In Sunday-evening surprise, Senate unanimously passes food safety bill (Why even have a GOP?)

The Hill ^ | December 19 2010 | Alexander Bolton

[Cringing Negativism Network]

... "Republicans, however, later agreed to pass it by unanimous consent."

[justiceseeker93]

I noticed that just about all the posted comments regarding this “food safety” legislation were negative. The article from “The Hill” revealed no details of its provisions, some of which are undoubtedly odious. Can someone please fill us in on some of the specifics?

[ml/nj]

Does this mean that Michelle will come and arrest me if I don't cook my hamburger meat for more than four minutes?

ML/NJ

[ml/nj]

Or maybe everything has to be Halal?

ML/NJ

[ml/nj]

LOL !

ML/NJ

[SunkenCiv]

It seems likely that the bill can best be summed up this way:

[Just A Nobody]

Hi Justice. Here is a basic synopsis of this horrendous infringement of our freedom.

First Health Care, Next the Food Supply

Very, very dangerous poc you have here. The fact that the SINate voted unanimously to pass this obamanation [sic], SHOULD speak volumes and be the last thing they pass.

[txhurl]

So.... let’s say.. local growers who sell at farmers’ markets are stilted by this law.

Let’s get the transaction down to be legally untouchable. Say I’m at my farmers’ market (kickass one, NW of Austin that brings vendors and amazing items from a 100+ mile radius) and

they have a fundraising jar someone in need locally. I just happen to have a $15 VISA gift card that I want to donate, and they just happen to have a lb of broccoli, 2 butternut squash, a dozen fresh free-range eggs and some really nice cantaloupes to thank me for donating to their cause.

Can the FDA or FTC sink their fangs into this transaction?

[txhurl]

[B4Ranch]

Have you been adequately “serviced” today? Thank your representative.

[txhurl]

I left out one more FU to the .gov.

Since this is a charitable donation for a stricken local, I get a receipt and take it off my taxes. Shoot, at $75/mo donating at this farmers’ market, that’s about a $grand deduction for food. Hm. This is looking up.

We gotta throw wrenches in the machine. When they told us we couldn’t have incandescents anymore, I proposed that my diagnosed SAD (seasonal affectation disorder) cannot be ameliorated by the curly lights.

When they wanted to open up out cell phone numbers to telemarketers, I proposed fining each caller for the amount of energy I directly had to pay to charge my phone because of that uninvited and unwanted call.

We have to turn it around on them. Now.

[SunkenCiv]

This bill was also bound up in the continuing resolution victory. So it is part of the deal that killed the 2,000 page porkulus.

Thanks sam_paine.

[SunkenCiv]

Depends on who’s watching; who’s narc’ing; whether the DC quislings are interested in putting up funds to police this sh!t.

[txhurl]

As always, it's all about the Qui Bono, in this assault it's big AG.

Which has in perpetuity benefited from Farmers voting RAT.

[Gondring]

Thank you for asking.

I'm not a lawyer or an expert by any means, and I have never participated in a USDA comment period, but each agency is different. You watch for the announcement and submit your comment by the deadline and they must respond to each. Some agencies have an online submission, but I usually write a letter.

I haven't read this bill yet, but I imagine it tasks the USDA with turning the law into regulations to be followed. If you keep doing a search each week or so on the USDA site, I bet you'll see the announcement of the comment period. It's KEY that you respond on time, though sometimes they'll issue clarifications or have extensions, so keep checking back on their website.

