[whitedog57]

From Zero Hedge:

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Ski Slope Goes Black Diamond!

http://confoundedinterest.wordpress.com

There is no restraint on politicians in the US or Europe. They will GROW, not cut, spending. Look at Europe!!!

[Fast Moving Angel]

There ought to be a religious discrimination argument in here somewhere, in that the 15 cent tax applies only to Christmas trees, an item related to Christian religious celebrations (yeah, I know, never mind the Christmas tree’s pagan origins).

[loveliberty2]

". . . not everyone agrees with us, and we won’t act on our own, so we’ll have the government ride to the rescue. That’s not the proud history of America, nor is it the recipe to future success."

Sooooo, let's get this straight. My neighbor owns a tree company, and so do I.

I decide that I want to do a special advertising campaign for generic Christmas trees grown in our state.

I knock on his door, ask him to split the bill for ad creation with me by contributing 15% of the cost. He refuses, thinking it's not a great idea.

I keep going back, and he continues to reject my proposal.

Knowing it would be illegal for me to enter his place and "take" the $15 of every hundred I've spent, because I might go to jail for stealing, I have another idea.

I go to my Congressman, tell him about my idea, persuade him that more trees would be sold in our area if my stubborn neighbor would just cooperate.

He introduces and gets passed a Bill which allows the government to coercively "take" from my neighbor just the amount of money I've wanted for the ad campaign.

Does this sound like something the Framers of America's Constitution would believe to be consistent with individual liberty and the rule of law?

No, America's Founders never envisioned a system which would make "legal" that which, if done by an individual, would be illegal and morally wrong.

[exDemMom]

And more of them could be on the way! Canola and rapeseed, wheat, flowers, kiwifruit, limes, and pecans have all been authorized for their own check-off programs.

I have to admit, I'd be curious about what kinds of slogans they would come up with for rapeseed. Of course, there's a reason their oil is called "canola".