Free Republic

These people are fishing…fishing hard… and will say and claim just about anything to pass their legislation against the people that will give them more power, more authority and a stronger chokehold on the American people. And, like foolish lambs led to the slaughter, many of us cluck our tongues and follow blindly along because the “words sound so good” and surely the wise mother-government, the nanny state, knows what is better for us than we could ever know for ourselves. Since the Obama’s have been in office- food has been the topic of the conversation so often. Michelle Obama...

WASHINGTON -- Food safety legislation stalled by a constitutional snag could be revived as part of a giant year-end budget bill. The bill to increase the Food and Drug Administration's powers to keep food safe stalled after overwhelmingly passing the Senate last week. House Democrats said after it passed that the bill contains fees that are considered tax provisions, which under the Constitution must originate in the House.

"Drop that brownie, young lady! You're in violation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010." A bit of rhetorical hyperbole? Actually, that might not be too much of an exaggeration of what's in store under the new child nutrition law Congress passed Thursday. The bill, which gives the USDA power to regulate fat and sugar in schools, squeaked through the House thanks to heavy lobbying from sundry "public health" and child welfare groups. First Lady Michelle Obama's support probably didn't hurt, either. The feds will also be empowered to regulate fundraisers where food is sold -- i.e., bake sales. And...

Weight-loss surgery, once a last resort for extremely overweight people, may soon become an option for those who are less heavy. An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration will consider on Friday a request by Allergan, the pharmaceutical company, to significantly lower how obese someone must be to qualify for surgery using the company’s Lap-Band device, which restricts intake to the stomach. On Wednesday, the F.D.A. acknowledged that a new study by the company showed that people in the proposed range of obesity who had the band experienced “statistically significant decreases in all measures of weight loss.” If...

Which do you think is less expensive, not to mention preferable: a cure for cancer, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, or caring for people with these diseases? Wouldn't it be better medical and public policy to direct more resources toward finding a cure for diseases that cost a lot to treat than to rely on a government insurance program, such as Obamacare, which seeks mainly to help pay the bills for people after they become ill? Isn't the answer obvious? Apparently not to many politicians trapped in an old paradigm that focuses too much on hospitals, doctors and medicines and too...

Big Government: A questionable food safety bill in search of a crisis passed the Senate, but may hit a snag in the House. This power grab of the nation's food supply may end up benefiting a certain Hungarian billionaire. Why would the Senate take up precious time in the lame duck session considering a food safety bill? Just as ObamaCare wasn't really about health care reform but about government power, S510 is not really about food safety but about government control of agriculture and the nation's food producers. The Food Safety Modernization Act would give the Food and Drug Administration...

Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety RegulationsBy GARDINER HARRIS and WILLIAM NEUMAN Published: November 30, 2010 WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food-safety system, after tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach sickened thousands and led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight. The legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that in recent decades focused more on policing medical products than ensuring the safety of foods. The bill is intended to get the government to...

Today, the Senate is likely to vote on the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 (S510). But the bill is little more than an enormous grant of money and power to the Food and Drug Administration and a lot of reporting burdens imposed on the private sector. Those who favor a smaller, leaner government should oppose it. Advocates for the bill point out that we need “change” as the food safety system is built mostly on laws passed over seventy years ago. They would like to transform the FDA from what they perceive as a mostly reactive agency – dealing...

Beck and others are telling you - TODAY at 7pm Senate is scheduled to vote. If passed, the misnamed Food Safety and Modernization Act would authorize the FDA to tell farmers how to grow their crops. Federal bureaucrats who likely know little to nothing about farming will set the guidelines on appropriate temperatures, what soil to use, how much water to use and what animals are allowed to be on certain fields. S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, gives broad powers to the FDA to regulate small farms and gardens.

Just about the time you're tucking into your Thanksgiving leftovers, the Senate will get around to a final vote on the food safety bill. By Thursday night in the Capitol, it was all about negotiating with the lone hold-out, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).Coburn had threatened to hold up the food safety bill to get a vote to ban spending on lawmaker's pet projects, a.k.a. an "earmarks" ban. And eventually, he got that assurance. [snip] The bill would give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to recall tainted foods and increase inspections, as well as put new produce safety requirements...

