Linkmeister

Waste, fraud and abuse

Now this is what a captive agency looks like! Well done, Consumer Product Safety Commission!

The chief of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and her predecessor have taken dozens of trips at the expense of the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries and others they regulate, according to internal records obtained by The Washington Post. Some of the trips were sponsored by lobbying groups and lawyers representing the makers of products linked to consumer hazards.

The records document nearly 30 trips since 2002 by the agency's acting chairman, Nancy Nord, and the previous chairman, Hal Stratton, that were paid for in full or in part by trade associations or manufacturers of products ranging from space heaters to disinfectants. The airfares, hotels and meals totaled nearly $60,000, and the destinations included China, Spain, San Francisco, New Orleans and a golf resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Let's see. Ms. Nord is the lady who told Congress the other day that she really didn't want more regulators or money for her agency. Hmm. That would be a hindrance; some of those regulators might not be bought. Besides, industry was already subsidizing the outfit; guess she thought it would be double-dipping for the taxpayers to pay too.

Impeach George Bush and everyone in his Administration. Impeach them now.

Posted by Linkmeister at November 2, 2007 12:01 AM | TrackBack