Cass Ballenger: “I guess we all know by now that the Clinton administration has made a lot of zigs and zags and 180-degree turns. Now…”

“I guess we all know by now that the Clinton administration has made a lot of zigs and zags and 180-degree turns. Now they are doing their famous ``now you see it, now you don't'' on OSHA reform. Two months ago President Clinton made quite a show of going to a small business in northwest Washington and promising that his administration was going to reinvent OSHA. He said that the administration wanted OSHA to be a partner with employers in working toward safety in the workplace. ``Prevention not penalties'' was going to be the new goal for OSHA, according to the President. Last month, Assistant Secretary for OSHA, Joe Dear, made the same promises to the White House Conference on Small Business. Our goal is not to issue penalties, he said, but to work with employers and employees to improve safety. Someone must have forgotten to get the script to Secretary of Labor Reich. Yesterday he criticized every effort Congress is making to have a more reasonable OSHA. The Clinton administration's efforts to appeal to the small business community with promises of a reinvented OSHA are looking more and more like one more PR gimmick by this administration. Small businesses, employers, and employees, deserve better.”