Posted on 11/17/2004 5:38:24 PM PST by Veritas et equitas ad Votum
Telling consumers where their meat, fruit and vegetables came from seemed such a good idea to U.S. ranchers and farmers in competition with imports that Congress two years ago ordered the food industry to do it. But meatpackers and food processors fought the law from the start, and newly emboldened Republicans now plan to repeal it before Thanksgiving.
As part of the 2002 farm bill, country-of-origin labeling was supposed to have gone into effect this fall. Congress last year postponed it until 2006. Now, House Republicans are trying to wipe it off the books as part of a spending bill they plan to finish this month.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
How more ill can the Republicrats, who snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, make us?
" Because US agri-business has been in the forefront in bringing in cheap and illegal labor,"
I like this point, and certainly imported food doesn't need to be picked or packaged by illegals in America.
If the US companies that employ illegals go out of business, will the illegals go home or drive labor costs down in other industries?
I'm starting to wonder how close we are to having a one-party government. While they put on a good show during campaigns and in press conferences, none of these people seem to put the American people at the top of their priority lists...
Yummy - get your Hepatitus A and B vaccinations before grocery shopping!
Truth in advertising. Charlize is South African.
What political capital are they spending?
I'd like to know that too. Adding a couple of words to a label costs nothing. Perhaps they're worried about the extra ink?
I really hope they don't do this. Time to get working on a garden in the Spring I guess.
Again...everything else we purchase shows country of origin...why shouldn food be exempted?
This is what you voted for, revell in it.
The democrats are a socialist nightmare. They pretend to care about us while they shove the knife between our ribs. Republicans just shove the thing in and look for another good spot to poke at for a larger percentage. But, they do have Rove to tell us it's good for us.. Who needs that label anyhow.. It only gives you some idea about whether what you're eating is going to make you ill or not. We can't be bothered with your well being when there's money to be made. And as the free traders would remind us, ethical considerations are anathema where money is concerned. The odd thing is that our forefathers would have had the sense to be incited by what we're putting up with now.
I'd like to know that too. Adding a couple of words to a label costs nothing. Perhaps they're worried about the extra ink?
There might the be added cost of verifying the information. Still, I say "Label it and let the consumer decide".
Some years ago there was a flap over whether or not dairy companies should label milk cartons as to whether or not their cows were given RbSt (a growth hormone that increased milk production). The dairy lobby said no labels, the FDA supported that saying that it was not considered an additive to the final product. How stupid are we? I will make the decisions about what edibles enter my house, thank you very much.
again: Label it and let the consumer decide!
I sometimes try to suggest a more nationalistic approach to our trade policy, and I am immiediately dismissed as a Buchananite isolationist. Of course, nobody has yet told me how we are better off with our current policies of running up the debt so US companies can enrich the Chinese government while allowing Mexicans to invade our country and take jobs from Americans.
I guess the Bushbots don't really have answers as to why tariffs are a worse way to go than what we have now.
I'm sure The King of England would have regarded Jefferson, Washington, Franklin et al as Buchnanite isolationists as well. Apparently, a constitution and elective form of Kingship neutered us all? When government becomes unresponsive and tyranical, I don't see anything in the constitution saying we should take it. Actually, the constitution makes provision for response in light of the fact that the citizenry by and large will put up with far too much before acting. I'm not contented to put up with any of it. I've been abused enough in my life when I couldn't respone. There's no way in hell I'm sitting idly by and letting this go.
Seems consistent with free market philosophy to me.
You are so right. This is soooo way down the list.
Maybe so, but to me it's proof that Bush cares more about the bottom lines of food manufacturers than the health of average Americans.
I cannot determine a single reason why this is good for the country.
Think for a moment - if a disease entered the States from an imported food product and YOUR family member became deathly ill, would you still want to wonder where the food supply originated?
Sure, we did perfectly well when the majority of foodstuffs originated from our farms and fields and that 1/100th cent would have been well worth the expenditure if it helps CDC to pinpoint and stop a disease originating from Chile, Brazil, Mexico, or China.
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