The good news is that some of the most egregious trial balloons from earlier bills such as H.R. 875 have gone by the wayside . . .
* There will be no new Food Safety Administration bureaucracy
* The bill seems to define “farm” in such a way that backyard gardens won’t be included in the regulations
* Direct farm-to-consumer, farm-to-restaurant, and farm-to-grocery store transactions will be exempt
* There is no implementation or incorporation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
YOU are to be thanked for this. DC Downsizers were part of a large army of concerned citizens that killed earlier bills.
But the bad news is very bad. This bill . . .
* authorizes warrantless searches of farms
* imposes a $500 tax (or “registration fee”) of all operators in all steps of the food production chain
* imposes civil penalties up to $20,000 per individual for each violation
* creates a food trace-back system, burdening farms and small businesses with reams of new paperwork
* empowers the Dept. of Health and Human Services to micro-manage the raising and harvesting of crops (you might have assumed that Congress would’ve handed the U.S. Dept of Agriculture this terrible power).
In essence, Congress wants to punish the innocent and protect the guilty. It is not small farms and businesses that were the source of contaminated food scares, but rather the processing facilities of large corporations. Yet this bill will only drive small farms out of business, which means reduced competition and higher prices in an already-bad economy.
Please use DownsizeDC.org’s proprietary Educate the Powerful System to send a letter to Congress telling them to defeat H.R. 2749. Tell them the bill will only hurt competition and put undue burdens on small farmers. Let’s send enough messages to frighten Congress and kill this bill.
Quote of the Day: “I have found strength where one does not look for it: in simple, mild, and pleasant people, without the least desire to rule—and, conversely, the desire to rule has often appeared to me a sign of inward weakness: they fear their own slave soul and shroud it in a royal cloak (in the end, they still become the slaves of their followers, their fame, etc.)” — Friedrich Nietzsche
This is why Congressional leaders are in such a rush to pass the bill. They know things will only get worse for their dreams of government controlled health care. We have to keep pushing to stop a rushed vote, and the latest news indicates we may be succeeding.
If we can win this victory now the prospects for true health care reform in a free market direction will become much better.
Today, we can continue to say no to government controlled health care by saying yes to two bills introduced by Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX). . .
When he ran for office President Obama promised us he would oppose any legal requirement that Americans would have to buy health insurance. He’s broken his promise (along with so many others). Such a mandate would represent a huge tax increase on the American people, especially since government regulations make health insurance more expensive than it would be in a free market.
You can say “No” to President Obama’s health insurance mandate/tax by saying yes to HR 2629.
You can also say “No” to plans for the federal government to control your health care decisions through electronic medial records, by saying yes to HR 2630, the “Protect Patients and Physicians Privacy Act.” This bill would . . .
* Allow you to opt out of any federal scheme for electronic medical records.
* Repeal the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ authority to create a unique health identifier number.
* Prohibit the use of federal funds to support, encourage, or otherwise promote the use of a standard unique health identifier for any federal, state or private health care plan.
* Require informed consent for the sharing of any personal medical information created pursuant to any federal scheme for electronic medical records.
* Prohibit your health information from being included in any federal database without your consent.
* Prohibit the federal government from requiring health care providers to participate in any federal scheme for electronic medical records
* Prohibit sanctions against health care providers who refuse to participate in the federal scheme for electronic medical records.
This time use your personal comments to say the following (you can cut and paste if you want) . . .
Please protect my health care by supporting HR 2629, the “Coercion Is Not Health Care Act,” and HR 2630, the “Protect Patients and Physicians Privacy Act.”
Ron Paul has inspired many people to exit their comfort zones in the name of liberty. Shy people have fought off that shyness to talk to people and spread the word. People have walked miles for the freedom message. People have emitted an obscene amount of carbon dioxide for the cause. People have spent countless hours on signs to wave, videos to upload, and many other activist projects.
But I’m not sure any person has sacrificed more time, safety, and calories than the “Liberty Rider“, Michael Maresco.
He is now making his way across the United States on his bicycle towing a basketful of freedom literature behind him. His last update found him in New Mexico. He started his quest in New York City at (where else?) the Statue of Liberty. He will end his journey at Alcatraz in San Francisco, California. His ride signifies the road America is on: From Freedom to Fascism.
