The media is astounded with Rand Paul's comment, "I'm not expert. Don't give me the power to make the rules." They say this is dumb. That he doesn't care about worker safety. The context was in mine safety and drill rigs.
Mr. Paul is correct, Washington should not make rules. Washington regulations must be all inclusive. Yet we know geographical areas are different: substrate geology, soil characteristics, weather patterns, plant life, stream morphology, hydrologic cycle, and even prevailing winds. As a result Washington issued regulations must be narrowed to cover the worst possibility of all those factors.
Although the variance in these factors may be less within a State, they still pose a problem for establishing comprehensive regulations. Besides our law makers, whether State or Federal, rarely have any expertise or experience with the activity to be regulated. So they form commissions and panels of experts to formulate the rules. Who are these experts? They are the industry to be regulated; a composite of management and labor (the company owners and their associated unions).
I believe Mr. Paul is saying cut out the Federal Government as the middleman. I'm sure you, like me, have heard people in both management and labor think some regulations are totally inappropriate for their facility. The government is the broker because one side is too inept to make a reasoned case for work site procedures. In which instance that side needs to get competent leadership. These issues are resolved when both sides with mutual respect use their God given talent.
A company with unsound practices will fail and cease to exist. Workers who allow unsafe practices gamble with their own lives. It behooves each side to work together, not only for safety, but for overall profit.
Oh my! Mr. Paul is advocating capitalism.
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