House Panel Slams Toyota

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Wall Street Journal

By KATE LINEBAUGH, DIONNE SEARCEY and JOSH MITCHELL

Snip: The House Energy and Commerce Committee, in an 11-page letter, previewed issues its members likely will raise at a hearing Tuesday. The letter criticized Toyota for resisting the possibility that electronic defects could be responsible for the reports of unintended acceleration.

The committee also sent a separate letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood raising concerns that federal safety regulators "lack the expertise needed to evaluate defects in vehicle electronic controls."

The letters were signed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D., Mich.), chairman of the panel's oversight subcommittee. The letter wasn't signed by any Republican members of the committee.

The Energy and Commerce hearing and a separate session Wednesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, scheduled to include testimony by Toyota President Akio Toyoda, will be fraught with political tension. Toyota officials and some Toyota dealers have raised questions about whether the congressional attacks stem from a desire by some Democrats to help United Auto Workers-represented Detroit auto makers.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704454304575081363213478420.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

[Egalitariat]

1. These committees kill me with their self-righteousness

The corruption and fiscal (mis)management exhibited by the management committee (Congress) of our country over the last 3 decades would have bankrupted any business and landed its executives in prison.

To see them criticize others makes me want to puke, even when that criticism is rightfully deserved.

[1776Forever]

2. Check this out - Hearing Feb 24

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7772310&mesg_id=7772553

[PSPS]

3. Leave it to the WSJ to help the GOP "polarize" this too.

The Energy and Commerce hearing and a separate session Wednesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, scheduled to include testimony by Toyota President Akio Toyoda, will be fraught with political tension. Toyota officials and some Toyota dealers have raised questions about whether the congressional attacks stem from a desire by some Democrats to help United Auto Workers-represented Detroit auto makers.

So the MSM will run interference for Toyota now too. What next? Will the Toyota become the "official car of Sarah Palin and the teabaggers" rendering any discussion of safety merely another "political topic?"

All of this was permitted during bush's junta when he had unqualified political hacks installed in all the regulatory agencies. This is now standard practice for the republicans -- install people into federal agencies who are dedicated to their destruction as well as the destruction of the entire government and country as well.

[LiberalFighter]

4. It appears that the Republicans support allowing Toyota to kill motorists.