Faced with the imminent bankruptcy of multiple railroads in the 1970s, Congress enacted a series of laws that made it easier for railroads to stay in business by deregulating freight rates and encouraging mergers.
In addition to dropping regulations, the government also reduced oversight of safety practices. The number of annual inspections has decreased, with some railroads undergoing no government inspection at all. With railroad inspectors stretched thin, railroads wind up being mostly self-policing.
The policy has worked for many railroads, as the industry-wide decline in accidents attests.
http://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/12/gone_galt_566.html
Unions make workers too expensive, railroads make their business operate by reducing crews, meaning railroads are less safe. So, the only possible thing to do is to ... have government inspectors. IOW - government begets more government.
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