quote:
eh. public safety should go the way of the dodo.
caveat emptor. Be smart enough not to buy an unsafe product. smoking kills. how do i know? ask bill maher... maybe the coughing?
Hi brennakimi
That's true when product dangers are clearly known and examples of hazards of a particular product are abundant. Cigarette smoking is a good example. I think it is a farce for individuals to continue to sue cigarette manufacturer's for a product they readily admit is dangerous.
But when the dangers are not clearly known, the public needs to be informed. Ralph's book entitled "Unsafe at any speed", published in 1965, drew national attention to unsafe practices in auto manufacturing. It was Ralph who pushed for fundamental safety items in vehicles that we now take for granted like seat belts. The industry and GM in particular had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the realization that auto safety needed to improve. GM even tried to discredit Ralph by hiring detectives to dig up dirt on him.
Sure, it can get ridiculous when interest groups crusade to protect the general public from any kind of product danger. (i.e. pushing to enact laws requiring radon detection in residences)
Safety issues can go to extremes but we can thank Ralph for first bringing the topic of consumer safety to national attention.
As I’ve said before, I like Ralph. His political problem was that he was a one issue candidate.
Aghast . . .a conservative likes Ralph Nader . . ...page one story at the NY Times.
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