The public and the media are paying more attention to and showing increasing frustration with the anti-regulatory ideology of President George W. Bush. A new report by the Center for American Progress traces several recent failures of the federal government to the anti-government views of Bush and senior administration officials. Separately, increasing concern over the federal product safety net is causing many to question Bush's seriousness about using government resources to protect American consumers.

On Aug. 23, the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank founded by former Clinton advisor John Podesta, released a report authored by Reece Rushing titled Safeguarding the American People: The Progressive Vision Versus the Bush Record.

The report links Bush's anti-regulatory ideology to bad government practices. The report states, "This ideology sees government principally as an instrument for advancing the interests of the corporate sector and by extension political allies who support this agenda." It goes on to call the ideology "indifferent or even hostile to the common good."

One questionable Bush practice is "cronyism." The report chronicles Bush appointees who, prior to government service, worked as industry lobbyists or were financial supporters of Bush's campaigns. The report finds these appointees have frequently failed their responsibility to protect the American people. The appointees include Michael Brown, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Bush campaign contributor, who was blamed for the government's inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina, and Richard Stickler, the head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration and former coal industry executive, who has failed to implement congressionally mandated mine safety reforms in the wake of three mine disasters in 2006.

Other questionable practices include suppressing scientific research and findings, reducing monitoring of environmental threats and other problems, weakening and eliminating public protections already in effect, failing to enforce federal law, and restricting public access to information.

These practices provide a common link among a host of recent failures of the federal government. Food-borne illness outbreaks, the 2003 blackout of large sections of the Northeast, the Minneapolis bridge collapse, increasing identity theft, and a host of other problems can be traced back to the anti-regulatory philosophy of the Bush administration, according to the report. It identifies commonalities such as Bush's failure to devote adequate resources to federal agencies and response plans and his refusal to recognize the need for government action to protect the public from growing threats and worsening problems.

The report also describes a progressive vision for safeguarding the public. This vision embraces the idea of a positive government and actively seeks to expand information collection and public access and hold corporations accountable for violations of federal law.

The recent spate of controversies involving dangerous Chinese imports can also be linked to Bush's anti-regulatory ideology. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring product safety and for recalling products found to be dangerous. Critics have assailed CPSC for recent product safety problems including the lead paint contamination of Thomas and Friends train toys and Barbie dolls. The Toy Industry Association, an organization that lobbies on behalf of toy makers, has asked the CPSC to adopt a mandatory testing system to help ensure toys are safe.

However, many are beginning to realize the broader problems at CPSC which reflect Bush's anti-regulatory views. Multiple media reports and opinion columns and public interest groups such as Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, are increasingly recognizing the need for better funding and a change in CPSC's culture.

Throughout his presidency, Bush has slashed the CPSC budget and staffing. Bush has failed to propose increases in CPSC's funding to match inflation. Bush's proposed FY 2008 budget calls for 401 full-time employees, the lowest staffing level ever at CPSC.

A recent New York Times investigation by reporter Eric Lipton described the ways in which these budget cuts manifest themselves. According to the investigation, CPSC "investigates only 10 percent to 15 percent of the reported injuries or deaths linked to consumer goods." The investigation also found compliance investigations "dropped 45 percent from 2003 to 2006."

The agency's culture, which promotes voluntary compliance with product safety rules and negotiated recalls of dangerous products, may also be to blame. The agency has been relatively toothless in enforcing federal law in the face of industry opposition. In one case, Robert Eckert, the chairman of Mattel, revealed to the Wall Street Journal that the toy maker often conducts investigations of hazardous products on its own, and outside of the public view, before notifying CPSC. With rare exception, manufacturers are to notify CPSC within 24 hours if they believe a product to even be potentially hazardous. Eckert called the law and CPSC's enforcement unreasonable, according the article.

On Sept. 6, Consumers Union wrote to the Senate expressing its displeasure with Mattel's disregard for the law and urging Congress to take oversight action. On Sept. 12, a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on CPSC and toy safety. Eckert is scheduled to testify.

However, with senior administration officials believing government should not play a role in protecting the public, problems are likely to continue through the remainder of Bush's term. As a Sept. 6 New York Times editorial concluded, "The Bush administration apparently considers regulatory weakness a virtue."