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Federal
Register Watch by Mike Powers May
5 - 9, 2003
The Federal
Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules,
and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive
Orders and other Presidential Documents.
This column attempts to summarize the highlights (or lowlights)
of the Federal Register during the preceding week. Instructions
for subscribing to the Federal Register can be found at the end of the
column. MAY
5, 2003: COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION – LIVESTOCK COMPENSATION PROGRAM This
notice announces the availability of funds to implement the 2002
Livestock Compensation Program. It
provides immediate financial assistance to livestock farmers in order to
offset losses due to drought. An
incredible $937 million was
made available for this program (thanks to the involuntary contributions
by innumerable American taxpayers) for FY 2002.
Despite
the availability of livestock, crop, and multiple peril insurance
protection in the open market, the federal government still insists on
subsidizing farmers for weather-related losses.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-10995.htm
OFFICE
OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS (OGE) – STATUTORY
GIFT ACCEPTANCE AUTHORITY This
rule authorizes the OGE to accept gifts for the purpose of
“facilitating the work of the agency.”
Additionally, it establishes guidelines for the solicitation and
acceptance of gifts and states certain conditions for acceptance and use
of gifts. Office
of Government Ethics!?! Talk
about a contradiction in terms. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11043.htm
NATIONAL
HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION – This rule requires future air bags to be designed to create less risk for occupants, specifically small women and young children. Federal
mandates can have unintended consequences.
The “passive restraint” requirements in the 1980s, for
example, mandated driver and passenger air bags in new vehicles.
So far, over 100 children
have been crushed to death as a result. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-10945.htm PRESIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS –
NATIONAL
DAY OF PRAYER With Proclamation 7672, issued April 30, 2003, President Bush proclaimed May 1, 2003 as a “National Day of Prayer.” Personally,
I’m praying for less government! http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11193.htm DEPARTMENT
OF THE TREASURY – This
rule requires commodity trading advisors to set up “anti-money
laundering programs.” This
will allow the federal government to snoop
into private financial records of commodities and options traders
under the guise of preventing terrorist financing.
Another hideous consequence of the USA Patriot Act of 2001. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-10841.htm MAY
6, 2003: EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT – The purpose of the grant program is to “raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of traditional American history.” It continues: “By helping teachers to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of traditional American history as a separate subject matter within the core curriculum, these programs improve instruction and raise student achievement.” The
program intends to instruct teachers, not students, on American history.
A question: Why do public
school teachers who are currently instructing students on American
history, and are licensed and accredited to do so, need
further instruction on a subject they should be proficient in? This looks like a “make-work” program created to provide funding to local educational agencies (LEAs). http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11113.htm FOOD
AND NUTRITION SERVICE –
FOOD STAMP PROGRAM,
ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER PROVISIONS This
action revises Food Stamp Program regulations pertaining to the
standards of approval for the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) systems. Instead
of receiving traditional food stamps, benefits recipients are now issued
a plastic debit-like card and a personal identification number (PIN)
through which they access their benefits. With the EBT system,
recipients pay for their groceries by swiping the EBT card through Point
of Sale (POS) devices in stores. The
EBT card allows benefits recipients to receive their stolen goods
without embarrassment. Which
is too bad, because there should be some shame involved in forcibly
taking other people’s property to satisfy one’s own needs. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11135.htm MAY
7, 2003: COMMITTEE
FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS (CITA) This
directive reduces the quota limits that the CITA allows to be imported
to the United States. Besides
limiting the choices available to American consumers, this decree
hinders the development of a poverty-stricken country ($800 annual GDP
per capita) that is heavily reliant on its textile industry. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11307.htm
PRESIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS –
NATIONAL
JEWISH WEEK President Bush proclaims May 4-11, 2003 as “National Jewish Week,” and urges all Americans to “learn more about the rich history of Jewish Americans and to celebrate their contribution to our cultural diversity.” L’chaim! http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11522.htm MAY
9, 2003: FEDERAL
DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION – This
regulation requires financial institutions to implement “reasonable”
procedures to verify the identity of any
person seeking to open an account.
It also requires financial institutions to “maintain records of
the information used to verify the person's identity; and determine
whether the person appears on any lists of known or suspected terrorists
or terrorist organizations provided to the financial institution by any
government agency.” The
feds claim that this legislation will “facilitate the prevention,
detection, and prosecution of international money laundering and the
financing of terrorism.” In
reality, it gives the federal
government greater access to the financial activities of every American
that uses one of these institutions for banking purposes. Another
product of the anti-liberty USA Patriot Act.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-11019.htm To
subscribe to the Federal Register Table of Contents LISTSERV electronic
mailing list, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov
and select Online mailing list archives, FEDREGTOC-L, Join or leave the
list (or change settings); then follow the instructions. Link to the current edition of Federal Register Watch at www.strike-the-root.com/3/frw/frw.html
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