The FAA is cumbersome and slow to act. The NTSB is faster, smarter, and less a pawn of the airlines. Still another illustration of our point that more often than not what we need is not less regulation but regulation that is tougher and smarter. After four death and eight cases requiring liver transplants, Wyeth pulled the drug off the market. Regulation of the furniture industry is resisted by congressmen like Roger Wicker who represent districts with furniture manufacturers.
Food is another area where greater protection is needed.
A new inspection program instituted by the Department of Agriculture has cut the incidence of salmonella contamination nearly in half. But they still have a long way to go. The National Academy of Sciences has recommended that the White House appoint a food safety chief who would have power over all food safety operations. The power is now divided, with confusing overlapping jurisdictions. In the president's much maligned speech the night of his grand jury testimony, there was one statement for which he deserves credit that he has not received.