January, 2016
Please see Petition at https://www.change.org/p/keep-car-buyers-and-drivers-safe
A good example of how crash victims can get citizens to support progress.
Lou
December, 2015
Thanks to an Editorial by USA Today people can read support for their future safety.
“If there were Academy Awards for members of Congress, several lawmakers would surely be Oscar contenders for best dramatic performance at a congressional hearing.
As Congress investigated deadly auto defects that were hidden from the public, senators called the moment a “wake-up call” and a time for accountability. One told GM its actions were “criminal.”
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., deserves a special nomination. At a hearing last year, Upton told General Motors CEO Mary Barra he found reports of GM actions “disturbing and downright devastating,” adding that they had “fatal consequences.”
The collective outrage seemed genuine — until it came time to do something about it. The massive highway measure Upton helped write, to be voted on as early as Thursday, would do little to stop carmakers from doing the same thing again.”
The recalls followed revelations that some carmakers and suppliers have for years secretly flouted laws and regulations meant to get defective cars off the roads. GM hid ignition switches that failed to deploy air bags, killing at least 124. Takata air bags, used in millions of cars, have exploded, spewing metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
Last year, safety advocates and some Democratic lawmakers pushed for stricter laws, but they were beaten back in both the House and Senate. This year, the problem isn’t so much what’s in the highway measure. The problem is what’s missing.
Among the missed chances:
“No one understands better the importance of putting safe vehicles on the road than those of us in the auto state. For over a century, Michigan has had a proud tradition of developing innovative technologies, advancing safety, reducing emissions and improving the driving experience.
But it has been a disappointing year for automakers that have failed in their safety responsibilities and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for its inability to effectively protect American drivers. We can and must do better….
The vote this week will advance safety reforms in a must-pass package. But the highway bill is not the end of the conversation; rather, it is an important step forward. With the holiday season upon us, families across the country can rest assured that Congress continues to prioritize auto safety, and that those responsible for safety issues will be held accountable.
I am proud of the improvements we were able to add to the bill. But we never put the brakes on safety, and we will continue our bipartisan work in the New Year.
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.” See
December, 2015
On December 19, 2015, the day of the Democratic Presidential debate, the Washington Post published a front page story on fatality rates of guns and vehicles converging.
“Guns and traffic accidents each killed about 34,000 people in the U.S. last year, or about 93 people per day.
The rate at which Americans are killed in traffic accidents has dropped by more than half since the late 1960s. That decline can be attributed to a combination of improved technology, smarter regulation, and improved care in the hospital.” See
The Post article misses three important factors: 1. Under counting traffic deaths, See https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-officerdie… 2. The Great Recession which we are still slowly coming out of 3. The 8% rise in crash deaths in 2015 See
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812217.pdf
A related Post article notes racial factors in gun deaths but not the effects of the Great Recession on both gun deaths and vehicle deaths.
“The Brookings Institution’s Richard Reeves highlighted one stunning example of this in a recent blog post: Among whites, 77 percent of gun deaths are suicides. But among black Americans, 82 percent of gun deaths are homicides.” See
We can, and need to, do better than this.
December, 2015
Hope for how we can create a Safer America is clearly delineated in Nader’s latest column.“Both political parties are dialing daily for the same commercial dollars – not seriously championing advances in health and safety.
Yet, it is still possible to make changes through Congress, which is made up of only 535 men and women who need your votes more than they need corporate lobbyists’ money. One change after another long overdue change can be achieved if the majority of the people want it. With this support, it takes one percent or less of the voters back home to organize and get Congress to do the people’s bidding.
That one percent or less, sometimes far less, needs to spend a “hobby-amount” of time each year (say 300 to 500 hours) organizing in every congressional district and a “hobby amount” of money to maintain a full-time office of three or four full-time advocates in each District.”
See https://blog.nader.org/2015/12/07/your-safety-and-your-congress-in-1965-and-now/
Our “Safety and Happiness” can be advanced if enough of us work to make it happen. As Americans once before declared our independence of tyrannical political forces to secure our “Safety and Happiness” we can do it again.“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” See http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Lou
December, 2015
The Nation has published an excellent article by Mark Green on the 50th anniversary of “Unsafe at Any Speed”.
One has to get past the terrible typo in the first sentence of failure to capitalize “Rose Nader”. ” It’s 1938, and rose nader is taking her four young children for a visit back to the family’s homeland of Lebanon. They’re in line to meet an archbishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the city of Zahle. But when it’s 4-year-old Ralph’s turn to kiss the archbishop’s ring, he refuses. “I don’t have to kiss your ring—I’m an American!” he announces. The unruffled archbishop looks down, pats Ralph’s short black hair, and says, “A lot of ideas are going to come from this boy’s head.””
Without Rose Nader and her wonderful parenting we would not have Ralph Nader, his siblings, and so much more!
Mark Green’s article, based on decades of first hand knowledge, is otherwise entertaining, informative, and inspirational. Seehttp://www.thenation.com/article/how-ralph-nader-changed-america/
A lot to be thankful for. Lou
December, 2015
Please see December 2015 Monthly Report attached.
I hope you find it helpful.
Lou
December, 2015
Lou
