Changes

After 9/11, the George W. Bush Administration (the executive branch while George W. Bush was president) sought and achieved new powers to target criminals under the broad Patriot Act.  While nearly everyone favors catching and prosecuting real terrorists, many people (including Ron Paul) opposed the loss of liberty in the War on Terrorism.  After all, some point out, it is liberty that we are defending against terrorism in the first place.

After 9/11, the George W. Bush Administration (the executive branch while George W. Bush was president) sought and achieved new powers to target criminals under the broad Patriot Act.  While nearly everyone favors catching and prosecuting real terrorists, many people (including Ron Paul) opposed the loss of liberty in the War on Terrorism.  After all, some point out, it is liberty that we are defending against terrorism in the first place.

One of the disputes revolved around the Fourth Amendment.  The Patriot Act reduced the requirements for federal investigators to seize evidence and tape-record calls of alleged terrorists.  No longer must a local judge issue a warrant based on a detailed affidavit of probable cause prior to searches of alleged terrorists, broadly defined.  Also, federal investigators can now search certain homes without leaving a copy of a warrant so that the owner knows it has been searched.  This is known as “sneak and peak,” and many criticized this expansion in federal power.

One of the disputes revolved around the Fourth Amendment.  The Patriot Act reduced the requirements for federal investigators to seize evidence and tape-record calls of alleged terrorists.  No longer must a local judge issue a warrant based on a detailed affidavit of probable cause prior to searches of alleged terrorists.  Also, federal investigators can now search certain homes without leaving a copy of a warrant, such that the owner (an alleged terrorist) never knows that his property was searched.  This is known as “sneak and peak,” and many criticized this expansion in federal power.

=== Environmental Protection Agency ===

=== Environmental Protection Agency ===

The Environmental Protection Agency, often called the "EPA" for short, was established only about 40 years ago but has quickly grew to become one of the most powerful.  Its original purpose was to reduce pollution, and it issued regulations to enforce laws such as the Clean Water Act.  The EPA has been credited for reducing the smog in many large cities, which was a major problem in certain areas of the Nation (such as Los Angeles) in the 1970s.

The Environmental Protection Agency, often called the "EPA" for short, was established only about 40 years ago but has quickly grown to become one of the most powerful.  Its original purpose was to reduce pollution, and it issued regulations to enforce laws such as the Clean Water Act.  The EPA has been credited for reducing the smog in many large cities, which was a major problem in certain areas of the Nation (such as Los Angeles) in the 1970s.

But the EPA has since gone far beyond trying to clean air and water.  The EPA limits what people can do on their own land, to the point where it is sometimes a federal crime to chop down a tree or remove some water from private property.  The reach of the EPA extends into private property without any real connection to interstate commerce, and several decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years have held in favor of private property owners against burdensome EPA regulations.

But the EPA has since gone far beyond trying to clean air and water.  The EPA limits what people can do on their own land, to the point where it is sometimes a federal crime to chop down a tree or remove some surface water from private property.  The reach of the EPA extends into private property without any real connection to interstate commerce, and several decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years have held in favor of private property owners against burdensome EPA regulations.

The EPA is now central to the "global warming" debate, as it attempts to limit the greenhouse gases that factories produce.  This imposes enormous costs on businesses and results in less jobs available to Americans.  The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the EPA's authority to regulate in this field, and it has been a political controversy as the George W. Bush Administration declined to issue such regulations, but the Obama Administration is doing so.

The EPA is now central to the "global warming" debate, as the EPA attempts to limit the greenhouse gases that factories produce.  This imposes enormous costs on businesses and results in less jobs available to Americans.  The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the EPA's authority to regulate in this field, and it has been a political controversy as the George W. Bush Administration declined to issue such regulations, but the Obama Administration is doing so.

=== Department of Health and Human Services ===

=== Department of Health and Human Services ===

There is a federal minimum wage, which the Department of Labor publicizes and requires compliance with by employers.

There is a federal minimum wage, which the Department of Labor publicizes and requires compliance with by employers.

The Department of Labor, like many other federal agencies, also compiles and produces enormous amounts of data about who does and does not have a job in the United States.

The Department of Labor, like many other federal agencies, also compiles and produces enormous amounts of data.  The Department of Labor data includes information about which types of workers have jobs in the United States.

To illustrate George Orwell's observation that "all issues are political issues," some questioned whether last Friday's announced numbers were correct, or the result of political manipulation in order to boost Obama's reelection chances.  Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, responded by saying that "No serious person ... would make claims like that."<ref name="Boston">http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2012/10/06/officials-reject-conspiracies-unemployment-rate/afH0N3vbceJDlNioGP7HfM/story.html</ref>  But the former Chief Executive Office (CEO) Jack Welsh did make that claim, tweeting on Twitter within minutes of the announcement:  "Unbelievable jobs numbers..these Chicago guys will do anything..can’t debate so change numbers.<ref name="Boston"/>  The monthly unemployment rate is based on speaking with about 60,000 American households.  The rate does not include people who have given up on looking for a new job.

To illustrate George Orwell's observation that "all issues are political issues," some questioned whether last Friday's announced employment rate number was correct, or was the result of political manipulation in order to boost Obama's reelection chances.  Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, responded by saying that "No serious person ... would make claims like that."<ref name="Boston">http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2012/10/06/officials-reject-conspiracies-unemployment-rate/afH0N3vbceJDlNioGP7HfM/story.html</ref>  But the former Chief Executive Office (CEO) for General Electric, Jack Welsh, did make that claim, tweeting on Twitter within minutes of the announcement:  "Unbelievable jobs numbers..these Chicago guys will do anything..can’t debate so change numbers.<ref name="Boston"/>   

 

The monthly unemployment rate announced by the Department of Labor is based on speaking with about 60,000 American households.  The rate does not include people who have given up on looking for a new job.

=== Department of Education ===

=== Department of Education ===