| The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 15 on how the Bush administration, in its last hurrah, is attempting to rewrite a number of federal rules with the goal of blocking product-safety lawsuits by consumers and states. Apparently going through the normal legislative and regulatory processes is too democratic for the outgoing administration. They'd prefer to cut deals with drug companies than protect Americans from harm. Tell the Bush administration to stop this shameful end-run around Congress. "The administration has written language aimed at pre-empting product-liability litigation into 50 rules governing everything from motorcycle brakes to pain medicine. The latest changes cap a multiyear effort that could be one of the administration's lasting legacies, depending in part on how the underlying principle of pre-emption fares in a case the Supreme Court will hear next month," The Journal reported. Tell John McCain and Barack Obama to respect the legislative process and undo the Bush administration's last-minute gutting of consumer protections. Tell your representative and senators to call on the Bush administration to keep Americans safe. Pre-emption doesn't sound sexy, but it's hugely important to people's safety. If you took a drug that later was found, after use in the marketplace and scientific research, to be dangerous, pre-emption would protect the manufacturer from being sued simply because it once met minimal federal standards. In other words, pre-emption supposes that knowledge about product safety can't change and remains the sole property of federal regulators who often are cozy with the industries they regulate. Click on the "Take Action" link and enter your Zip code to find phone numbers for your elected officials and the presidential candidates. Call them to tell them to stop this abuse. | 
