Too often, the only security regulators provide is a false one
If you haven’t read the investigative piece about day-care safety reports hidden from the public, printed in Sunday’s AJC and available online, you really should do so. Among other things, it’s a reminder that government oversight of an industry often creates nothing more than a false sense of security for that industry’s customers.
Day cares in Georgia (and most other states, I’d be willing to bet) must have a state-issued license in order to operate. It has to be renewed annually. A parents might inspect the day care personally before enrolling Junior there. But it would be typical, and reasonable, for a parent to assume the day care meets certain minimum standards if its license was granted and later renewed.
Instead, the AJC investigation found, more than a third of the day cares in Georgia had been deemed — by state regulators — out of compliance with state health and safety standards at least once in the past four years. The vast majority of them, even those with multiple years of non-compliance, were allowed to stay open.
Yet, the state did not publicly release the reports detailing these businesses’ shortcomings. (The AJC obtained them through an open records request.)
While some of these failures might be on minor points, some of them seem pretty major to this parent, including failure by some day cares to run background checks on people before hiring them. That’s a pretty basic thing: Even my relatively small church runs background checks before letting parents volunteer in the children’s ministry.
So, the state requires a license for a day care to operate and checks up on day cares to make sure they are complying with state laws — but then doesn’t close down the worst offenders and doesn’t tell parents about the problems so that they can decide for themselves.
That’s the same kind of false security that played out in the recent financial meltdown. One doesn’t have to get into the merits of repealing Glass-Steagall restrictions or passing the Community Reinvestment Act to recognize that banks’ risk was artificially and irresonsibly heightened because of faulty ratings of the mortgage-backed securities and a flawed international regulatory regime (Basel II), which not only allowed but incentivized banks to load up on these riskier-than-believed investments.
The old line still applies: Caveat emptor. And you’ll be more likely to follow it if you also heed the warning against believing government can regulate and monitor the risks or problems out of life.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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209 comments Add your comment
Fast and Furious Spending
January 24th, 2012
2:47 am
The question I ask this this: What is it that you REALLY want…a return to the 50s….or should we work on making the PRESENT better for EVERYONE???
HDB,
It is entirely appropriate to respond at 2:30 am to this charred overdone pretend criticism of conservatives (see also Aquagirl’s “revenooer” crap earlier). Your claim is about as serious as the bong you probably have between your legs at this very minute.
This history of America is magnificent in its entirety. Sure there have been some problems, but the liberal solution is to blame America for any prosperous time, whether it was the 50’s, the 80’s (ever heard the “decade of greed”) or any other time when “progressive” values weren’t triumphant. The trouble with progressive values is that they usually lead to poverty and disaster (30’s, 60’s and 70’s).
A fundamental transformation is not needed as Obama has begun enacting and is attempting to enact further. Your witless conjuring of the 50’s, June Cleaver and Father Knows Best is just absurd. We need MORE financial regulation and environmental regulation like we need more jobs shipping off to china, which is exactly what will happen if we get the regs.
It’s about the economy, ……
……… stupid.
GodHatesTrash, Superstar
January 24th, 2012
6:45 am
You’re really reaching to use this example to support your underlying idiotology, Kyle.
HDB
January 24th, 2012
7:53 am
Fast and Furious Spending
January 24th, 2012
2:47 am
In response to your monotribe, let me say this: Whenever markets have been UNREGULATED, hey eventually burn themselves OUT! Prime example is what just happened with the financials…and the damage that did to the nation as a whole. If Glass-Stegall had NOT been repealed, the controls would have been in place to arrest the problem EARLIER than was done!!
Regulations are necessary so that the consumer CAN be a part of the marketplace. Are there certain regulations that need to be eliminated…that are onerous?? Yes…and I admit that….but to totally deregulate industry would bring forth both economic and biological destruction….and the standard of living would decline even further than is has currently.
If you wish to revert to the 50s….where $17/week was a decent pay scale….fine.
If you wish to revert to a point in time where all consumers couldn’t participate in the marketplace….fine.
Many though, would be resistant to such a throwback…………………..
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
January 24th, 2012
10:02 am
Just to summarize HDB’s post…”Let’s keep offshoring those jobs and regulate ourselves into oblivion for nearly no environmental or health benefit to the regulations”
UGA 1999
January 24th, 2012
10:12 am
Lil Barry….I know right. Nearly every idea that HDB has would kill american jobs!
Somewhere over there
January 24th, 2012
10:13 am
It’s pretty damn hypocritical that libs, or whatever they want to hide themselves as today, won’t go after other libs for being rich.
Clinton surpasses $75 million in speech income after lucrative 2010
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/11/clinton-surpasses-75-million-in-speech-income-after-lucrative-2010/
Somewhere over there
January 24th, 2012
10:15 am
WELL LOOKY LOOKY!!!!!!
Buffett’s Burlington Northern Among Winners From Keystone Denial
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/buffett-s-burlington-northern-among-winners-in-obama-rejection-of-pipeline.html
Shabootyquiqui
January 24th, 2012
2:32 pm
“…but then doesn’t close down the worst offenders”
That it seems to me is key. They don’t have to shut down all the scofflaws, only a few in select areas. The word gets around quickly. The others will make an effort to come into compliance if they see that the State is serious. Why are we spending tax money to do inspections if we don’t intend to enforce the law?
Now with Ten Percent More Flavor
January 25th, 2012
7:25 am
Kyle probably has his own lab set up in his house where he checks all his food for toxins and bacteria, etc. He probably even has a mass spectrometer set up right next to his electron microscope because Kyle don’t want or need no stinking regulations. He’s a man and he does it all by himself.