The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (House Resolution 875) is a classic example of everything that is wrong with the Federal government. The legislation appears well-intentioned but the principles informing H.R. 875 will contribute to inefficiency with respect to the desired outcome (a safe food supply). H.R. 875 will foster an environment that adversely affects and undermines genuine food security.
H. R. 875 is Bad Legislation
- H. R. 875 unnecessarily usurps power and resources properly vested with state authorities and local governments and transfers them to federal jurisdiction;
- H. R. 875 increases the size of Federal government and the burden of federal taxes on taxpayers, thereby diminishing the efficiencies with which those resources might be administered at the local level;
- H. R. 875 creates yet another bureaucratic structure that will be easily manipulated by lobbyist in the favor of behemoth multinational corporations and large-scale producers whose primary concern is profit and not health or food quality.
- H.R. 875 grants authority to a federal bureaucrat that extends all the way to the garden in your backyard.
This bill creates and expands a federal bureaucracy that can be easily manipulated to stifle competition and innovation through the imposition of a burdensome and unnecessary regulatory regime on innovators in the food manufacturing and processing industries (e.g. small farmers).
Genuine Food Security
We do not need the Federal government to ensure the safety of our food supply. We need to accept responsibility for the choices we make when it comes to the foods we eat. Genuine food security is the product of strong communities producing for themselves and trading the surplus. This bill undermines genuine food security by ensuring that the interests and concerns of multinational corporations become the focal point of the agency and administrator charged with ‘oversight’ of our nation’s food supply.
The question here is not how are we going to pay for H.R. 875. The question is why would we pay for it?
Related Links
- Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009
- Text of H.R.875 as Introduced in House
- Public Comments on H.R. 875
- Cast Your Vote on H.R. 875 Here
- Contact Your Representative
- OpenCongress.org
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” — Patrick Henry
