1. Thanks to President Obama and the democratic congress we will now be able to feel safe when we eat. They recently passed the Food Safety Modernization Act. While the vote ended up unanimous in the Senate, the partisan hacks in the House voted almost on a party line. Luckily the democrats had the majority at the time as all but 10 republicans voted against it. Of course Wisconsin’s very own inept congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wall St.) voted against it.
Comment: I have some eggs from Iowa, and some pastries from Rolf\'s, I would love to feed him.
2. Cenk Uygur has an interesting piece at Huffington Post.
John Boehner can’t stop talking about the “will of the public” these days. Now that the Republicans have won the House, he keeps saying over and over that the Democrats must go along with Republican plans from now on because they have to listen to the… will of the public.
Well, here’s what I don’t remember — the Republicans giving a damn about the will of the public after the 2008 elections. The American people spoke as loudly and clearly as I have ever seen in any election in my lifetime. They gave the House and the Senate by overwhelming margins to the Democrats. They also gave the Democrats the White House, and along with it, complete control of Washington. And did the Republicans listen to the will of the public, then? No, they blocked that will at every turn.
Comment: Again GOP hypocrisy is so vast its hard to document it all, but kudos to Uygur for trying here.
3. Rep. Ralph Hall (R-BP)the incoming chair of the House Science and Technology Committee, besides himself with Glee with the beauty of the oil spill.
As we saw that thing bubbling out, blossoming out – all that energy, every minute of every hour of every day of every week – that was tremendous to me. That we could deliver that kind of energy out there – even on an explosion.
Comment: While this speaks for itself, how do guys like this get 6 votes much less elected?
4. In a Gallup Poll, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are America\'s most admired Man and Woman.
Comment: which is why i said the repubs better tread lightly when attacking the President with their new found power.
Tread lightly? You’re talking about the same party who used a lame duck session to impeach a popular President whose party just picked up a bunch of Congressional seats. They only listen to the will of the people they consider “real Americans” (meaning those who share their ideology).
I don’t think the pastries from Rolf’s would be subject to the FSMA. FSMA is for processing facilities (preparing raw products for distribution) and not bakeries (making end products). It would be overly burdensome to require every US bakery to keep trace records on all products they purchase and use.
I am critical of any legislation with the words “Modernization Act” in them. They often weaken existing laws and do not modernize anything.
It is impossible to prevent unsafe food. It is possible to produce generally safe food. Whether we like it or not, there is always risk in the food supply and people will get sick and die because of bad food, contaminated food,and poor storage conditions. Just look in your own refrigerator/pantry tonight and see what is old and should be thrown away.
But someday our over reaching government will write a law that will put you personally in jail if you don’t follow the government’s guideline for home refrigerator use. And one day the stuff you take to bake sales will be subject to laws just like your dropdown-sided crib will be this summer at your garage sale. (If you do not know, it is illegal this summer for you to sell your old dropdown-sided crib to anyone, by order of the federal government.)
Nope, sorry you’re wrong. Because of this single act, food is now safe where it wasn’t before.
PB: I find all of these from the act very good ideas, as a matter of fact i cant believe they arent law already.
1. Allowing the FDA to order a recall of tainted foods. Currently the agency can only negotiate with businesses to order voluntary recalls.
2. Requiring the FDA to create new produce safety regulations for producers of the highest-risk fruits and vegetables.
3. Increasing inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities, directing the most resources to those operations with the highest risk profiles. The riskiest domestic facilities would be inspected every three years.
4. Requiring farms and processors to keep records to help the government trace recalled foods.
5. Requiring grocery stores to proactively alert consumers about recalls.
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/ Has more information on Rolf’s pastries….
Jill ; my memory fails me, but I dont think bill clinton at the time was the most popular man in America. The perpetual demonization of government has meant that NO politicians (except President Obama) are popular. SO i think that is a difference from the first time. Also they tried it once and people now know how ridiculous they were for doing so. Another strike against it.
And what about this?
http://reasonablecitizen.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/fda-forces-recall-under-fsma-cannot-prove-link/
It is one thing to monitor the food supply and require reporting of adverse events to inform an unknowing public. It is entirely a different animal to force companies to comply with what you want them to do in order to try and prevent an adverse event from happening.
When regulating replaces monitoring, we have a form of oppression.
Companies have been recalling products for decades and you cannot name a single time when this did not happen.
The power of the FDA to STOP distribution of contaminated product is good and this has been in place for decades also. No new powers were required to halt anything.
This new law is about requiring more FDA burdens on uncontaminated products and not on contaminated products. It will prevent nothing new but increases FDA powers to do as it pleases instead of having to prove its case.
I would say to that, if we have stronger records and tracking then we would know exactly who to shut down.