This is why we don't trade outside of our personally known group!!!

[elmo]

I have to sort of scratch my head in wonder at some of the posts here that refer to "the government" as though it is some sort of monolithic monster. In a democracy (which this country still is), the government is us, at all levels, federal, state and local.

Some of the food regulations make little or no sense. I'm pretty sure the right response to a silly or unworkable regulation isn't to do away with all regulation, though. Many of these regulations are local or statewide, so that makes changing them a little easier. Organize, lobby, and focus your attention on getting specific bothersome regulations changed. That's got to be more productive than registering a protest vote on election day.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
I do not refer to gov 'per say' I'm referring to laws/reg/rules that get passed in secret that are not in the open til its done, example the muscovy issue: its on the books got there very quick no one knew about it, till they told us when it started, now they see it was a mistake, we are not inforcing it they say, but it will take a year and a half to get that mistake off the books if they remember to do it

 

[eKo_birdies]

Quote:
Such optimism... I wish it were that easy.

A lot of the battles being fought by small producers have been being fought for a long time. These large, commercial farms exist in various states, not some imaginary "Federal Land," hence the reason changing these statewide regulations hasn't happened and isn't nearly as simple as organizing and lobbying. Those we would be lobbying against ARE the commercial producers.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
I didn't suggest it would be easy, I only suggested it would be more productive than doing nothing but complaining privately amongst ourselves. Take, as an example, how activists in California recently got the new "egg bill" signed into law:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/schwarzenegger-signs-landmark-egg-bill-into-law.html

Obviously, the big commercial egg producers all over the country didn't want this law, but they weren't able to stop it. It really is as simple as organizing and lobbying, but you do have to be patient and persistent, and keep trying.

 

[terri9630]

Quote:
I didn't suggest it would be easy, I only suggested it would be more productive than doing nothing but complaining privately amongst ourselves. Take, as an example, how activists in California recently got the new "egg bill" signed into law:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/schwarzenegger-signs-landmark-egg-bill-into-law.html

Obviously, the big commercial egg producers all over the country didn't want this law, but they weren't able to stop it. It really is as simple as organizing and lobbying, but you do have to be patient and persistent, and keep trying.

I don't see how that bill will do anything but hurt California even more. The egg producers will either be forced out of business or move out of Cali causing more unemployment. Just what the state needs.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
I didn't suggest it would be easy, I only suggested it would be more productive than doing nothing but complaining privately amongst ourselves. Take, as an example, how activists in California recently got the new "egg bill" signed into law:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/schwarzenegger-signs-landmark-egg-bill-into-law.html

Obviously, the big commercial egg producers all over the country didn't want this law, but they weren't able to stop it. It really is as simple as organizing and lobbying, but you do have to be patient and persistent, and keep trying.

I don't see how that bill will do anything but hurt California even more. The egg producers will either be forced out of business or move out of Cali causing more unemployment. Just what the state needs.

I don't like the battery setup anymore than anyone else, but do you really think the egg producers are not going to find a loop hole and the hens will be in worse shape than they are now, like crammed in a barn full of knee deep poo, no light, and other hens able to tear each other apart. The problem is the law is made to stop something but, there is never a solution, its up to the one it affects to fix the problem, most of the time not for the better.

 

[Chickenmaven]

The fact is that there are people who expound the benefits of unpasturized milk w/o educating themselves regarding the risks.
Would a person like that: 1) Ignore their own responsibility, regarding a food choice? 2)Buy outside their circle of friends? 3)Complain to authorities? Oh, you betcha!!!
The government does not take action without a prodding.

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:
I don't see how that bill will do anything but hurt California even more. The egg producers will either be forced out of business or move out of Cali causing more unemployment. Just what the state needs.

I don't like the battery setup anymore than anyone else, but do you really think the egg producers are not going to find a loop hole and the hens will be in worse shape than they are now, like crammed in a barn full of knee deep poo, no light, and other hens able to tear each other apart. The problem is the law is made to stop something but, there is never a solution, its up to the one it affects to fix the problem, most of the time not for the better.

Buck Creek Chickens your last sentence hits the nail on the head: The solution is not more government intervention. As the old saying goes, you cannot legislate morality. The solution is to educate people about what is going on in these factory farms, so that they can make an informed choice. Market forces will then put a stop to those practices, assuming that is what people really want. Unfortunately, the government gets in the way (yet again!) of informing the public, by, in some cases, making it illegal to expose this stuff! It's outrageous.

 

[honeydoll]

Wow. This is a very informative post. I will definitely be following this thread. I did not know that about WI. Used to live in Oconomowoc WI, but was young and didn't pay attention to those things. I will never want to live there again. I want to get out of Ohio but it seems better and better here. Whatever happened to us being the government and them representing us?! I have never been more concerned about our country's future.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
The govt is not "us" anymore.. not at all..