Old lead paint.

What did you think I was going to say? :shrug: :hide:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. Bush needs to be humiliated so he will back off. Workers should protest!

[Webster Green]

16. Bush wants to kill as many people as possible before he leaves office..

What a despicable piece of shit he is! :mad:

[Frisbee]

17. Evil Mofos...

No fate is too bad for the Bush/Cheney team. None.

[Roy]

18. Another LIBERAL headline?

Snip
"Bush Aides Rush to Enact a Safety Rule Obama Opposes"

A safety rule that Obama opposes?

So the headline reading public has just been informed that Bush and his aides are for safety, but Obama opposes safety?

Good thing the liberal media keeps us informed as to who's looking out for our safety. Otherwise this Obama guy will stop Bushco from protecting our safeties!!

[LiberalFighter]

19. Neuter each person responsible for adding this rule.