Does anyone really give a damn about government regulations and the agencies that produce them? We should give a damn, because, at a very fundamental level, it's governmental regulations that truly affect our day to day lives. Sure, the war affects our lives, but chances are you won't be killed in Iraq. But if the government allows corporate America to do whatver it wants, your health and safety and your job may be at stake.

There are two ways that the government sets policies. Laws and regulations. At its most basic definition, Congress passes laws. Then the Executive Branch (the Presidency) issues regulations to help governmental agencies enforce those laws. Congress does not vote on the regulations, but the regulations still have the force of law. The agencies can't just issue any regulations they please. The regulations have to be consistent with the laws. But the agencies have a lot a leeway in issuing these regulations because they are supposedly staffed by experts who know how to make the laws work in light of their expertise.

If you understand the above paragraph, then you deserve an A+ in social studies. Then you can understand why a story in today's New York Times is so important, even though few people will read it all the way through or pass it over entirely because it's too boring. Except that if you do read it, you can see how our government works and why public health and safety is often thrown under the bus in the pursuit of corporate profits.

According to the article, the business lobby is worried that a Democrat will be elected President in 2008 and, in their mind, that would mean the end of business-friendly government. The Democrats are not socialists, and they tend to give business what it wants, but the Republicans are even more slavish to business interests. What the business lobby is doing is trying to get the Bush administration to enact regulations favorable to its interests before Republicans are shown the door next year. Here is a summary of what's going on:

Business lobbyists, nervously anticipating Democratic gains in next year’s elections, are racing to secure final approval for a wide range of health, safety, labor and economic rules, in the belief that they can get better deals from the Bush administration than from its successor.

Hoping to lock in policies backed by a pro-business administration, poultry farmers are seeking an exemption for the smelly fumes produced by tons of chicken manure. Businesses are lobbying the Bush administration to roll back rules that let employees take time off for family needs and medical problems. And electric power companies are pushing the government to relax pollution-control requirements.

“There’s a growing sense, a growing probability, that the next administration could be Democratic,” said Craig L. Fuller, executive vice president of Apco Worldwide, a lobbying and public relations firm, who was a White House official in the Reagan administration. “Corporate executives, trade associations and lobbying firms have begun to recalibrate their strategies.

No one pays attention to this, but this is one of the most important things going in in government right now. There is no doubt that the Bush adminstration will give business whatever it wants, particularly since that would free up more money in campaign contributions for other Republican candidates for 2008. When business gets what it wants, say goodbye to health and safety measures. Those regulations, can be erased without much warning. While the average American has no idea that this is going on, you can be sure that the business community is paying close attention.