Almost 50 years ago Ralph Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed, an indictment of the safety record of the automobile industry and General Motors in particular. Last week, reports the New York Times, General Motors recalled nearly 1.4 million cars in the United States, saying that the ignition switches on Cobalts and other brands can shut off a car’s engine and electrical system, and disable its air bags. At least 13 deaths have already been linked to the problem, which the Times called, “a decade-long failure by G.M. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to address a problem that engineers and regulators had been alerted to years ago.”
Industry Voices Dominate the Trade Advisory System
The Obama administration’s corporate-heavy network of official trade advisers has emerged as a point of sharp contention in a process that has been criticized by members of Congress and others as low on public transparency. In a series of infographics, the Washington Post shows the corporate and other ties of the 566 individuals who work with the Obama administration to establish trade policy.
Corporations and Health Watch 