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Strike The Root |
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There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. |
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Strike The Root |
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There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. |
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Federal
Register Watch by Mike Powers November
4-8, 2002 What
freedoms have you lost this week? 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. NOVEMBER
4, 2002: Economic
Development Administration – Notice
of petitions for “trade adjustment assistance” A
list of a dozen private companies petitioning the federal government for
subsidies to compensate them for a decrease in sales or a layoff of
workers due to foreign imports. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-27957-filed NOVEMBER
5, 2002: Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – Announces
the elimination of statistical classes to report the export of large
cigars that are subject to excise tax This proposed rule eliminates eight statistical classes for large cigars proscribed by ATF regulations for determining tax rates on exports. As of January 1, 2001, manufacturers report such removals of large cigars in two classes. The goal of the ruling is to eliminate obsolete regulations. Streamlining of government by the BATF? Say it ain’t so! Well, at least they’re not out killing peaceful Americans a la Ruby Ridge and Waco. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-27973-filed Department
of Education – Brown
v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission meeting This notice announces the meeting of the commission established under public law to celebrate the historic Supreme Court decision aimed at ending segregation in the government-run public schools. In the past, government officials stood in the doorway of public schools to prevent certain students from entering. Today, they stand in the doorway to prevent them from leaving. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-28049-filed NOVEMBER
6, 2002: Department
of Defense – Intent
to prepare an environmental impact statement for the mission closure at
Johnston Atoll Airfield, a chemical weapons disposal site The
Johnston Atoll Airfield, located approximately 717 nautical miles
southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, has
been used by the Defense Department as a storage site for chemical
weapons since the early 1970s. Formerly
a site for high altitude nuclear weapons tests, it
became the Army’s designated repository for unused World War II and
Vietnam War-era munitions. In
1985, after Congress mandated the disposal of U.S. chemical weapon
stockpiles, the atoll turned into the government’s premiere chemical
weapons disposal facility. With
munitions destruction complete, the Air Force will oversee cleanup of
the island. In addition to
contaminants from the chemical disposal plant, the island is polluted
with low-level plutonium from a failed high altitude nuclear launch and
pollutants from an old Agent Orange storage site.
The government’s role as the primary contributor to
environmental pollution is often understated. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-28208-filed Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service Grants
available for the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged
Farmers and Ranchers Competitive Grants Program (OASDFR). The
program provides outreach and technical assistance to encourage and
assist “socially disadvantaged” farmers to own and operate farms.
Approximately $3.2 million is available for FY2002. According
to the provision, a socially disadvantaged group means “a group whose
members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudices because of
their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual
qualities. Socially disadvantaged groups include, but are not limited
to, African Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics,
Asians, and Pacific Islanders.” Oddly
enough, the program awards grants based upon group identity! http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-28159-filed Internal
Revenue Service – User
fees for processing compromise tax liability offers The IRS proposes charging its “customers” up to $150 in user fees to process offers to settle tax liabilities. The greedy bastards! http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-28249-filed NOVEMBER
7, 2002: Agricultural
Marketing Service - Price
fixing for federal milk orders Revised price-product formulas for pricing milk regulated under federal milk marketing orders. Doesn’t the federal government punish private companies that do this? http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2002/02-27570.htm Antitrust
Division – Proposed
final judgment and competitive impact statement, United States v.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company and Minnesota Corn Processors, LLC On
September 6, 2002, the United States filed a complaint alleging that the
proposed acquisition by Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) of
Minnesota Corn Processors, LLC would violate Section 7 of the Clayton
Act by substantially lessening competition in the manufacture and sale
of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup.
The proposed final judgment requires the defendants to dissolve
the joint venture that Minnesota Corn Processors, LLC formed with Corn
Products International, another corn wet miller. The
complaint alleges that the acquisition will allow Archer-Daniels-Midland
Corporation to eliminate competition in the already highly concentrated
corn syrup markets. Yet,
ADM’s dominance in the market is primarily due to the billions in
government assistance it has received over the years.
ADM has been the most prominent recipient of corporate welfare in
recent U.S. history. ADM
and its former chairman Dwayne Andreas donated millions of dollars to
both political parties. In
return, the company reaped billion-dollar windfalls from taxpayers and
consumers. Thanks
to federal protection of the domestic sugar industry, ethanol subsidies,
and subsidized grain exports, ADM has cost the American economy billions
of dollars since 1980 and has indirectly cost Americans tens of billions
of dollars in higher prices and higher taxes over that same period. Approximately 43 percent of ADM's annual profits are from
products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government.
There
are few better examples where the intrusive actions of self-serving
politicians have exacted such a devastating toll on American consumers
and taxpayers alike. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2002/02-28333.htm NOVEMBER
8, 2002: Transportation
Security Administration – Security
programs for aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more This notice extends the date upon which small aircraft operators must be in compliance with the Twelve-Five Standard Security Program. The mandate affects approximately 850 additional operators that were not subject to aviation security regulations prior to issuance of this rule. The rule requires fingerprinting and criminal background checks of employees, as well as implementation of a security-training program. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2002/02-28644.htm |