What to put into a comment? Well, just my own suggestions, from what has worked for me, but I'm sure others have better tips:

2. Be professional.
3. Remember that you're not writing to vent--you're writing to try to get the best regulations crafted from the law we are stuck with. Often the laws are poorly written and leave a lot of leeway for regulation interpretations. Lefties use this a lot, but it seems conservatives often ignore it.
4. Be specific. Refer to a specific portion or portions of the proposed regulations, and make your comments clearly referring to them. I like to quote a section of the proposed regulations in bold, and then under it, I put my response. Then back to bold for the next section. Indents can be used, too.
5. I find that it helps to state what's wrong with the regulations they have proposed, referring to the language of the law if needed, and then suggest an improvement. Sometimes, you'll find your improved wording incorporated into the revised regulations, modified by what others have submitted. Othertimes, you might not see any of your language in it, but the effect is what you wanted.
6. Remember that they might not agree with your proposed change, and might not make it, but they will have to address it. If you make well-reasoned arguments, this provides a nice hook for the lawyers to come back to later. This is how the Lefties often operate.

I'll FReepmail you with some more info.

[Ellendra]

Thanks!

[DelaWhere]

>>>Can someone please fill us in on some of the specifics?<<<

Before you could read them, it will be passed...

Way back machine - H.R. 2749, then a bunch of other attempts and now S. 510 - Even the Tester Amendment is totally loco! Little things like that small farmer/gardener/producer has to fill out all the same paperwork and file it with fees annually so that they can determine if they are exempt from filing it...

Not just stupidity - it is INSANITY!

Then there are the 340 new enforcement types for each state (17,000 total) and guess what the FDA orders - Assault Rifles for their 'needs'. Bet it isn't for prairie wolves or other vermin that need to be controlled (unless that's what they consider us.)

Just remember Monsanto=good GMO's = healthy - food from Local farms = bad - government = good - people=bad... - Pay your fees = good - avoid them and you are badddddddd...- Go to re-education training for 10 years...

Forget that these new inspectors don't have a clue - we already had three cases where they tracked disease from one farm to another just this year... Then had to quarantine those farms and destroy the livestock. Smart A$$e$ making way too much money under the 'peter principle'. All they have to do is remember Monsanto = Good - Government = Good - Farmers and gardeners = bad... Jails are waiting for them.

Well, like during prohibition, many quit spotlighting deer and took up the same practice on feds. But they tasted lousy - not even the hogs would eat them. Ahhh how life changes... and yet is the same...

Hussein 0bamas mantra about 'change you could believe in' turned into change you couldn't possibly think he believed them.

So, couple of months and I will be starting many more seeds, planting that 300% increase in the orchard, starting 5000 more fast-growing trees and double the garden again - just for the sweet smell of the blossoms and the quaint picture of beauty that the blooms on the beans, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, etc., etc. will be producing - but of course I will have to prune all that nasty fruit and vegetables off them to keep everything pretty and so that they don't rot and make that floral garden ugly. No food garden here... just pretty bushes and flowers.

Maybe I'll have to get a night scope so I can do moonlight picking and seal up all that nasty food in airtight containers and sterilize them so they don't present a hazard. Maybe they will make a Federal grant to those who will eat them for testing purposes... LOL Stupid, stupid Jacka$$e$ - the whole bunch of them!! ///rant over///(for now)

Oh, one more thing - next time you pick up a bottle of apple juice with a label that says White House Apple Juice, and check the fine print, you will see that nice 'Product of China' (it will taste like dishwater) and you can feel safe since the FDA now inspects every 3 years under the new bill instead of every 5 years and they will be using more 'approved' foreign inspectors. (seems they weren't getting enough bribes on a 5 year schedule - 3 years gives them a raise and more opportunity to extract bribes... Just so that you will feel safer.

Sorry - frustration showing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[acapesket]

Did it pass the House and will it be signed?

Bueller...anyone?????

[Califreak]

Bookmark

[algernonpj]

... Here’s one part of history which this sort of thing may well be leading up to a very painful repeat of in our time:
Famine ...

Thanks for the link. Here's another about the Stalin government created famine in the Ukraine.

[yorkie]

Something about this is VERY disturbing:

Not one word about this on ANY of the major news channels - including FNC!

Why? What is going on? We know the lame duck House will pass this through. Can funding be stopped when the new House convenes in January?