Bush Nominates Fox to Head Consumer Safety Henhouse

David Lowe

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The Bush administration's nomination of Michael Baroody to head the Consumer Products Safety Commission is up for hearing before the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance and Automotive Safety.

Baroody's nomination is being opposed by a coalition of eight consumer groups,including Consumers Union and Public Citizen. Public Citzen President Joan Claybrook explains the opposition:

Michael Baroody has spent years at the heart of the industry trade association that lobbied the CPSC to weaken consumer safety rules, including the one on disclosure of known safety defects described above. NAM's record is one of unrelenting hostility to the safety of consumers, including small children. Baroody should not be confirmed to lead a safety agency that has a vital role in protecting American families.

Pointing to an excellent story from the Chicago Tribune about the CPSC's failures and their connection to the death of a young boy from swallowing parts from a Magnetix toy set , the Daily Kos blog makes the point that Baroody is not the person to take aggressive leadership from the CPSC to remove dangerous products from the marketplace. This nomination is typical of the Bush administration "fox-guarding-the-henhouse personnel plan", in which the President nominates people known to oppose the oversight efforts of the agencies they would head.

If you want an agency dedicated to consumer safety, rather than an apologist for manufacturers' interests, contact the Senators on the subcommittee and voice your opposition to this terrible nomination.