Editing 79-10-B3 (section)

=== Transcript ===
Senator Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming was furious as he rose to speak on the Senate
floor last May 21. An angry constituent has just brought to his attention a
disturbing example of the arbitrary power the regulatory agencies have over individual
lives in this country. The new Mine Safety and Health act of 1977 requires that each
new miner be trained by a safety instructor who has been certified by the federal
government. In order to be certified, a mine employer or his representative must
attend a mandatory three-day session of classes at one of numerous training camps
set up by the Mine Safety agency. While the course is provided free of charge to
management personnel, courtesy of the taxpayers, all travel and living expenses must
be paid for by the company.

Well, when Senator Wallop's angry constituent traveled to Albany, Oregon last
April to participate in the government-mandated three-day training session, he and
the other participants were forced to take an outrageous multiple choice test. The
test is called "The Situation Adaptability Evaluations for Management Personnel."
But don't let that stately-sounding title fool you. Although agency officials
defend the test as a social icebreaker, the questions are disgusting and obscene. In
fact, good taste prevents me from reading any of the questions to you now.

As you can imagine, many of the session's participants were shocked and offended
by the test. And they were angry at having to spend their time and money engaged
in such worthless activities as this. Yet the mining industry has no choice. The
federal government will not allow companies to run their mines without the mandated
safety courses for new miners. And management cannot provide that safety training
until it attends the three-day workshop.

It is this abuse of government power that prompted Senator Wallop to stand before
his colleagues in anger. But he could not bring himself to read this disgusting
test out loud. It was simply reprinted in the Congressional Record.

This incident should not simply be filed away in the collection of the federal
government's absurd actions and programs. This abuse of power demands corrective
action and an examination of the entire Mine Safety and Health act. The law has
apparently unleashed yet another team of arrogant government bureaucrats to protect
us from ourselves. Senator Wallop put it very well. He told his colleagues
"Americans take the safety of employees seriously. But employers and small businesses
do not have time for government pranks ... This type of absurd and obscene test is
administered by government employees, on government time, and presumably
with government materials ... If this is the judgment, attitude and caliber of those
in authority ... then it is time to make some drastic changes."

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