Pet Compounds

The two compounds that I chose that I would like to learn more about are bakelite and polysulfone. Bakelite was developed in 1909 and it was one of the first plastics to be made from synthetic compounds. In its early days it was used in a wide variety of products from jewelry to telephone casings to electrical insulators. Today it is most commonly used as a substitute for porcelain and other ceramics and it is also used in game pieces such as dominos, chess pieces, and checkers. It is also manufactured and produced today in tube, sheet, and rod form for industrial applications in aerospace industries, electronics, and power generation.

Polysulfone was developed in 1965 and is important because it is a very tough and rigid thermoplastic. This means that it is able to maintain its properties from a temperature range of 150 degrees Fahrenheit to above 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Its ability to withstand such high temperatures make it  a good flame retardant and today it is used in many areas including in waste water recovery and in the automobile and electric industries.

Federal Programs

While there are many government programs and agencies that are underfunded and that could be expanded, the one government agency that stands out to me as being grossly underfunded and that needs expanding is the Food and Drug Administration(FDA). The FDA has a plethora of responsibilities including regulation of  food(except for meat and poultry), food additives, tobacco products, medical devices, dietary supplements, making sure that dietary supplements and cosmetics are properly labeled, and assuring that foods are properly labeled, just to name a few. Each year the FDA is expected to regulate over $1 trillion worth of goods with a budget that is under $3 billion. This insufficient funding has led to a lack of staffing which has led to lapses in the FDA properly performing their responsibilities. As a result of the insufficient funding, instead of being able to be proactive, the agency has become reactive and is only able to catch and fix problems after they occur. An example of this is the contaminated spinach and peanut butter that has had to be recalled in recent years. Instead of being proactive and catching that the peanut butter and spinach were contaminated before they reached grocery stores, the FDA was only able to be reactive and recall all spinach and peanut butter after they realized it was contaminated and it was already in stores. By increasing the FDA's budget, the agency would be able to increase its staff which would in turn allow the agency to become more proactive rather than just reacting after a problem occurs as it currently does.

While there are many federal agencies and programs that need to be maintained and expanded, there is not one federal program or agency that stands out to me that could be either reduced or eliminated. All of the federal programs and agencies that exist were created for a reason and therefore obviously serve some purpose. These agencies and programs are all vital to American's health, education, welfare, etc. and it would not be wise to cut any of these programs.