Putting on the Brakes: Are Government Regulators Doing Their Job?

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This week Toyota is front and center in the news, with its Prius recall and problems with a sticking accelerator pedal. But regulations run far and wide in the life of the American consumer. There are hundreds of state and federal agencies that are supposed to make our lives safer. Do they really do the job? On this rebroadcast of today's To the Point, guest host Sara Terry asks whether regulators have become too friendly with the industries they're supposed to regulate. Also, revolution on the right? What's brewing with the rise of Sarah Palin and Tea Party politics, and Mayor Villaraigosa's latest attempt to reduce the city's deficit.

Banner image: President of Japan's auto giant Toyota Motor Akio Toyod gestures as he answers questions during a press conference today at the Tokyo head office. Photo: Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images