I spent the better part of Saturday evening getting caught up on Michael’s travel blog. His fund raising goal for his trip has been met and exceeded. He’s even received donations from Iraq.
His travel blog reads almost like a how-to book on freedom activism. He’s received coverage in local newspapers. He is spreading liberty, one individual at a time.
Sometimes, out of curiosity (or perhaps some masochistic tendency), I’ll listen to neoconservative talk radio (Limbaugh, Hannity, or a local personality) to see what they have to say about the day’s events. Usually I am quickly sickened with complaints about how suddenly everything is going to hell in a handbasket now that Obama is president. They conveniently ignore the fact that President Bush was much like Herbert Hoover (only worse). He increased the federal budget enormously (much of it on domestic spending) and worked to give unprecedented (and unconstitutional) powers to the executive branch, among other things.
Yes, Bush was a terrible president. Some argue that his abuses should be considered traitorous and he should be convicted for treason. Then today I ran across an interesting article by Bush-hater Ted Rall in which he pines for the “good old days” of George Bush:
I haven’t forgiven George W. Bush for stealing two elections, starting two wars, bankrupting the treasury and doing his damnedest to turn the U.S. into a fascist state. He deserves one of hell’s hottest picnic spots for refusing to lift a finger to bring the 9/11 murderers to justice. Bush was stupid. He was vicious. He should be in prison.
He was the worst president the U.S. had ever had. Until this one.
On major issues and a lot of minor ones, Obama is the same as or worse than Bush. But Bush had an opposition to contend with. Obama has a compliant Democratic Congress. Lulled to somnolent apathy by Obama’s charming manners, mastery of English (and yes, the color of his skin), leftist activists and journalists have been reduced to quiet disappointment, mild grumbling and unaccountable patience.
I don’t care about window dressing. Sure, it’s nice that Obama is intelligent. But policies matter–not charm. And Obama’s policies are at least as bad as Bush’s. [Continue Article]
Author’s Note: Hello all. The editors of Liberty Maven have graciously agreed to include me as a contributor to this fine site. As they are always on the ball with breaking news, it may be a challenge to keep up with valuable content. So, for my first post, I’d like to start with a rhetorical, philosophical open letter that I wrote directed at all those who think that more government regulation will solve all of our nation’s ills. I hope you enjoy it!
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I’ve gotten some feedback on the subject of deregulation, and the effect of greed. Many are quick to demonize it, but I think we all need to slow down and take a look at what greed really is, before we admonish the “greedy”.
Interestingly, greed, is one of the 7 deadly sins, so we should strive to not be greedy, right? Well, greed is defined in several different ways, but the most unbiased true definition (not relating to material wealth – I’ll explain why this is important in a moment) of greed is: An eager desire or longing; greediness; as, a greed of gain. Is this not merely an extension of self interest? What is self interest? Self interest is defined as personal interest or advantage. Everyone acts in ways of self interest, some more than others. The reason is because life is a competition, like it or not. You cannot beat the self interest out of anyone, and that is the paradoxical nature of self interest, i.e., greed. To clarify my point, allow me to give several examples.
1. Early in life, we play games. The object of a game is to win. The desire to win is an act of self interest. Yes it is fun to play, but winning and losing is part of the game, and the desire to win is part of human nature. If the true object of the game is only to have fun, why do we keep score? Why do we play at all? Can we not find more fun and productive things to do if the object is “fun”?
2. When we go to school, we get graded on our performance. We strive to get good grades based on our performance, and to gauge how we are faring against our peers. Some learn faster, or in different ways, than others. It is in our self interest to get the best grades possible, so that we not only know we are learning, but to ensure that our future will be bright, by being accepted into higher educational facilities which boast better educational practices than others.
The way I see it, there are only two ways our nation will see real political change:
complete economic collapse, or
revolution
It’s clear that the status quo will be protected at all costs, so #1 is inevitable unless #2 occurs first. Americans need to wake up to current political and economic reality, and then rise together to demand reform. Real reform, that is, which means radical abolition of major parts of our government, not symbolic do-nothing bills with the word “reform” in the title.
