ACRONYMS SAVE LIVES

Acronyms are used to shorten the names of organizations. It is a shorthand so we can identify them easily. It dehumanizes them. Their full names are closely associated with their function. And their function is what sensible governance strives to do. Help citizens lead better lives.

We are hearing these acronyms tossed around like pinatas. It gives the impression that they can be torn up with little impact to our lives. When we lose a sense of their function, what the acronyms stand for. We lose a sense of their value.     

Just letters. So, what do they do? What value do they bring to our lives, the citizens who pay their expenses and expect value in return?

CDC: Center of Disease Control

ts purpose is to prevent disease. Sounds like a pretty good idea. It has had a lot to do in the last five years. The Covid Pandemic tested the agency and restrictions placed on its activities and its ability to communicate clearly to the public resulted in the death of 1.2 million of our fellow citizens. Its website is currently being reengineered to adhere to the latest administrations guidelines. They were not a fan of public release of important information about COVID. We are currently concerned about an outbreak of avian flu. It has reduced the chicken population. Last time I bought eggs they were $12 a dozen. Some restaurants are now charging an EGG surcharge on their menu. Our ability to control this pandemic will have a direct impact on the price of food going forward. It has not yet mutated to the point where it can spread to the human population. How do we know that. You guessed it. Center for Disease Control.

FAA: Federal Aviation Administration

FAA: Federal Aviation Administration oversees the safety of our airways. NTSB National Transportation Safety Board investigates accidents across entire transportation portfolio. In the case of air travel, it can mandate new safety practices, equipment upgrades, software changes Just a few weeks ago the first fatal aviation crash in the United States since 2009 took the lives of 67 fellow citizens. Do we have enough air traffic controllers? With expanding air travel the answer is no. How do we increase training and staffing of this crucial skill set while maintaining the highest safety standards. Probably not an area where you want to see layoffs and yet . . .  

NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides research about our planet. It enables better weather forecasts and earlier warnings for natural disasters.  What they do affects our lives every single day. They monitor world temperature. They are an unbiased technical resource to monitor climate change. Science matters, facts matter. We are already seeing the impact of climate change through Hurricane severity and coastal flooding. All these things impact our personal safety and economic well-being.

NIH: National Institute of Health

NIH: National Institute of Health does groundbreaking research that discovers new health protocols. That includes cancer cures, vaccine formulation and improvement. They are the tip of the spear in terms of innovative medical research. If you are remission from cancer, there is a good chance NIH had something to do with it.

FDA: Federal Drug Administration

FDA: Federal Drug Administration oversees the practical results of basic research. When new drugs come online the FDA submits them to a rigorous series of Clinical Trials. Their goal is first to see that the drug does no harm, second to find the ideal dosage. Once that is identified the final clinical trial determines if the drug or protocol is effective.

In the interests of full disclosure I, amongst many others, am alive today because of the drug protocols that the Federal Drug Administration identified as effective.   

EXPERTISE COSTS MONEY

It is an impressive list of organizations with an impressive list of accomplishments and responsibilities. Expertise costs money. Competence cost money. So, beware when untrained and unelected officials spout acronyms and promise to slash budgets and get rid of unnecessary spending of fraud. The program they cut may end up putting you on a plane that ends up in the Potomac River. It may result in shortages to our food supply due to a contagious disease. It may slow done the development of a clinical applications that may cure your cancer.

Sensible governance helps citizen lead better lives. These organizations are critical components of that very simple principle. They should be enhanced, protected, valued not arbitrarily curtailed.