Rules, Regulations and Grassroots

Over the past fifty years, as Americans have learned how our lives can be impacted by air and water contamination, chemical toxins and other types of harmful exposures, our nation has supported the creation of agencies and the adoption of rules that balance the interests of people with the interests of business.

But wherever you look these days, from the EPA to the FCC, the rules that were meant to protect us are being undone by lobbyists and government officials whose previous jobs were often with the companies they are now busy de-regulating.

And there's that dreaded word: regulation. The pro-business lobby has very successfully convinced Americans that regulation is bad, de-regulation is good. I think if you called them "rules," the perception might be quite different.

The list of rules that have been quietly abolished or suspended over the past year is long and troubling, covering protections for our air, water, worker safety, and children's health among many others. And the massive effort to eliminate even more rules goes on everyday in the corridors of our government.

When we created this poster more than a year ago, we had no idea how prescient it would turn out to be. Even then, we thought that government wasn't doing enough!  Little did we know how bad things would become.

Grassroots is committed to providing American families and local decision makers with science-based information they can use to protect themselves and others against toxins in our environment, and to act as catalysts for change in their own communities. We are here to help you as parents, as community members and as local decision makers.

No matter what happens in Washington.