NHTS needs more power to do their job poorly.

As much as the government wants to stay out of things, it seems they really just aren't capable. The latest move in government regulation may come at the hands of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Due to the recent kerfuffle concerning Toyota's accelerating without warning, they have seized the opportunity to banter about more regulation and design mandates. In the interest of public safety....or maybe in the interest of propping up Government Motors.....the NHTS has decided they may pursue further regulation of how auto manufactures must build their cars.

WASHINGTON - Government vehicle safety regulators may seek greater authority to investigate defects in cars and trucks and are weighing a range of new safety requirements in response to Toyota's recall of more than 8 million vehicles over brake and acceleration problems

From the outside it seems like no more than another power grab by a regulating authority which has no need or merit. The NHTS already has safety regulating authority, why more? Why are they unable to work within the power structure currently in place? Why, once again, do we have a regulating authority with no automotive manufacturing experience trying to tell automakers what they must do in order to meet even higher standards? Have we not been paying attention over the years to what outside forces dictating to manufactures has done to production in this country?

I want safe cars and safe roads, just like I want a stable, reliable health care system and clean air--I am just less and less convinced that the government should be the final arbitrator of those things. Government already has far too much power. People need to be deciding what car to drive, what food to eat, what health care to have. It seems every time we turn around they are encroaching just that much further into our lives.