| Line 133: |
Line 133: |
| | | | |
| | The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), more commonly known as "ObamaCare", authorized HHS to develop and impose vast amounts of regulations for health care. Under this law, HHS could establish the notorious "death panels" criticized by Sarah Palin for their ability to refuse to allow medical care for some elderly individuals. | | The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), more commonly known as "ObamaCare", authorized HHS to develop and impose vast amounts of regulations for health care. Under this law, HHS could establish the notorious "death panels" criticized by Sarah Palin for their ability to refuse to allow medical care for some elderly individuals. |
| | + | |
| | + | ==== Food and Drug Administration ==== |
| | + | |
| | + | Part of HHS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become one of the most powerful of all government agencies, because it decides which medication will be allowed to be sold, and which ones will not. It has been criticized for delaying approval of life-saving medication, while approving other controversial medication based on political pressure. The FDA is heavily influenced by politics. |
| | + | |
| | + | For example, the FDA has delayed approval for good adult stem cell therapies, for which the Nobel Prize was just awarded to Japanese and British scientists, and this has forced some American patients to travel to foreign countries in order to receive this therapy for paralyzing injuries and diseases. But meanwhile the FDA has approved abortion-inducing drugs to the harm of the unborn child, because there is political pressure by Planned Parenthood and others to promote abortion. |
| | + | |
| | + | The FDA also has the authority to approve the use of controversial new vaccines, which then become requirements for children who attend public school. |
| | | | |
| | === Department of Labor === | | === Department of Labor === |
| Line 172: |
Line 180: |
| | The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was founded in 1901 to be a non-regulatory agency that establishes scientific standards and seeks to advance technological innovation.<ref>http://www.nist.gov/index.html</ref> | | The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was founded in 1901 to be a non-regulatory agency that establishes scientific standards and seeks to advance technological innovation.<ref>http://www.nist.gov/index.html</ref> |
| | | | |
| − | ==== Federal Communications Commission ====
| + | === Federal Communications Commission === |
| | | | |
| − | The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates television and radio, and seeks to adopt regulations for the internet - which many have opposed.<ref>http://www.fcc.gov/</ref> With advancing technology, this commission has grown from relative insignificance to become immensely important. | + | The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency that regulates television and radio, and seeks to adopt regulations for the internet - which many have opposed.<ref>http://www.fcc.gov/</ref> With advancing technology, this commission has grown from relative insignificance to become immensely important. |
| | | | |
| | == FOIA == | | == FOIA == |