U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, likes to be seen as a “fighter” for the rights of the “little guy,” standing up against big government. But she fools no one, grandstanding before Congress with her tall stack of papers, in support of the cynically named Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act (Dec. 3 story “Herrera Beutler fights regulations Bill aims to ease burden on small businesses”). Ever ready to eviscerate any government regs that might impede the narrow business interests who put her in office, Herrera Beutler’s jobs-at-any-cost approach will only increase uncertainty, time and cost for most responsible small businesses wishing to hire.
Forcing government agencies to bend environmental, safety, health and other laws designed to make our society a better place to live in may improve the short-term profitability of a few unscrupulous business owners, but certainly not the long-run well-being of the rest of us. I’d love to see Herrera Beutler devote her energies to bipartisan solutions to big-picture concerns … and let those entrusted with enforcing good laws do their jobs.
Paul Lambshead
Vancouver
