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It is hard to believe that there was a time, not long ago, when
there was no right to obtain government information, no protection
against hazards in children's toys and other consumer products, no
federal safety standards for motor vehicles, and no insurance to
protect an investors' money and securities in brokerage accounts.
These and other consumer rights were created only after fierce
political battles in the decade between 1966 and 1976. People's
Warrior is the untold story of that era and one of its towering
leaders, Congressman John Moss. Based on previously undisclosed
materials and interviews with key players of the time People's
Warrior tells the story of a stormy decade in America, one in which
key laws, such as the Freedom of Information Act and the Consumer
Product Safety Act were enacted by Congress, despite overwhelming
political opposition. It is also the improbable story of one man's
life and determination. Moss fought for twelve years, against three
presidents and at times his own party, for a freedom of information
law that has stood the test of time and been copied around the
world. Although at first stymied by special interests, he won
sweeping consumer protection reforms. He went on to challenge Wall
Street in an intense battle to enact major new investor protection
laws. What happened to Moss and his progressive agenda in later
decades, and what the future may bring for that agenda, make up the
final part of this compelling story of a man and an era.
Car Safety Wars is a gripping history of the hundred-year struggle
to improve the safety of American automobiles and save lives on the
highways. Described as the "equivalent of war" by the Supreme
Court, the battle involved the automobile industry, unsung and
long-forgotten safety heroes, at least six US Presidents, a
reluctant Congress, new auto technologies, and, most of all, the
mindset of the American public: would they demand and be willing to
pay for safer cars? The "Car Safety Wars" were at first won by
consumers and safety advocates. The major victory was the enactment
in 1966 of a ground breaking federal safety law. The safety act was
pushed through Congress over the bitter objections of car
manufacturers by a major scandal involving General Motors, its
private detectives, Ralph Nader, and a gutty cigar-chomping old
politician. The act is a success story for government safety
regulation. It has cut highway death and injury rates by over
seventy percent in the years since its enactment, saving more than
two million lives and billions of taxpayer dollars. But the car
safety wars have never ended. GM has recently been charged with
covering up deadly defects resulting in multiple ignition switch
shut offs. Toyota has been fined for not reporting fatal unintended
acceleration in many models. Honda and other companies have-for
years-sold cars incorporating defective air bags. These current
events, suggesting a failure of safety regulation, may serve to
warn us that safety laws and agencies created with good intentions
can be corrupted and strangled over time. This book suggests ways
to avoid this result, but shows that safer cars and highways are a
hard road to travel. We are only part of the way home.
Car Safety Wars is a gripping history of the hundred-year struggle
to improve the safety of American automobiles and save lives on the
highways. Described as the "equivalent of war" by the Supreme
Court, the battle involved the automobile industry, unsung and
long-forgotten safety heroes, at least six US Presidents, a
reluctant Congress, new auto technologies, and, most of all, the
mindset of the American public: would they demand and be willing to
pay for safer cars? The "Car Safety Wars" were at first won by
consumers and safety advocates. The major victory was the enactment
in 1966 of a ground breaking federal safety law. The safety act was
pushed through Congress over the bitter objections of car
manufacturers by a major scandal involving General Motors, its
private detectives, Ralph Nader, and a gutty cigar-chomping old
politician. The act is a success story for government safety
regulation. It has cut highway death and injury rates by over
seventy percent in the years since its enactment, saving more than
two million lives and billions of taxpayer dollars. But the car
safety wars have never ended. GM has recently been charged with
covering up deadly defects resulting in multiple ignition switch
shut offs. Toyota has been fined for not reporting fatal unintended
acceleration in many models. Honda and other companies have-for
years-sold cars incorporating defective air bags. These current
events, suggesting a failure of safety regulation, may serve to
warn us that safety laws and agencies created with good intentions
can be corrupted and strangled over time. This book suggests ways
to avoid this result, but shows that safer cars and highways are a
hard road to travel. We are only part of the way home.
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