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  • From: Jack Moffitt <jackmoffitt AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 2749)
  • Date: Sat, 1 Aug 2009 14:03:33 -0500

Once again Big Brother (formerly known as the US Government) is injecting itself into private affairs.  Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 2749) passed the House of Representatives on July 30th at 6pm. Only 20 Democrat congressmen dared buck the party line. That fact alone tells you that the Party who is in power will cram this through the Senate without debate.

Regardless of your politics, this measure will affect you, but not Kellogs, Kraft, Tyson, Sysco and other mega-firm food producers. This is not because of the new law putting us little guys out of business by directly making our products illegal, it is because:

1. us little guys are going decide that the lawyer and accountant we need to hire, to either comply with registration, or document our exemption from the  Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, just aren't worth it. Big brother will want $500 to register with them, if a "majority" of veggies produced are not sold direct to the consumer. Will Big Brother use it's usual henchmen, the IRS, to audit vendors to see if they have skirted, fudged, or mistakenly avoided the $500 fee? Or will they use the DEA and enormous budgets to track down the newly created culprits? I don't know, because I'll be damned if I am going to go out into a public Farmers Market and expose myself to Big Brother, the IRS, the DEA or any new police agency the FDA creates to enforce this nonsense.

2. us private citizens who want to keep our contact with Big Brother to a minimum are going to sell only on a black market basis, not out in the open Farmers Markets, roadside stands, etc. Drug laws converted a common weed - marijuana, into the stuff that builds empires. I doubt food laws will be the foundation of cartels of the future, but one thing is certain - you ain't gonna find small producer veggies sold out in the open, and you ain't going to get them cheap!

3. us private citizens who want fresh food at the lowest possible cost are going to pay more for it, because Big Brother has added yet another cost to production -  in the form of legal fees to insure compliance, accounting fees to prove compliance, and registration fees!

I have sent word of this intrusion to all of my Farmers Market customers and urge you to do the same. It is doubtful that any efforts of us mere citizens will stop the 21st century royalty in Washington, but maybe our customers will  better understand when the vendors in their farmers markets dwindle, and the presence of government agents increases.

When local produce is outlawed, only outlaws will sell local produce. Maybe that will be the tipping point, where this country has more outlaws than not. Hmmm, this is beginning to look like the 1700's all over again.


Jack Moffitt - jackmoffitt AT gmail.com - 956-466-9308
They can take my blackmarket carrot when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

 



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