Food Safety Bill Stalled By Tom Coburn, Small Farm Interests

The New York Times:

But the Senate has still not acted to fix many of the flaws in the nation's food safety system -- although a bill to do so has broad bipartisan support, is a priority for the Obama administration and has the backing of both industry and consumer groups. The House passed its version of the bill more than a year ago.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[Hoodoo X]

08:10 PM on 10/21/2010

OT : Fore folks on facebook
Did any of your facebook friends get that FB account virus that posted weight loss links on a certain set of the Friends' walls?

[Kache]

01:15 AM on 09/21/2010

In China there are 68 criminal acts that can be committed in the food safety chain that are punishable by execution.

In America we argue for a year over whether to even fine such criminals.

[Hoodoo X]

08:12 PM on 10/21/2010

The Chinese Communists killed over 50 million of their own people during the "Great Leap Forward". You sure you want to emulate them?

[RnR]

07:19 PM on 09/20/2010

This is actually something I agree with Coburn about. I hope he goes after the corporate pharmacies for forcing (and I do mean forcing....like in "if you don't you're gone) pharmacists to administer flu vaccines (among others).

[Hoodoo X]

08:13 PM on 10/21/2010

I don't think it should be forced on anyone. I have to admit, I got my flu shot a couple days ago at the Target Pharmacy, and while I was waiting, I bought some stuff from them. I would think it would be a money making proposition.

[politicscorner]

01:06 PM on 09/20/2010

Coburn might be doing us a favor, although not for the reasons he thinks.

Everyone wants food production to be as safe as possible, But if this bill makes it easier for corporate agribusiness to push GMOs and harder for organic farming "in the name of food safety," than it is not worth passing. Coburn's delay might give us the time needed to find out.

[Progressneeded]

10:52 AM on 09/20/2010

.I love all the policies with the deceptive titles:

Free to Work states= anti-union states
Food Safety= Pro-big farm laws or don't grow your own vegetables and share with your neighbor
Health care= big pharma and health care profits
No Child Left Behind= less money for teaching more for testing and big profit for ETS


Give me a break! If they legislate it then someone with more money than G0d will profit from it

[Hoodoo X]

08:15 PM on 10/21/2010

I guess you want to keep the size of government down then.

[Macus]

01:55 AM on 09/20/2010

Why is Colin Powell still a republican? I am sure he realizes that he is out of the party's mainstream, yet he continues to identify himself as such.

[binksmom85]

01:15 AM on 09/20/2010

There is No Right to Consume or Feed Children Any Particular Food; There is No Generalized Right to Bodily and Physical Health; There is No Fundamental Right to Freedom of Contract." ~ US Dept of Health & Human Services and US Food & Drug Administration, 2010

and has this been challenged Constitutionally, cuz I thought the Constitution specifically upheld contract rights

[gevan]

12:57 AM on 09/20/2010

The very essence of preditory capitalism is the right to produce any damned product you want and as the death toll mounts, the market forces will cause people not to buy so much of it anymore.
Why consumers need protection from muderous small farmers is beyond Tom Coburn's comprehension.

[Ira Meyers]

12:44 AM on 09/20/2010

Tom, you know what you need......a good breakfest of eggs over easy. Take two peptos and call me in the morning.

[DevonTexas]

09:02 AM on 09/20/2010

make sure they're eggs from Iowa, please. And slightly undercook them.

[citizenwatch]

12:42 AM on 09/20/2010

I just hope Tom Coburn knows more about farming than he does marriage counseling. Just ask Mark Sanford about his marriage counseling!

[Dangerous Dan]

02:17 AM on 09/20/2010

Apparently he know more than you.
Not only can Republican Senators read, they DO!
Read the bill!

[ChicagoBob]

11:56 PM on 09/19/2010

Are not farm subsidies still a substantial chunk of the government programs regarding agriculture?

Maybe farmers could focus on food safety and take the money.

(Now don't start yelling at me. I know lots of small farmers and it's a hard and highly competitive field. Pun intended. But food safety really should be an overreaching objective of both farmers and those with oversight of the food chain in this country.)

[binksmom85]

01:10 AM on 09/20/2010

blaming it on small farmers is subterfuge/newspeak; vast majority of those dollars go to big coporate owned farms- who do you think has the power in that equation?

[Moxo]

11:50 PM on 09/19/2010

Just as a matter of interest, the tariffs slapped on imported food in order to protect America's agribusiness by Herbert Hoover was one of the factors that put the 'Great' in the 'Great Depression'!

Seems we have not learned.

[tantamnt]

02:57 AM on 09/20/2010

And how does that apply here?
A tariff is placed on foreign items not domestic and the reason that tariffs contributed to the Great Depression was that the other countries then slapped tariffs on American goods thus reducing foreign trade.

[farmilyman]

11:43 PM on 09/19/2010

How much is monsanto and big ag paying Coburn to kill the small farmers off?

[citizenwatch]

12:45 AM on 09/20/2010

He's accustomed to doctor's fees if that tells you anything.

[Dangerous Dan]

11:12 PM on 09/19/2010

Tired of credible sources?

Debunk this one on substance.

http://www.infowars.com/s-510-the-food-safety-modernization-act-of-2010-the-most-dangerous-bill-in-the-history-of-the-us/

1. It puts all US food and all US farms under Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, in the event of contamination or an ill-defined emergency .

2. It would end US sovereignty over its own food supply by insisting oncompliance with the WTO, thus threatening national security.

3. It would allow the government, under Maritime Law, to define the introduction of any food into commerce (even direct sales between individuals) as smuggling into “the United States.”

4. It imposesCodex Alimentarius on the US, aglobal system of control over food. It allows the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the WTO to take control of every food on earth and remove access to natural food supplements

5. It would remove the right to clean, store and thus own seed in the US, putting control of seeds in the hands of Monsanto and other multinationals, threatening US security. See Seeds – How to criminalize them, for more details.

There are 10 major points, prove one wrong.


 

[Hagenj]

11:23 PM on 09/19/2010

This is the problem with this administration. Anytime a bill has reform in it, look out.

Since you bring up one of the worst US corporations, I will leave you with this. Look at the board of directors for Monsanto and tell me how Iran-Contra affair took that company over?

[Moxo]

11:47 PM on 09/19/2010

Hmmm... imported produce dusted with militarized anthrax... Joe from the FDA's Des Moines office should be in charge of fining the anthrax producers... or Homeland Security should be running the investigation and providing remedial protection... decisions, decisions... Joe is such a nice guy and really knows how to write up a report... hmmm

[Dangerous Dan]

10:54 PM on 09/19/2010

It becomesobvious that the intellectual Left can not browse the web without an approved list of sources and acceptable answers to any given question.

I have ound 2 sites that I would consider  either liberal, or 'environmentally  friendly' that shake not only the topic legislation, but other issuesthat are the expresseddeep concern  of vegans and organic produce consumers.

http://www.grassrootsinternational.net/news/articles/take-action-food-sovereignty-threatened-proposed-us-legislation
Warning about federal funding of Geneticly modified crop research to Industry giants.

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/s-510-is-hissing-in-the-grass/ 
  S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/georgia-farmer-fined-5k-for-growing-too-many-veggies/
The law was supposed to stop large commercial operations in residential areas, but is being used against a 2-acre farmer who sells to neighbors and farmers markets.