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The CPSIA of 2008, the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, which would impose CPSIA-style rules on the food industry, and now this proposed National Animal Identification System. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I’m starting to think that Congress has set out deliberately to destroy small business in America. The destructiveness of the CPSIA might have been an accident, but implementing the same type of small-business-destroying measures after everyone already knows about the damage caused by the CPSIA can’t be an accident – it can’t be, unless you conclude that Congress is either incredibly stupid or literally insane.

I’m also not one to accuse politicians of being socialists. But I also can’t help but think that if the Democrats in Congress really *are* socialists, then laws like these are exactly the sorts of laws they would pass. Because if you want to assume control over the economy, it’s much easier to nationalize or control a few large companies than it is to try to control an industry in which there are hundreds or thousands of small-scale producers. So forcing a consolidation in an industry makes sense if your intention is to eventually assume total control over it.

Destruction of small-scale business is more than evident in almost every industry you can think of (and in those where it is still not obvious, it will undoubtedly be, and very soon). And it’s not just by laws of this type, but in every way ‘they’ can think of.

Regarding small-scale backyard animal husbandry, the purported epidemics of recent years were nothing more than one more way of destroying small farmers. Foot-and-mouth took care of big part of small cattle farmers, and bird flu of poultry farming (remember, only the big poultry concentration-camps were supposedly ‘safe’ from the flu, while small farmers had to kill their stock in thousands?)
And swine-flu is soon in store, just watch it.

“They like to call me a conspiracy theorist, which is fine as long as you call everyone else a coincidence theorist.” – John Judge

Who’s ‘they’? Well, it’s an age-old question… 😉

Gregg – there was an interesting feature on Bloomberg re: war on Small Business. Check out this article – I’m typing it so it doesn’t auto-boot my comment from the system (cut and paste yourself) – it’s at WWW DOT bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_hassett&sid=amhpOT5rlR1Y

As with you, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but there are definite parallels with CPSIA legislation, HR875 (an end to backyard gardening – folks, if you like growing your own vegetables while NOT being deemed a criminal – because, like us in the children’s industry, you’re regulated out of existence with outrageous testing and other requirements…get involved on this one!) If I’m not mistaken, there is yet another significant parallel between CPSIA and the AG bills here -the web makes it fairly easy for all of us to do some very rudimentary legwork, to see what lobbyists are at work (while WE the PEOPLE are asleep at the wheel).

Anyway – this is a GREAT website for WE the PEOPLE (keeps tabs on bills and where they are in the legislative process) – here’s a link to HR 875 info. (and you’ll note, the SAME committee – Energy & Commerce – that passed CPSIA is hearing this one…!) but you can check on just anything you want here – interesting site http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875

Yes, there are too many parallels – I hope that more people will begin to see how important it is to exercise our most fundamental and precious rights as citizens in America. Not every country permits us to be so outspoken, much less take a driver’s seat in the shaping of our laws. And if we don’t get educated and involved (yep, do MORE than vote…) then we simply cannot expect this to remain the case forever. We all know that taking things for granted always leads down a bad path. Having respect for our responsibility and taking up our role with passion is a precious, precious right. A right that I, for one, hope to pass on to my children. In fact, I just posted my letter to Rep Dingell re: CPSIA – you can find it at my blog – tristansepinion.blogspot.com , if interested (again, cut and paste :-).

Ultimately?

These are OUR children.
These are OUR backyards.
These are OUR animals.
This is OUR country.

Unless and until we forget…

Thanks for the post on this!!

I just want to add something to what I said earlier. I’m still undecided as to whether proposed laws like this National Animal Identification System are the result of bad intentions, stupidity, or insanity. But what is obvious is that Congress clearly has no interest in solving America’s current economic crisis. Because if they did, the first thing they’d do is to not make the situation worse by piling on new, burdensome, and very expensive regulatory schemes on business, especially on small business (which employs about 80% of people in America). And as someone said in another blog (sorry, lost the reference to it) they’d be eager to “save” tens of thousands of jobs by repealing the CPSIA. Clearly, whatever is motivating legislative adventures like these is a higher priority to them than is fixing the economy.

