Tuesday, March 25, 2014

GM's Ignition Switch is a direct result of Republican beliefs in the Myth of Self-Regulation

General Motors has revealed (or had exposed) a flaw in their ignition system affecting the following models; Chevy Cobalt and HHR, the Pontiac G5, and Saturn ION mainly between the 2005 to 2007 models. The ignition flaw known to GM engineers and officals, possibly as early as 2002, and which underwent a quiet in-house redesigning in 2006, was not announced for recall until February 10, 2014.

Currently, 34 traffic crashes and 12 deaths are linked (albeit not yet conclusively) to the flaw which causes the ignition to turn off under heavy jarring as in an impact or while driving on bad road conditions.

Government Regulations require Corporations report flaws to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as soon as they become reasonably aware of the flaw or defect, but under George W. Bush, General Motors, as illustrated with the 2006 quiet redesign, and other Corporations in the United States felt utterly secure in not reporting or following any regulations.

Like all Republicans, The Bush Administration cultivated an Air of Neglect and assured Americans that Corporations would Self-Regulate. The Myth of Self-Regulation is that Companies would never defraud, negligently or maliously harm consumers because by doing so they would, in fact, be harming themselves. So since it's in their self-interest Corporations will correct problems and not engage in criminal activity. What actually happens is Corporations routinely flout regulations because they know No Republican will ever prosecute them for their criminal negligence.

Part and parcel of their absolute devotion to the Myth of Self-Regulation, Republicans often hamstring Regulatory bodies by underfunding and slashing their budget or neutering their enforcement powers, but even worse Bush and other Republicans often place people who are explicitly hostile to Regulatory Bodies in positions of authority over those organizations.

Under Bush and his Republican brethren, the NHTSA, the EPA, the MHSA, the SEC and every other Governmental Regulatory body were neutered so that Businesses could engage rapacious profiteering and whatever criminal activity they desired.

Because Republicans want a Corporate Plutocracy controlling the Nation while the 99% are shackled in perpetual Corporate Bondage and Wage Slavery.

2 comments:

  1. Gene,
    That is why we have lawyers to sue the greedy cocksuckers.
    Damn, hiring a greedy cocksucker to fuck a greedy cocksucker...

    Makes sense to me...

    Ron

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Sarge

    Yeah, that is a remedy but, remember Republicans always move to block Class Action lawsuits and suits against Corporations under the rubric of "Tort Reform".

    ReplyDelete