Elections – Why We All Should Care

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
 
Legal reader kindly published an article on this subject that I submitted pro bono.  See
https://www.legalreader.com/elections-why-you-should-care/
 
Over my more than 50 years working to advance the safety, health, and happiness of all Americans, I have never seen our national government sink so low as it has now.  It is not just auto safety.  As I point out it includes Climate Change, Inequality, and Injustice.
When I came to Washington, as a naive Goldwater Republican, in 1966 to work on air pollution control in the U.S. Public Health Service, I was privileged to work with many honest and dedicated people.  I was able to help reduce automotive emissions of lead and carbon monoxide.  But political power soon came with President Nixon to undermine governmental efforts to reduce pollution control.  See documentation at https://www.legalreader.com/50-years-of-legal-climate-change/
After being fired from EPA in 1971 as a Whistle Blower, I did public interest work to advance air pollution control until 1978 when I began work on auto safety.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/about-louis-lombardo/
 
Again I was blessed to work with honest, dedicated and talented people to improve auto safety albeit for a too brief period of 3 years during the Carter Administration.   Then President Reagan was elected on the slogan “Make America Great Again”.  Under Reagan the air bag rule was rescinded, and NHTSA was reduced by 33% eliminating 300 people.  NHTSA to this day is still at the reduced Reagan level despite 8 years of Clinton and 8 years of Obama.  It took until 1983 for the Supreme Court to over rule the Reagan Administration’s rescission of the air bag rule.  See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/UnitedStatesSupremeCourtAirbagDecision.pdf
 
The auto safety accomplishments under the leadership of Joan Claybrook have resulted in tens of thousands of lives saved just by frontal air bags.  See  https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812494
The article on Elections contains live links to inspirational information on what we can do by Ralph Nader and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
 
We need to heed their wisdom!
 
Lou