As Karl Denninger pointed out in today’s Market Ticker, Iran recently had an election, the results of which were pretty obviously rigged, and as a result a large percentage of their population has taken to the streets in protest.
…2 million people, out of 70 million population (roughly), or one in thirty-five Iranians in the entire nation who took to the streets to demand justice in a simple vote.
More strikingly, Tehran has a population of roughly 12 million; this means that one in six citizens of the city are standing in that crowd.
This, despite the fact that the government there has been shooting people, has arrested the opposition party and issued an order to burn the ballots so there can be no recount.
This, despite the fact that the Iranian population does not enjoy a Second Amendment, and thus is forced to fight a rogue government with makeshift molotov cocktails, rocks and clubs, should that rogue government choose to shoot.
And this was about an election. A President. One man.
Meanwhile, the United States is experiencing national fraud in a large number of areas. Nearly every Congressman violates his Oath of Office to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution on a daily basis. The President quickly signs unconstitutional laws, while seeking more and more power for the Executive branch. Our 401Ks are going down the pump. The Federal Reserve has debased our currency to 4% of its original value. Our civil liberties are disappearing quickly. Private businesses are being nationalized at an alarming rate. Fascism is creeping.
Where’s the outrage? Where are the riots? Where is the demand for change? Sure, you hear squawks from the political fringe (such as this web site), but the vast majority of Americans need to wake up and demand real change.
As Denninger put it, “The Iranians take to the streets; we take to our couches and have another beer. Grow a pair of balls America.“
I can’t help but wonder if Hugo Chavez is Barack Obama’s role model. Mr. President, I don’t want to own GM. If I did I would have bought the stock. Now you are nationalizing General Motors. Your fascist flatulence is getting more stinky with every new intervention.
Today, GM files for bankruptcy protection. It comes as no surprise to anyone. At the beginning of May I shouted, “Jesus H. Chrysler!“, when Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection. At the end of that article I said, “Next up, GM.” Sure enough it is now GM’s turn.
WASHINGTON – General Motors, the humbled auto giant that has been part of American life for more than 100 years, will file for bankruptcy protection on Monday in a deal that will give taxpayers a 60 percent ownership stake and expand the government’s reach into big business.
Well, how nice. I wonder if we’ll get an employee discount? I could ride around in a new GM car with a bumper sticker that reads:
Then again, it will have to be a pretty deep discount for me to consider buying a Government Motors car.
Apparently, Obama took an oath to defend a different Constitution than the one we all know and love. Every page of Obama’s Constitution must have the following words: “This Page Left Intentionally Blank.”
Yesterday Michael Maresco began his trek across the U.S. on his bicycle. Along the way he will be meeting with and handing out literature to the local Sheriffs of America in an effort to hammer home the idea that they can make a difference fighting against the creeping fascism we are experiencing.
To symbolize this creeping fascism Michael is riding from the Statue of Liberty to Alcatraz. On this Memorial Day I’m remembering our fallen military individuals by being inspired by Michael’s “Ride For Honesty”. Ultimately both very different efforts are aimed at the same cause: The cause of freedom and defending the Constitution.
In fact, I feel Michael’s effort is more pure because it is untainted by the whims of power hungry politicians. I dream of a time when all wars are fought for the right reasons so that this holiday is fully untethered from the strands of regret. Bill Clinton said, “Abortions should be safe, legal, and rare.” Replace the word “abortions” with the word “wars” and you have a pretty good policy.
Check out Michael’s first day log and videos at The Ride For Honesty site: LibertyRider.com. Be inspired and maybe donate a bit of money to his effort.
Health insurance is too expensive because the politicians have made it that way. They’ve bowed to lobbyists who want to use the coercive power of government to mandate coverage for . . .
The medical equivalent of oil changes and tire rotations
Or things like maternity care for single males, infertility treatments for people who don’t want families, and alcoholism therapy for people who don’t drink.
These laws corrupt the very nature of insurance. Insurance is supposed to cover unlikely but expensive procedures, NOT simple blood tests, or massages, or acupuncture, or chiropractic adjustments, or anything else we could afford to pay out of pocket, if only so many of us weren’t being gouged by legally inflated insurance premiums. Read More »
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