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This is the bottom line. I don't feel the government is doing an effective job of enforcing the legislation it currently has in place to protect us from ourselves. Spending money on a new toy isn't going to accomplish anything.
I thought Duckyboys made some great points a few pages back about the reasons behind getting tighter on food safety. It's good to try to see things from both directions.
I think what makes me most uncomfortable is when the government starts gaining control over something as basic as food. I wanted to feel more in control of my own food for health, safety and animal dignity. So, I have chickens for meat and eggs. And now the gov't wants to register them? I don't like that. And, as others have mentioned, our gov't doesn't seem to have a great track record for being able to control much at all (didn't nuclear reactors get "lost" for a while?)
Also, money could become a huge issue. If tagged animals (see my original link for article) cost $2 or more per animal, that could definitely get cost prohibitive. I'm trying to sell eggs at a price my friends and coworkers can afford with corn outrageously high, maybe eventually electronic tags, too?
I guess I can see some of the reasons, but it seems that huge factory ag is where the problems are and I don't feel like having to kow-tow to a new system because of them.
I hate the whole idea of NAIS. I know it won't help anyone except huge factory farms.
The USDA will not regulate who it's supposed to regulate. Instead they are going harass you and me.
Prevention is the key here and we all know how well the government handles prevention.
There are so many diseases that can be prevented. But NAIS won't spend time regulating disease prevention. They won't be out making sure that cows aren't fed cows, or living in sanitary conditions. They won't require vaccines, or fund studies to get better vaccines. All they will do is "Shock and Awe" those with-in a 6 mile radius of any break-out, whether it is possible that your animals may have gotten it or not.
Do you think I have time to record and report every chick I hatch or sell or move or take somewhere? Because I want to take my goat for a walk, I have to inform the government. So if one of my chickens drops dead, I'll have to pay for necropsy to make sure it's not some disease or something?
Do you think small farmers are actually going to report if their animal is sick, anyway? Sadly mistaken if you think so. I wouldn't. I'd be scared to death the government would come and destroy all my animals. Then what?? Do you actually think they are going to pay for the losses of animals? Are they going to pay for your lost wage? Doubt it. They'll pay you $2 per bird, if anything no matter what breed or how many dollars it's actually worth. Some of us have hundreds if not thousands wrapped up into our flocks. How does someone who's been breeding for 20 years start over??
There is nothing positive about this program.
They can't even track salmonella outbreaks for goodness sakes.
* Amazing, isn't it, that some of the people of a nation that began as a refuge against goverment tyranny are just so very willing to volutarily walk themselves right into goverment tyranny without so much as a single qualm.
* Amazing, isn't it, that some of the people of a nation that began as a refuge against goverment tyranny are just so very willing to volutarily walk themselves right into goverment tyranny without so much as a single qualm.
This is so true and so terrifying on so many levels. Everyone nods their heads and thinks all of these rules and controls are so reasonable, and such a good thing - take a step back and look at how many erosions of our freedoms are happening every day in all areas of our lives! As Benjamin Franklin said (and is so often quoted, although I don't think the right people are paying any attention):
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
He was, and remains, so right.
Another thought, from the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln said "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". We are so close to the death of individual freedom it scares me, and so many of you are willing to let it die.
Now it's more true that it's Of the Corporation, By The Corporation and For the Corporation.
"I'm from the government and I'm here to help". Yea, right. There's help only if you're a lobbyist or have very deep pockets.
hmmmm. Let's think about this for a little bit. Ever since 9/11 people have been warning and warning us that our ports are wide open and anyone can ship anything in here if they are careful about it--nerve gas, nuclear devices, weapons. Homeland Security keeps saying they just don't have the money or the manpower to shut down all these leaks for YEARS yet. So we are gonna divert yet MORE funds to track small farmers and their livestock?!? This is how we prioritize our spending to stretch our dollars?!? Yeah, this is really gonna "protect" us.
Let's see now, as a terrorist, am I gonna infect a small flock with some disease or am I gonna smuggle in weapons to blow up the power supplies? Or poison to infect the water supplies? Or hack into Wall Street and destroy all the banking records? hmmm. Which one will have the biggest effect do you think?
Kinda reminds me of the logic this same administration used to figure out that since the majority of attackers on 9/11 were Saudi, we should invade Iraq. NAIS makes about as much sense and will work about as well. And probably cost about as much too.
I've asked this question before in many other NAIS discussions andhave never gotten an answer that made sence to me so I'll try here: Why would the US government want to stop people from raising chickens in their backyards?