FDA Regulation

America is currently operating under a system that is failing its citizens. The American people are desperate for change. I am the change you are looking for; a change to protect the future for generations to come. We are responsible for the future. We are responsible for fixing the problems created by both past and present generations. To quote President JFK, “For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” It is crucial to understand that by taking a stand and no longer tolerating the corruption and misdeeds of the people and agencies that are supposed to protect the American people.
The FDA was created to regulate the products on the
market in order to protect consumers from potentially harmful consequences of consumption.
Over the past years though, their regulation has stretched. It has even killed. According to Milton Friedman, the FDA has killed more people by stopping good medications from making it onto the market than they have saved by denying harmful drugs. Today, standards for FDA regulation go far beyond the health of the average consumer. The power vested into the FDA has caused a corrupt system where the safety does not matter as much as the financial support. Pharmaceutical companies are competing not for the best medication, but for the most profitable pill. The system has run rampant. “The FDA acts as though only its own powers are sufficient to protect the patient in distress. It never considers the possibility that its aggressive intervention may well stand between patients and the medical services they need” said Richard Epstein in response to the FDA’s disapproval of stem cell research. Stem cell research involves somatic cell, or body cells, to be converted into stem cells. According to the Stem Cell Agency of California, those cells can produce any human body part in need of replacement. For example, this could mean the end of 93,000
open cases in need of vital kidney transplants, according to the Living Kidney Donor Network. Our party is in strong support of the use of stem cell research. The FDA regulates products to increase their own reputation to create a way to control and diminish the treatments researchers and medical doctors recommend. It is time to rid of the medical treatment section of the FDA and replace it with qualified research scientists and medical doctors. States have police powers to ensure the health of their citizens. It is far within their own interests to regulate medications that their people consume. It is time to return health regulation to the states and recognize that this is where it belongs. The United States currently releases the second highest amount out of any other nation of carbon dioxide globally, with China being the first. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 16% of the world’s carbon emissions in 2011 came from the U.S., which was 6% more than what the entire European Union that same year. A carbon tax is a tax on the carbon dioxide production, and it would only apply to businesses. It creates an incentive to reduce their carbon footprint significantly by using more environmentally-friendly transportation, by reducing their electrical usage, and by encouraging business and industries to take actions that would decrease their carbon emissions. The tax will be graduated, making it so that those who release greater amounts of CO2 will pay a higher rate per tonne of carbon in order to protect the small businesses that keep America strong. The tax would benefit the economy by increasing the government’s revenue with funds that can be put toward other efforts to protect the environment, such as establishing national parks and funding research on climate change.
And the benefits don’t stop there. The tax will encourage citizens to purchase vehicles that are more environmentally friendly, which will help car manufacturers in sales and therefore benefit the economy. According to the Carbon Tax Center, various nations--mainly in Europe--have already enacted a carbon tax, including: Ireland, Australia, Chile, Finland, and Great Britain. Unsurprisingly, there is a correlation with these nations having some of the lowest carbon emissions globally, especially considering how more developed nations are prone to higher emissions due to the large amount of carbon emitting technology, such as cars and planes, etc. Such an effort would make the global emissions decrease significantly, which would create a cleaner and healthier world for everyone. Enacting such a tax would help reign in the mass amounts of carbon the U.S. is currently contributing and prevent it from becoming as polluted as China, in which 4,000 people die each die due to illnesses caused by the extreme pollution, according to a study by physicists at the University of California.
Though we aim to empower the states with their Constitutionally-given rights, it is within our beliefs that the national government would be better suited to handle an issue whose effects extend across the entire nation. In order to prevent disputes between states due to varying environmental law, the federal government will enact the carbon tax and it will be enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Internal Revenue Service. The minimum wage has a powerful influence on the American economy.
The general economic philosophy in America is that the higher the price of a service, the lower the demand from the general public. Raising the minimum wage puts American’s personal lives and jobs are at stake. Currently, there is legislation proposed with the intent of raising the minimum wage. However, contrary to popular beliefs, this will not benefit our country. Evidence released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis during the Great Recession suggests that raising the minimum wage does not help people’s situations in times of economic downturn. In fact, it can worsen the situation, as the Wall Street Journal notes, “A higher minimum wage has the biggest impact on those with the least experience or the fewest skills. That means in particular those looking for entry-level jobs, especially teenagers.” And that’s exactly what happened with the Great Recession, when a six point rise in unemployment occurred, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Increasing the minimum wage requirements have indicated that several negative effects could occur, such as: Increasing the likelihood and duration of unemployment, discouraging part-time work and reducing school attendance, encouraging employers to cut back on fringe benefits, increasing inflationary pressure, and encouraging employers to hire illegal aliens, according to the Cato Institute. At a national level, raising minimum wage is detrimental. States are
better fit to understand how minimum wage actions will affect their citizens. After all, what qualifies as minimum living is entirely dependent on the state. A gallon of milk might cost a couple dollars to almost ten in different parts of this nation. The only way to manage minimum wage in a responsible manner is to put the states in charge.
Much like the mighty oak tree our country, too, will stand strong. All mighty oaks begin as a tiny acorn and with the proper guidance and nourishment that tiny seed will grow strong and prosperous. Now is the time for the American people to plant the seed. One seed at a time, together we are “Securing tomorrow for a better future.”