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An argument for big government.
Oct. 11th, 2008 07:48 pmAbout a week ago, there was a horrific accident in Colusa, a town in the central valley. A bus loaded with mostly Laotian senior citizens drifted off the pavement and flipped, killing nine of the people aboard and injuring the rest.
At first, this just seemed to be another tragedy on our numerous state highways, until the details started coming out.
So, what happened? The California Public Utilities Commission (the PUC) is the one that regulates and registers companies like this. Several years ago, in a round of Republican-led cutbacks, their enforcement division was slashed to the bone. Instead of being proactive, they were forced to be only reactive, investigating only when a complaint had been filed or there has been an incident. The Highway Patrol? They barely have the manpower to perform their primary duties. They do have inspection facilities at most of the 40-odd scales in the state, but those only catch the vehicles that pass through the scales! Taking secondary highways, or just knowing what roads to exit and re-enter on can easily get you around the scales. (For example, want to get around the northbound scales on 880 in Fremont? Easy. With a little effort, you can keep driving for years without ever dealing with the CHP.
So, where does big government come in? A properly funded PUC could check up on who is advertising charters to Indian casinos. They could have inspectors out looking for violators, checking drivers, looking for things like logs and actual buildings where the work is done. They might have caught this owner (who died in the crash, sadly enough) and put him out of business.
Here in the Western World, we've grown accustomed to a relatively safe existence. So accustomed, that we don't really understand the source of that safety. Trust me, we don't have clean food and water, relatively safe cars, and buildings that won't collapse in a minor quake or storm because the business world is a bunch of softies. No, time and time again it has been shown that the people making money on a product or service, from orange juice to charter bus rides, will cut corners to maximize their profit. Hell, they'll cut the main supporting frames if it means a bigger check at the end of the year. Which is why deregulation makes me scream. We need food inspectors, and customs agents, and forensic accountants, and yes, bus inspectors to insure that you and I can continue to live the safe lives we want for ourselves and our children. That takes money, and it means that the government has to be big.
Trust me, I swear a blue streak every time I see that damned red light and hear "Loaded lane, pull around to door n for inspection." at the scales. But my being annoyed for ten minutes means that you can be assured that when you see a Lord & Sons truck barreling through the Livermore Valley, that truck is safe, the driver is properly licensed, and the company that owns it has followed the rules.
There are many places where I want out government to shrink. But regulating those business that have a direct effect on our well-being; financial, bodily, or otherwise, is not one of them.
At first, this just seemed to be another tragedy on our numerous state highways, until the details started coming out.
- The driver of the bus was arrested on suspicion of DUI
- The driver did not have a valid passenger endorsement on his CDL.
- The driver has numerous traffic violations on his record.
- The bus was showing Greyhound colors, but did not belong to Greyhound.
- The bus' Texas license plates were invalid.
- The PUC and DOT registration numbers were fictional.
- The bus had been registered as non-operational with the DMV.
- The bus company had no yard, no maintenance records. In fact, it operated under four fictitious business names and didn't have a current license!
So, what happened? The California Public Utilities Commission (the PUC) is the one that regulates and registers companies like this. Several years ago, in a round of Republican-led cutbacks, their enforcement division was slashed to the bone. Instead of being proactive, they were forced to be only reactive, investigating only when a complaint had been filed or there has been an incident. The Highway Patrol? They barely have the manpower to perform their primary duties. They do have inspection facilities at most of the 40-odd scales in the state, but those only catch the vehicles that pass through the scales! Taking secondary highways, or just knowing what roads to exit and re-enter on can easily get you around the scales. (For example, want to get around the northbound scales on 880 in Fremont? Easy. With a little effort, you can keep driving for years without ever dealing with the CHP.
So, where does big government come in? A properly funded PUC could check up on who is advertising charters to Indian casinos. They could have inspectors out looking for violators, checking drivers, looking for things like logs and actual buildings where the work is done. They might have caught this owner (who died in the crash, sadly enough) and put him out of business.
Here in the Western World, we've grown accustomed to a relatively safe existence. So accustomed, that we don't really understand the source of that safety. Trust me, we don't have clean food and water, relatively safe cars, and buildings that won't collapse in a minor quake or storm because the business world is a bunch of softies. No, time and time again it has been shown that the people making money on a product or service, from orange juice to charter bus rides, will cut corners to maximize their profit. Hell, they'll cut the main supporting frames if it means a bigger check at the end of the year. Which is why deregulation makes me scream. We need food inspectors, and customs agents, and forensic accountants, and yes, bus inspectors to insure that you and I can continue to live the safe lives we want for ourselves and our children. That takes money, and it means that the government has to be big.
Trust me, I swear a blue streak every time I see that damned red light and hear "Loaded lane, pull around to door n for inspection." at the scales. But my being annoyed for ten minutes means that you can be assured that when you see a Lord & Sons truck barreling through the Livermore Valley, that truck is safe, the driver is properly licensed, and the company that owns it has followed the rules.
There are many places where I want out government to shrink. But regulating those business that have a direct effect on our well-being; financial, bodily, or otherwise, is not one of them.
