REALLY BAD EGGS? IT’S WORSE THAN I THOUGHT

FOOD POLICE = FOOD TYRANNY

Last week (May 29), I blogged about Sen. Feinstein’s proposed legislation to impose meddling regulations on the egg industry. You can read Senate Bill 3239 here.

It’s worse than I thought. The American Thinker website has a devastating analysis of the consequences of this legislation, and if this monstrosity gets passed, get ready for more crippling regulations on meat, poultry, milk, and of course sweetened beverages.

From the article by Mindy Patterson [my emphases]:

One day soon, America could wake up to a dozen eggs costing $8 or more. And unless you are involved in some aspect of farming or agriculture, you would never know that egg prices are about to skyrocket or the reason why. . . .

With HSUS’ vegan animal rights platform as the motivations behind crafting a controversial egg bill, S. 3239 was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday, May 25, 2012, inching U.S. egg producers closer to a mandate which would require them to phase out conventional cages for egg-laying hens and transition to a system called “enriched colony cages” by 2029, at a cost to U.S. egg producers ranging between $4 billion to $10 billion.

And while most Americans shrug their shoulders and live their lives, they are completely unaware of how this regulation will affect the cost of food and its availability in the future. . . .

Instead of improving productivity for the American egg industry and supporting our farmers and ranchers, these imposed regulations will incrementally squeeze egg producers out of business. Fewer egg farmers means fewer eggs. Fewer eggs mean higher prices for the consumer, and importing more of our food from other countries where neither animal welfare nor food safety is top priority.

While these regulations may seem reasonable on the surface, the agenda behind them lies within the organization pushing these cleverly crafted laws, cloaked in a disguise of emotional propaganda used to advance these proposed regulations into law. HSUS is an organization that makes no bones about its mission to push anti-animal agriculture regulations, or any stiff regulatory reform on American farmers and ranchers. Just consider the goal of HSUS’ lead policy director and vegan activist, J.P. Goodwin, who has gone on record by saying, “My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture.” . . .

After all, the ultimate goal of HSUS is about empty cages, not bigger cages.

. . . . now is not the time to stand by and allow an anti-egg-consuming animal rights organization to righteously dictate the future of U.S. egg producers and the future of our domestic food supply. Years ago, as an observation of foreign oppression, Henry Kissinger once said, “If you control the food supply, you control the people.” Today, Americans are facing food tyranny on our own shores, which must be stopped. I implore everyone to contact his or her U.S. representative and senator and urge them to vote no on this rotten egg bill, S. 3239, and its identical counterpart in the House, H.R. 3798.

Call your representatives on Monday or Twitter / Facebook / e-mail them now.

· Sen. Sherrod Brown DC: (202) 224-2315

· Sen. Ron Portman (and mention your opposition as well to the Law Of the Sea Treaty

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robportman

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/robportman

Email: http://portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

D.C. Office Ph#: (202)224-3353

· Rep. Marcia Fudge: 202-225-7032

· Rep. Dennis Kucinich: 202-225-5871

· Or find your representative here.

· Co-sponsor Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) is up for re-election. His office/fax number: Phone: (617) 565-3170 / Fax: (617) 723-7325

REGULATING EGGS??

Late last week, The Hill reported that

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and a half dozen other senators have proposed legislation setting a uniform national standard for the treatment of egg-laying hens, which would ensure egg producers aren't blocked from selling across state lines due to differing state standards. . . .

Feinstein said her bill, S. 3239, would codify an agreement between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society on how egg-laying hens should be treated and how eggs should be labeled. . . .

The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), David Vitter (R-La.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

With no budget passed in over three years, you’d think these Senators would have better things to do than stick their noses into the egg business. But it’s probably worse than that.

It's an expansion of the Food Police (remember the Food Safety Act of 2010)? And if S. 3239 becomes law, it could be used as a precedent to further the Progressive interpretation of the Commerce Clause. Co-sponsor Sen. Scott Brown is up for re-election. His office/fax number

Phone: (617) 565-3170 / Fax: (617) 723-7325