Newsweek said it very clearly where we are headed.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/183663
and if you want to see the cover w/o poking around Newsweek’s site, look here:
http://redhatrob.com/2009/02/not-a-photoshop/

My mother left Germany just before the wall was built over these things.

Congress’ highest motivation has always been the betterment of Congress’ members. Why is anyone surprised when laws get passed that benefit big contributors at the expense of everyone else?

And Greg, try to remember that socialism/facism isn’t limited to the Democratic side of the aisle.

For Invid:

I believe that the defects in CSPIA can be traced to Ralph Nader groups. They play on the romantic notion of comsumer warriors battling on behalf of the little guy. Elected officials and most of the public do not have the intellectual disipline to hold these groups to account. The breast implant scare was a disaster and yet people still heed Dr. Wolfe.

In my opinion the lack of mental ability weighs much more heavily on us than the bias from large contributions. Certainly the terrible problem with mothers opting against vaccines was not caused by Big Pharma.

I think Nuesslein has the better argument on this.

But look at the bright side: Job Creation! Thousands of new jobs–albeit bureaucratic jobs–will be created from nothing but hot air. This is a remarkable fact, but not new. This creation ex nihilo may be what gives Congress its godlike delusions….

I am a non-poster but regular reader of Overlawyered.

I see HR 875 as the result of some very, very bad intentions by the agri-business lobby and the giants like Monsanto, ADM, Cargill, and Tyson, all of whom contributed to the legislation, and who have business and personal ties with the person introducing the legislation, and our new Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Perfectly sane from their perspective. I think they are socialist in as much as they are trying to sew up the biggest captive markets possible for their clients.

If you’ve followed Monsanto at all, they have a long, colorful history of trying to put small farmers out of business.

Sorry for the double post, but I hope everyone following this issue has noticed that Obama’s been all over the news talking about the need for a total FDA revamp, and increased funding for food inspection regimes.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/Politics/story?id=7084460&page=1

BG, I’m not sure the Berlin Wall was built exactly for this purpose.

Ron Miller, Per Newsweek: Polls show that Americans don’t trust government and still don’t want big government.

Seems I fit the the majority interviewed in the polls who are in favor of small government.

The German border closed to prevent more people from leaving (the wall was part of that). My mother was “forced” out by her father, he wanted a different life for his children. I don’t think she ever expected to see her parents again at the time she left. Obviously, her parents were not allowed to leave the country to attend her wedding (they might not come back, or worse, tell tales about communism).

My grandfather’s business was taken away from him by the communists (although he continued to run it until his death).

I don’t want to be part of a country where the government allows intimidation, chooses your health care, runs your daily business and caps your salary–be it IDs for a few urban chickens that pose no threat, the CPSIA, union card check, etc. I am not in favor of a free-for-all yet over-regulation that does nothing but create bureaucratic government jobs is the more frightening scenario to me.

First of all, in massive numbers, the American people voted for bigger government. I worry about this a bit but it is probably a necessary evil in 2009. But it has nothing to do with anything. If you think this country is comparable to East Germany in the 1940s, I hate to use this cliche but you really should consider renouncing your citizenship and trying on another country for size. Because if we elected to every major office in this country the candidiate I would have voted against, I would still never compare the United States to East Germany and I’d still think this is the greatest country in the world. To do otherwise shows a disdain for utter greatness of this country. The suffering of your ancestors ought to give you some prespective of what you have here in this country.

[…] (pooh-poohing concern over H.R. 875, but acknowledging the legitimacy of similar concerns that the animal-tracking program NAIS will render small animal-keeping operations uneconomic). Another source: Twitter hashtag #HR875 […]