Who should make the decisions?

NYT - Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation

President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

[. . .]

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.

The White House said the executive order was not meant to rein in any one agency. But business executives and consumer advocates said the administration was particularly concerned about rules and guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

[. . .]

“Having lost control of Congress,” Mr. Strauss said, “the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch.”

I can see that the President should, in theory, have a lot of control over the branch of government of which he is the head. And, also in theory, the government is supposed to be run by those elected to office.

That being said, there are things that I believe are best left to experts to decide. The people don't always make the best choices for themselves and they certainly don't always make the best choices for others. In areas like health and safety, it seems fitting to have experts make the decisions, not politicians.

Additionally, this administration can't be trusted. It has been shown time and time again. Why should we trust it with more power over things that are so important? 2009 can't get here soon enough for me.