In a stunning expansion of the power of unelected bureaucrats to control the population, the U.S. Senate voted today to approve S.510--the so-called 'Food Safety Act.' 15 GOP Senators helped Democrats pass the bill, which gives the FDA and the Agricultural Secretary powers the Constitution does not allow.
Not a single Democrat voted against the ominous measure, which was first submitted by 'Little Dick' Durbin, D-Illinois.
While the vast majority of Republicans voted against this assault on the Constitution, 15 broke ranks and helped Obama and the Leftwing Democrats that presently run Congress seize control over the food supply.
The GOP Senators who voted in favor of S.510 are: Alexander (R-TN), Brown (R-MA), Burr (R-NC), Collins (R-ME), Enzi (R-WI), Grassley (R-IA), Gregg (R-NH), Johanns (R-NE), Kirk (R-IL), LeMieau (R-FL), Lugar (R-IN), Murkowski (R-AK), Snowe (R-ME), Vitter (R-LA), and Voinovich (R-OH).
Among the Republican defectors the most surprising is normally staunch conservative David Vitter. And some notable RINOS are missing from the vote in favor of the bill, such as Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
The bill gives sweeping powers to the FDA and the Secretary of Agriculture to make unilateral decisions, with no input from Congress, that can potentially shut down small family farms, particularly organic farmers.
In a telling overview of the bill provided by Michael Geer at The American Thinker, the writer correctly observes that while there is nothing wrong with attempting to insure the safety of the nation's food supply, this bill is not the vehicle by which to do so. Needless overlapping with a dozen other federal agencies charged with oversight over various aspects of the food supply are inherent in the bill, not to mention the massive power-grab by the FDA to mirco-manage the food industry.
A previous article by Mr. Geer sounds the warning bell for this outrageous federal power-grab:
This is the food safety version of ObamaCare. Reading the thing will make your head hurt for all its cognitive dissonance. Trying to winnow out its complexity and hidden empowerments is stultifying.
Introduced by Dick Durbin of Illinois, the bill has moved through the usual phases of amalgamation and deal-making. The monstrosity advancing to the floor on Wednesday is not so much "food safety" as it is the decadence of the rights of small farmers, hobbyist food producers, garden-variety farmers markets, and your average small producer of foodstuffs. Under the rubric of safety, this Senate proposes a bill that establishes such new and sweeping powers over how you and I produce and consume foodstuffs that even the Pew Charitable Trusts * are calling S510 a clear and present danger.
Senator Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, wrote a scathing piece that was reprinted in USA Today delineating the numerous problems inherent in the bill.
And, in a explosive excerpt from the bill itself, citizens can readily see for themselves the numerous land-mines buried in the legislation:
"2) USE OF OR EXPOSURE TO FOODS OF CONCERN.-If the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to an article of food, and any article of a food, that the Secretary reasonably believes is likely to be affected in a similar manner, will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports such article can be acted upon by the FDA."
And what, exactly, constitutes serious adverse health consequences? In short, whatever the Secretary of Agriculture decides. And given that this Administration has a penchant for supporting the banning of 'unacceptable' food substances such as sugar, fats, snack foods, cola drinks, etc., the implications of this legislation are ominous.
What are the chances of the bill actually passing through Congress? At present the bill must go through the reconciliation process with a House version that has already been approved. Pelosi hints that she may support the House's approval of the Senate version in an effort to beat the deadline of the holiday break, so that the bill can go straight to Obama's desk prior to the end of the 111th lame-duck Congress.
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Comments
THe worst problem: any agency having such authority can also decide that, if you grow your own vegetables for consumption in your own home, the FDA can raid you. This is yet another reason to clean House and Senate in 2012.
First day on the job and our new senator, Mark Kirk, lets us down in the cesspool known as IL. There is no excuse for voting for this unless you are a Socialist. Period.
I didn't vote for Kirk because I knew he would vote for socialist bills like this. You can expect that he will vote with the Democrats 50% of the time.
And naturally our RINO Murkowski couldn't wait to vote for it - all the while proclaiming that Joe Miller's candidacy is hurting Alaska.
Exactly Rev. Paul.....I live in Haines and I won't forget !
This is the same grossly over weight federal bureaucracy that can't even run their own F.D.A. efficiently ! Case in point is the over half billion salmonella tainted eggs that some how failed the federal inspectors. With the passing of S-510 we now know five things:
1. An even lager bureaucracy
2. More government intervention into our daily lives.
3 .More or our tax dollars to support this legislation.
4. No guarantees that even more tainted food will slip by federal
inspectors.
5. Probably the most important item is that we now know who
voted for this legislation and how OUR votes will be cast
in 2012 !
This takes us one step closer to being forced to dismantle Washington.
And the Libs in California are all about the Organic Farmers! I'm thinking they aren't any happier than the Conservatives who wanted to protect our freedom and population from Federal control. S 510 is another bill that went against the will of the people to the benefit of large cooperations that want a monopoly on our food industry.
First they came for ...
We need to come together and do something about the problem we have in Washington DC, it's time for a new revolution!
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