Loss of Freedom Archives - Page 30 of 33

FDA to Regulate Amount of Salt in Food

Now we are going to have the federal salt police. Is there no end to the power of Washington over our lives? Washington Post: “The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products.”

Obama Signs Bill Authorizing Nationalization of Student Loan Program

For those of you that love big government, the U.S. government just took over another segment of United States commerce – education funding. President Obama signed a new law the makes the federal government not only the only lender of money to students for higher education, but will allow the government to be the educational gatekeeper and determine which schools get loan funds, the amount of loans available to each school and which students can borrow and how much a student can borrow. The federal government now has the ability to control educational institutions and students by picking who gets money (winners) and who doesn’t (losers). For those of you who think this will never happen, it already has. See government regulation of college athletics, aka Title IX.

Most Home Remodeling After April 21st Will Require EPA-certified Workers & Cost More

Contractors beware! The federal lead police get more power beginning April 22, 2010. If you thought remodeling a home is expensive now, wait until your contractors must hire EPA-certified workers. GreenHouse.com: “On April 22, the Environmental Protection Agency is slated to enact rules requiring EPA certification for contractors working 0n homes built before lead paint was banned in 1978. The rule, aimed at limiting exposure to lead, applies to carpenters, plumbers, heating and air conditioning workers, window installers and others.” See the EPA’s announcement that states:

Beginning next month, federal law will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified in the new EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) and follow specific work practices to reduce human exposures to lead.

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children. To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. All contractors must be trained and certified by April 22, 2010.

Landlords, property managers, and their employees are responsible for ensuring compliance with the rule and play an important role in protecting public health by helping prevent lead exposure from their housing units. Lead-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978.

Lead exposure can cause reduced IQ, learning disabilities, developmental delays and behavioral problems in young children.

To locate an EPA-accredited training provider or to learn more about protecting your family from lead-based paint, visit EPA’s Get Lead Safe Web site or contact the National Lead Information Center, 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

New York City Law Prohibits More than Three Unrelated People from Sharing an Apartment

New York Times: “And in New York, home to some of the nation’s highest rents and more than eight million people, many of them single, it is illegal for more than three unrelated people to live in an apartment or a house.”

Obama Administration to Spy on Citizens by Infiltrating Social Media

cnet news: “The next friend request you receive might come from the FBI. The Obama administration has considered sending federal police undercover on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. A confidential U.S. Department of Justice presentation (PDF) on social-networking sites made public Tuesday said online undercover work can help agents ‘communicate with suspects,’ ‘gain access to nonpublic info,’ and ‘map social relationships’.” The DOJ presentation states, “Why go undercover on Facebook, MySpace, etc.,? Communicate with suspects/targets. Gain access to non-public info. Map social relationships/networks.”