In a crowded Washington DC bar one recent Friday night, a patron carrying a nefarious-looking black plastic bag pushes his way past bearded hipsters and preppy Capitol Hill staffers, stopping at a table packed with weekend revelers. “Check this out,” he says, holding up the bag. He pulls out a tall colorful can of Four Loko, a fizzy-lifting drink loaded with caffeine and booze that has made headlines recently when it was banned by the Food and Drug Administration. Nearly everyone at the table lunges to touch the taboo cocktail, pulling it in close to finally catch a glimpse of...

A rider attached by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510), which proposes banning earmarks for the next three years, could have a devastating effect on educational programs like Reach Out and Read, Reading Is Fundamental, and Teach for America, which would lose their federal funding. The vote on the ban is scheduled to take place on the Monday after Thanksgiving. “The passage of this amendment would be catastrophic for Reach Out and Read and 12 other high quality, evidence-based programs that benefit millions of children and families in our country,” says Reach Out...

Feds deem Four Loko unsafe drinkRichard Craver Issue date: 11/19/10 The makers of seven alcoholic energy drinks have been given 15 days to show that their beverages are safe for consumers or remove them from the marketplace. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters yesterday to four beverage manufacturers including the maker of Four Loko saying that the drinks are being marketed in violation of federal law. It determined that caffeine is an "unsafe food additive" when mixed with alcoholic beverages. If a beverage-maker cannot prove that its drink is safe, the FDA can seize the products. The...

NEW YORK — For only the second time, the U.S. government has approved a test in people of a treatment using embryonic stem cells — this time for a rare disease that causes serious vision loss. Advanced Cell Technology, a biotechnology company based in Santa Monica., California, said the research should begin early next year, following the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Just last month another biotech company, Geron Corp., said it had begun preliminary testing in people for treating spinal cord injuries by injecting cells derived from embryonic stem cells. Scientists hope to use...

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111thCongress - 2nd Session as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the SenateVote Summary Question: On the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Proceed to S. 510 ) Vote Number: 251 Vote Date: November 18, 2010, 05:59 PM Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Motion to Proceed Agreed to Measure Number: S. 510 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act ) Measure Title: A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply. Vote Counts: YEAs 57...

Some of the companies warned by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday for the levels of caffeine in their alcoholic drinks are saying the agency’s regulation methods are unfair.

$1.6 Billion and 18,000 additional government employees for S.510, the Food Safety bill, are up for a vote in the Senate any time within the next 60 days. S.510 is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation thus far. Since 2008, the Obama administration has increased the FDA budget by 135% to an astounding $4.03 Billion and yet Senators want to add another $1.6 Billion and double the number of employees. Why? Is our government trying to institute fascist control over our nation’s food supply? You decide. “If accepted, [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own,...

I am posting this thread to see if Freepers can help break down Senate Bill 510. The original bill was 266 pages and full of legalese. I have been rallying friends, family and Facebook friends to call/email/fax the RINOs who are supporting this bill, but I am getting tons of questions about it. (Why is it so bad?) I can answer some, but I need help. I naturally gravitate to FR for answers. Could I get some help breaking it down into laymen terms? Perhaps some of you could help with the most damaging items using bullet points about the...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) is reportedly pursuing a vote this week on a massive expansion of food regulation. Proponents—Democrats and Republicans alike—contend that the very security of America’s food supply is at stake. But rhetoric aside, the nation’s food supply has never been safer, thanks largely to technological advances and market forces. Consequently, granting vast new powers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would raise the cost of food but would not increase consumer protection.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Food and Drug Administration will rule that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcoholic beverages, effectively making products such as Four Loko and Joose prohibited for sale in the United States, according to Senator Charles Schumer of New York. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission plans to notify manufacturers that they are engaged in the potential illegal marketing of unsafe alcoholic drinks, Schumer said in a statement. Joose maker United Brands argues that the product contains less caffeine than colas and isn't aware of injury or harm associated with its products.