In late August, Smart Dissent discussed the destruction of the Environmental Protection Agency occurring behind closed door which will endanger our world forever. Please read that post and then this one.
In early February, Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Education Secretary. Two Republicans, Senators Murkowski (AK) and Collins (ME), joined the entire Democratic caucus to force an historic tie-breaking vote from Vice President Pence. Read more at this link. Her installation to a position of power over our education system means she spends every day implementing policies with destructive consequences for our country.
After significant research and consideration, OUR government, working on behalf of OUR interests, decided in 2010 to begin working towards restaurants and grocery stores posting health information about the food they are offering.
The rule that the FDA originally proposed in 2011 and finalized in 2014 requires chains with 20 or more locations to list calories on all menus so they are visible when a consumer is ordering. A federal mandate requiring calories be posted on menus was to take effect May 5. The Trump administration has postponed its implementation...
Scott Pruitt has called for the dissolution of much of the EPA, yet now runs the Environmental Protection Agency. He is a seasoned legal opponent of the agency and is incredibly effective tool for Trump and Republican efforts to dismantle regulations on climate change and clean water and "get rid" of the agency. Pruitt and the White House are waging a war against science, safety, and common sense in order to benefit their favored corporate interests.
Government is intended to represent the People and work on their behalf. However, many elected and appointed government officials WE employ to operate our nation work everyday to protect the rights of corporations instead of us.
It is difficult to fathom a more clear and appalling example of this than the matter described below to restrict elderly nursing homes residents and their families from suing the facilities in court over alleged abuse, neglect or sexual assault.
Just 10 days before Hurricane Harvey hit the coast of Texas threatening the state with massive flooding, the White House revoked Executive Order 13690, which increased standards for federal flood risk management.
In January 2015, President Obama issued an executive order requiring all federal investments involving floodplains to meet higher flood risk management standards.
The National Park Service (NPS) decided late last week to reverse an Obama-era recommendation to ban the sale of disposable plastic bottles at national parks. The rule did not outright ban water bottles, but
Officials say 23 of the 417 NPS sites have implemented the policy since it was enacted. Those include some the nation’s most popular destinations such as the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Mount Rushmore.
In early August, Republican-controlled Senate confirmed lawyer and former Republican congressional aide Marvin Kaplan to fill one of the two open seats on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a 50-48 party-line vote. This moves the agency, comprised of five individuals, a step closer to a Republican majority when the next nominee is confirmed. At that time, the LABOR board will cease to effectively represent the American worker and again become a corportion cheerleader under the guise of being "pro-business."
BE SMART ABOUT is an important series highlighting examples of those in power (or in danger of acquiring power) who you need to stay informed about so you can share this knowledge and together we can Be Smart and Actively Dissent. This election has put numerous individuals in positions of real, tangible power who are spending every hour of every day implementing policies in an efficient, destructive manner. They are doing the exact things their prior words, actions, and lobbyist bosses should have made obvious.
In early May 2017, Director John Thompson of the U.S. Census Bureau abruptly resgined after Congress refused to provide adequate funding for the upcoming 2020 census.
An administration uninterested in staffing federal agencies, at war with facts and eager to help Congress cut the budget is further endangering a cornerstone of American democracy: the duty to count all who live here.