They want to make it ALL illegal. What do you think of Senate Bill 510

[poltroon]

Quote:
Mr. Tester is a farmer, and of the sort that has a lot of giant machines. $500,000 gross in my experience is doing pretty well.

I might point out that even if your numbers are right, $50,000 is the median household income in this country, and that if you're living on a farm, the mortgage is paid out of the gross, not out of the net.

 

[noodleroo]

Quote:
If you don't want Chinese food products, then just don't buy them. As a consumer, you have the ability to spend your money on what you want; insist on fish from the U.S.A (or where you want). Personally, I don't want the government sanctioning what is 'safe' for me in food or drugs. I am happy to take on that responsibility myself.

Whatever happens with this bill in the long run, you still have the ability to spend your money where you want. Do your own research, know your suppliers and don't buy crap...

'do your own research'? this is not at all realistic to expect that peple can do this on a large scale. do you advocate selling all this bad food in the stores for very cheep and then say 'do your research and don't buy the bad stuff' to all the peple?

Oh good gracious no...I do not advocate selling bad food in stores. Not only do I believe it IS realistic for people to do their own research on a large, whole picture of health scale, I think it is necessary for good health. Let me explain: I believe that I have a responsibility to know what I am putting in and on my body. I believe that 'stores' have a responsibility to make sure that the food they sell is safe. That happens when there is knowledge and trust. I think it is very sad that a consumer would depend on a government to take over these responsibilities. What I'm saying is that as a consumer I take responsibility for the products I purchase, food or anything else.

It is my choice to grow a good deal of the plants that I use for food and remedies. For the things that I don't grow, I have a few trusted suppliers. I trust them because of their reputation and my personal experience with them (just like my grocery store).

I choose not to eat foods that contain MSG; I believe that it is poison. You may not share that belief. There is a potential for some sort of damage to your body with EVERY food or drug you ingest and that is my point; the government cannot keep you safe from what you choose to put in (or on) your body.

 

[Medicine Man]

you peple live and operate your lives for fear of your government. Europeans' governments operate in fear of their peple. Or they will be hanged.

 

[oswegoscott]

poltroon
"Mr. Tester is a farmer, and of the sort that has a lot of giant machines. $500,000 gross in my experience is doing pretty well.

I might point out that even if your numbers are right, $50,000 is the median household income in this country, and that if you're living on a farm, the mortgage is paid out of the gross, not out of the net."

Giant machines??! ONE of them can be $500,000 !
No,have you noticed grain prices lately? Think they'll go down? Anyway,my point is that there will be no incentive to grow- just penalties- and THAT is what America needs--small guys expanding-hiring.
What happens when one's son gets married, starts a family, and wants to help Dad (and make a living)?
Also,the gov,of course, will inflate the value of everything when the VAT starts

 

[oswegoscott]

MED MAN "you peple live and operate your lives for fear of your government. Europeans' governments operate in fear of their peple. Or they will be hanged."

Guess the Greek,Irish,Spanish & Portugese folks forgot that

 

[buildingmyark]

Quote:
Yeah, because their only choice would be a hanging since the European people have been disarmed. We don't have to fear the goverment because we do have the right to bear arms (for now anyway). I for myself don't fear our government. I fear that our children will never know the same United States that we do. I fear that the greatest country in the world is being taken over by a tyranical government that wants to turn it into a complete welfare/police state. You don't know anything about "you people". I wouldn't trust our government to do anything in our best interest.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." Ronald Reagan

 

[poltroon]

Quote:
Yes, I know how much they cost.

And since he has one (this is one of his tractors in his field), I'm pretty sure he does too.

I would point out that they are not generally bought with cash.

Plus, farms that use $500,000 tractors are generally selling grain - which (with the exception of sweet corn) is not the kind of thing you sell to a farmer's market, nor is it consumed raw, which are the two areas where there is some concern about on-farm contamination.

 

[poltroon]

So I want to back up a little here.

I am an advocate for local food and small farms. I think any bill like this has a potential to adversely affect small farms, and needs to be read closely. I think we should never forget that large corporate lobbyists often write large sections of bills like this.

However, starting the conversation with "Government is in a secret conspiracy to prevent people from having gardens or growing food" makes it hard to have a rational discussion about the pros and cons of a particular piece of legislation. There's a true give and take to find the balance between appropriate regulations that create a level playing field and protect consumers and regulations that favor (deliberately or accidentally) certain kinds of businesses over others, and regulations that become burdensome, even counterproductive.

But, more often than not, problems are caused simply by ignorance and a lack of imagination. While trying to prevent a terrible and truly noxious situation at a large plant with a leaky roof and a rodent infestation, a rule accidentally eliminates a very clean on-farm operation that takes place in the open air. If someone's only exposure to food production is a giant megafactory, they may not even realize that applying regulations that work for someone handling thousands of gallons of jam aren't practical for an artisanal operation. There are honest differences of opinion, and there are honest holes in understanding.

We see this with chicken laws all the time: someone who created a nuisance ended up spawning a zoning regulation that harmed everyone. (Few of us would want to live next door to a tract home filled with 100 roosters.) Being good neighbors, listening to complaints, and proposing new regulations that better protect both sides are the way forward.

Given that the family in the White House is interested enough in home gardens to have planted one themselves, it seems unlikely that every elected official is in on the alleged secret plan.

This bill is not everything I would want it to be, but no legislation is perfect. I think it is an improvement on the status quo.

 

[buildingmyark]

Yard full o' rocks :

My question is simply this, if the government cannot effectively control

Social Security
The National Debt
Homeland Security
Medicare/Medicaid
Classified Information Leaks (wikileaks)
Oil independence
etc
etc

Who up there (or anywhere) could possibly think that they could properly control the food source(s)?
Sounds like another moronic way to gain power, spend OUR money, and insure BIG business stays in the hip pocket of the politician

 

[oswegoscott]

Quote:
Oh,boy,how soon we forget all the "protection" we've received since 9-11. All for our benefit,ya know? C'mon--every law,resolution,action lately has a whole ball of string attached.
Man,I for one, want gov restrictions OUT of my life! At least don't add MORE. Can't we get back to self-reliance and responsibility for one's self and one's actions ? NOTHING good for us
will come from our government and,I think,the opposite is likely. "Alleged secret plan"? Whoa--it's not alleged and it's plain as day now- little attempt is made at hiding agendas