The plain fact that no politician in history has ever understood is that the market requires no altruism for everyone to benefit.

On Tuesday last I had the singular pleasure of showing Portland to the world-renown Catholic author Piers Paul Read. In between five radio and newspaper interviews, and a book signing, we had time to meet a long list of Catholic movers and shakers, as well as dine at a few fine establishments and have some serious discussions.

I just finished reading his book, "The Death of a Pope," and it is remarkable for the apologetic angle: it brings up most of the controversies that Catholics are facing today within the Church, and presents both sides -- ultimately letting the reader make up his mind. I recommend it.

He's on EWTN's Catholic Answers today at 4:00 PM PST, he'll be in San Francisco on Sunday night (http://www.ignatius.com/death-of-a-pope-book/event-rsc/pprflyer_sanfrancisco.pdf), and actually at St. Sebastians in Greenbrae on June 4th (http://www.ignatius.com/death-of-a-pope-book/event-rsc/pprflyer_greenbrae.pdf).

Check out his website for more:

http://www.deathofapope.com

And he's on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Piers-Paul-Read/82996687222?ref=ts

"we see that we fought against fascism,
communism, we watched socialist countries throughout
the world just languish while we prospered based on
free enterprise and individual freedom."

You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

Dr. Adrian Rogers
1931 - 2005

Please oppose H.R. 875, H.R. 759, and all other similar legislative proposals.

It is extreme hypocrisy for the government to claim that it can keep food safe for consumers.

Here are the primary objections to these bills and other bills of the same ilk.

1. It is not constitutional for Congress to write laws outside of the powers delegated to it by the Constitution (Article I). There is no mention of a 'food safety administration' in Article I. Congress does NOT possess the power to regulate food production.

2. The army of inspectors this bill (H.R. 875) would create would not be able to complete their tasks as this bill outlines them -- it would violate the Fourth Amendment, which safeguards Americans' right to protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.

3. We already have too many government bureaucracies that deal with food and agriculture. The USDA and FDA obviously can't keep us safe; an additional inept government agency won't be any different. Congress is seriously asking the taxpayers to foot the bill for ANOTHER useless alphabet soup ABC government organization? Not only can we as a country not afford it, but we already know that the FDA and the USDA cannot keep our food safe. It is a heinous lie to claim that a new bureaucracy could.

4. We already have a system to ensure food safety. It's called the free market. Government needs to back off its over-regulation of the food industry. For too long our politicians have been listening to special interests and corporations, and ignoring the demands of the consumer. The free market possesses the most influential means for regulating food safety, but clowns in Washington D.C. continue to aid and abet the evildoing food giants.


Instead of these bills, we need to pass a law that will ensure mandatory labeling of genetically engineered and genetically modified foods. People have a RIGHT to know before they are used as guinea pigs for multinational conglomerates!

Instead of these bills, we need a law that legalizes all farmers everywhere to test their cows for Mad Cow Disease if they so desire.

Instead of these bills, we need to promote small farmers that make commitments to local, healthy, sustainable crops.

Personally, I obtain as much of my food as possible either from what I grow myself or directly from the farmers. Are you trying to tell me that inserting a hopelessly inept government agency in between me and my food is going to increase my safety?

Don't make me laugh.

Thank you for doing the right thing, the legal thing, the constitutional thing -- oppose these bills!