Re: OPINION - was O'Leary apologizes fo

[JMUCKERHEIDE@delphi.com]

Bob,
Distinguish between "politicians" and bureaucrats. Politicians have every
right to "pander", which includes making whatever statements manipulate the
public, and that is fine with the public til found out. Make political
arguments on those terms. OTOH, gov't agencies are held to an admin standard
that doesn't allow "arbitrary and capricious" decisions, and they have been
held to it, with a lot of discretion, by the courts. Eg, the "Delaney
amendment" law stands, a similar decision by an agency can't if arbitrary (or
to implement the law). 

When Clinton/O'Leary, and adversaries make a "political" statement it meets
the political standard, ie, whatever gets votes, truth is not considered
beyond the "smell" test; when making an agency decision, it could be
challenged if arbitrary and capricious, where the standard is supposedly the
truth and integrity of the process. That happened, eg, in compensation for the 
Utah "victims" of weapons tests. No adverse health effects, but a
*Congressional* act to resolve the political issue. Here we seem to have an
agency act that could be challenged - but who would? More people make a living 
on the fear of radiation than care about either the public treasury or the
dying contribution of nuclear technology to the future our children inherit. 

Regards, Jim Muckerheide
jmuckerheide@delphi.com
========================== 
> Date: Fri, 03 Jan 1997 09:22:08 -0600
> From: Bob Flood <bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>
> Subject: Re: OPINION - was O'Leary apologizes for Plutonium Tests
> 
> >So, here we are, all calmly attesting to the blatant corruption and
> >dishonesty of our political 'leaders'.  Am I the only one who wants to put
> >all the b---ards in jail for fraud waste and abuse in spending millions of
> >dollars of hard earned taxpayer's money to pay off a bunch of whiners who
> >were never harmed in the first place?  I'm admittedly un-learned in
> >politics, but what is the motivator for a politician to parade around
> >(falsly) attesting to the evils perpetrated by his/her government?  Does
> >that make him/her the grand 'exposer', the champion of the people?  How
> >short-sighted.  I would think even the most dense of our politicians would,
> >out of self-protection, see a flaw in government officials trying to drum up
> >mistrust for the government.
> >
> 
> Actually, Keith, shame on us, the American citizens, because this type of
> behavior, pandering to a public to promote a particular image, works!
> Throughout our history, politicians have succeeded in promoting themselves
> through such acts; this is just one more. The politicians will keep doing
> it until it doesn't work any more, and that's the public's responsibility,
> not the politician's.
> 
> 
> Bob Flood
> Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
> (415) 926-3793     bflood@slac.stanford.edu
> Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are mine alone.