Moe Lane, over at Redstate, is onto the H.R.875 dealo. I tried to drum up lefty concern with Bob the other day, but he shrugged and suggested it was conservative over-reaction. Moe Lane on why liberals should be paying a bit of attention. Two words. Organic Foods.
Come, I will hide nothing from you: I don’t eat organic foods. I am perfectly fine with consuming genetically altered foods. I in fact think that many of the Left-types that I linked to above there are being almost terminally silly in their dietary habits, and I will be happy to fight them over whether or not the Third World should be benefiting from current genetic agricultural research. But none of that means that we should regulate organic farmers out of business - particularly in this economy. If somebody wants to frankly overpay for a tomato that’s never been sprayed with pesticides, and I’m not required to subsidize it with my tax money, let him have the tomato. It does no harm to me, it pleases the tomato eater, and puts money in the pocket of the tomato grower.
Of course, this is about more than just organic food. I doubt my neighborhood fruit stand is organic, they are just small farmers who connect with other small farmers to set up a little stand on the side of the road. I can get, throughout the season, berries and cucumbers and tomatoes and apples. And honey and peppers and melons and onions. Could they deal with a million dollar fine?
- Instituting FSA as food safety law enforcement, allowing it to assess civil penalties and fines for violation of any and all FSA safety laws up to $1 million for each violation. Collected fines would become unappropriated slush funds to be used however FSA deems fit in order to "carry out enforcement activities under the food safety law".
Anyone else a tad nervous that the "collected fines" become a part of a "slush fun" to be used however the FSA deems appropriate? I know, I know. They're from the government and they're here to help us. But, the reality is that small farmers will be unable to meet the regulations (or the paperwork) and will simply stop growing all that locally grown, organic (or not) yummy fresh produce.
All this doesn't even touch concerns H.R. 875 is an infringement on state sovereignty.
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