The Wall Street Journal-20080216-Government Should Focus On More Urgent Problems

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Government Should Focus On More Urgent Problems

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Rep. Bart Stupak is quick to point the finger at the Food and Drug Administration for not prioritizing the inspection of foreign facilities that export drugs and drug ingredients to the U.S. ("China Plant Played Role in Drug Tied to 4 Deaths," page one, Feb. 14). Perhaps, the congressman should look in the mirror, along with the rest of his colleagues on Capitol Hill. Who is responsible for allocating funding to the FDA? What about corporate responsibility?

We need less government and more accountability in corporate America. Instead of Roger Clemens in the hot seat in front of a congressional panel testifying about steroid use in baseball, it should be corporate CEOs accepting responsibility and explaining why innocent people die using their products. After all, who has been hurt or how many "innocent" victims have died from steroid use in baseball?

Angel Diaz

Plano, Texas

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I am too old to have young children at home and too young to have grandchildren, so the risks posed by lead-painted toys is one step removed from my reality. However, as a former dialysis patient and nine-year kidney transplant recipient, I am dependent on a daily dose of immunosuppressant medications and this brings this latest life- threatening side effect of unfettered global capitalism much closer to home. When will our government fully come to terms with its responsibilities to ensure our citizens' well-being in this globally connected world?

David Selden

Reston, Va.