Bureaucracy and You

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Bureaucracy and You

There are many ways through, which the United States federal government regulates the lives of people. It mostly takes place in the form of the federal bureaucracy. The latter is involved in regulation, administration and implementation, and they are considered as being the most vital functions of the federal bureaucracy. When congress passes a law, they have to be put into practice as policies, and this is known as implementation. Administrative discretion has to be used by the federal bureaucracy as various implications are raised. Certain times, the risk of criticism from congress, the president, as well as from interest groups is inevitable. This means that certain foods are allowed into the country while others are not. The other function is of an administration nature, which is similar to that of an office, as its nature is routine based (Shmoop, 2011).

The other functions, as part of the administration role, include; conducting tests, permit issuing and fees collection. The administrative tasks should not be questioned as a policy goal implementation is the work of a federal bureaucracy. The public is given regulations and rules through the power of the federal bureaucracy. Regulations refer to state and federal programs that operate under certain rules. It is through rule making that the enactment of the administrative process occurs. Specialized agencies are given the power to formulate regulations and rules as congress does not have technical knowledge and time. An example of a specialized agency in charge of television and radio networks is the Federal Communications Commission (Shmoop, 2011). This means that programs that American watch and listens to are regulated by this agency. The federal bureaucracy is also in charge of government corporations, and examples include Amtrak, U.S. Postal Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The latter were formed to take charge of services in the private sector. Lastly, the other role of the federal bureaucracy is to be in charge of independent executive agencies. This means that it acts under the power and will of the American president.

This means that there are many sectors through, which the federal government, affects the lives of American. The regulated activity that surprises me most is that bureaucrats cannot question administrative functions of the federal bureaucracy. For example, the personnel at immigration give permits to immigrants allowing them to work in the United States. This is despite the fact that it might endanger the immigration policy at should be outlawed as immigrants with evil intentions might have their way in the United States. I was least surprised by the fact that the federal bureaucracy is in charge of issuing permits for businesses. This is because the government has the authority of regulating the businesses that take place in the United States (Shmoop, 2011).

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has its roots in the year 1848, and the pioneer is known as Lewis Caleb. It was a federal agency responsible for consumer protection. The introduction of a Pure Food and Drugs Act took place in the year 1906. In turn, for many years, there has been a need to ensure that the market place is favorable for consumers. This is because there have been several instances of problems concerning drugs and foods. The FDA ensures that it regulates various sectors of the economy that are associated with public health. They include; dietary supplements, food safety, blood transfusions, and tobacco products, among others. FDA also has vetted areas in other sectors that are not drugs or food. Apart from that, there are other agencies that are under the regulation of the FDA, such as Office of Compliance, Office of New Drugs, and Botanical review team, among others.

Recently it has come up with new regulations concerning the marketing of certain products in America. The regulation is applicable to sunscreen products, which are sold over the counter. This is in the year 2011, in the month of June, and the sunscreen products are non prescription. The reason for coming up with new regulations is because of the constant changes concerning the effectiveness and safety of the sunscreen products. The new regulation can be found in regulatory documents that are four in number. They include; Draft Guidance for Industry, Proposed Rule Making, an Advance Notice and A Final Rule (Burgess, 2011).

Its recent press release was for the purposes of ensuring that issues on sunscreen are known by the American public. The information is vital as it can prevent people from aging early, and skin cancer is drastically reduced. The FDA requires that consumers are provided with information regarding the sunscreen products that they are using. This means that the products should be clearly labeled to reduce the negative impacts of using sunscreen. Also, the sunscreen products will be tested to ensure that the broad spectrum and UVB rays’ spectrum are labeled. This is because the latter elements are known to cause skin cancer and sunburn. A lot is being done by the FDA to ensure that all sunscreen products in the United States are made using safe ingredients. By the year 2012, the new regulations will be put into action according to the FDA. It mostly focuses on sunscreen companies with earnings that are not above $25,000 (Burgess, 2011).

The FDA is extremely compelling, and there are two aspects that fascinate me a lot. Medical maggots were produced by Dr. Sherman Ronald after he obtained permission from the FDA. The maggots are beneficial as medical prescriptions and for animal and human use. It is intriguing to know that the FDA is involved in such a crucial matter that can assist in treating diseases that affect human beings. The other fascinating fact that I have learnt about the FDA is that it has ventured into other countries such as Chile, India, China, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Costa Rica. This is because the FDA is supposedly meant to be American, yet it has imposed itself in other countries. It is extremely ironical that some drugs and foods it bans are from the mentioned countries, yet it has regulations in those countries. It seems that the FDA is not withstanding in its efforts to ensure that governments are aware of drugs and foods that are not safe. In deed, the work of the FDA is extremely crucial as it ensures that consumers are protected from the sale of harmful products. The Federal bureaucracy is another regulator that serves the needs of American citizens (Burgess, 2011).

References

Givel, Michael. (2005). Philip Morris’ FDA Gambit: Good for Public Health? Journal of Public Health Policy, 26, 450-468.

Burgess, Shelly. (2011). FDA Announces changes to Better Inform Consumers about Sunscreen.FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm258940.htm” http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm258940.htm

Shmoop. (2011) Federal Bureaucracy: Shmoop Civics Guide. New York: Shmoop University Press.