Call Uncle Sam - Obama's Unhelpful Advice Leads To Bureaucratic Nightmare For Farmer And Politico Reporter
This is a must read nightmare story. Follow the link and read the whole thing at Politico.
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At Wednesday’s town hall in Atkinson, Ill., a local farmer who said he grows corn and soybeans expressed his concerns to President Barack Obama about “more rules and regulations” — including those concerning dust, noise and water runoff — that he heard would negatively affect his business.
The president, on day three of his Midwest bus tour, replied: “If you hear something is happening, but it hasn’t happened, don’t always believe what you hear.”
When the room broke into soft laughter, the president added, “No — and I’m serious about that.”
Saying that “folks in Washington” like to get “all ginned up” about things that aren’t necessarily happening (“Look what’s comin’ down the pipe!”), Obama’s advice was simple: “Contact USDA.”
“Talk to them directly. Find out what it is that you’re concerned about,” Obama told the man. “My suspicion is, a lot of times, they’re going to be able to answer your questions and it will turn out that some of your fears are unfounded.”
Call Uncle Sam. Sensible advice, but perhaps the president has forgotten just how difficult it can be for ordinary citizens to get answers from the government.
When this POLITICO reporter decided to take the president's advice and call the USDA for an answer to the Atkinson town hall attendee's question, I found myself in a bureaucratic equivalent of hot potato — getting bounced from the feds to Illinois state agriculture officials to the state farm bureau.
Here's a rundown of what happened when I started by calling the USDA's general hotline to inquire about information related to the effects of noise and dust pollution rules on Illinois farmers.
Continue reading at Politico...
Aug 19, 2011 at 1:15 PM
Reader Comments (9)
Obama knows dam well the farmer knows what hes talking about.....You can not fix Dumb, Ass, Stupid..........Go back to Washington where you can BS your own kind.....
16 mo. from now that farmer will be filling out thoes papers Obama has planed for farmers.
Feds will not change rules governing operation of farm equipment
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/08/16/business/feds-will-not-change-rules-governing-operation-of-farm-equipment/
They did it to us truck drivers first. The old way wasent good enough. They came up with the 5 tier CDL. Instead of it costing us $45., the new way it was $95. for all 5. I had to have my Hasmat to haul gas, avegas, diesel, Jet-A....
Next the goverment will have a fee on farts.
Clean Fart,$$. Dirty Fart,$$$. Flamable Fart,$$$. Explosive Fart,$$$$. Shit Yr Pants Fart,$$$$$....We'll all have a tube up our A$$ hooked to a Obama Green Meter
This is just the start of Obamas crap comming down the tracks. Soon we'll all have cute little hats with little dish's on top telling the goverment everything were doin...........
While Americans were busy making 4th of July plans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released two new guidance policies on over-the-counter (OTC) products it regulates. One, a final rule on how sunscreens will be marketed in the U.S. beginning next summer, came out with a media blitz that attracted nearly every news outlet in the country.
But the other, a proposed draft policy on dietary supplements, sneaked onto the scene so silently it barely made a blip on the media radar. This was snuck in because it could effectively kill your rights to purchase natural vitamins and supplements over-the-counter or, at the very least, make them so expensive you won't be able to afford them. Both policies are perfect examples of how government keeps you sick.
The open comment period on the FDA's proposed guidelines expires on September 30, 2011. You will find details on how you can get involved at the end of this article, and I urge you to stand up and let your voice be heard on this very important issue.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2099/12/31/how-government-keeps-you-sick.aspx?e_cid=20110816_DNL_artTest_B4
As you can see, the U.S. outspends every other industrialized nation on its health care, yet it is dead last in life expectancy compared to its peers. It's also the most vaccinated country in the world. Yet a ground-breaking study recently revealed that countries that give the most vaccines have the worst infant death rates, again, with the U.S. leading the pack. Sadly, these trends aren't limited to the U.S. – the truth is too many people in industrialized nations are sick – and getting sicker.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2099/12/31/how-government-keeps-you-sick.aspx?e_cid=20110816_DNL_artTest_B4
Those figures stunned scientists who had been monitoring a decrease in sediment in recent years and believed modern 'no-till' farming methods would decrease total phosphorus.
Some recent studies, however, are suggesting that not turning over the soil leaves more phosphorus on the surface of the fields, and more easily dissolved into rainwater as it runs off. Others suggest that other practices, including more frequent wintertime fertilizing (when soil additives are less expensive), may be leading to more phosphorous-filled runoff.
Lake St. Mary has a $160 million tourist industry that is directly affected by the bad practices of many of the factory farms in the immediate watershed area. Last year tourism numbers were down, people could not use the lake, boats could not be moved to other lakes for fear of spreading the toxic algae, etc..
I can see both sides of the coin as I have been involved in agriculture most of my life. The farmers have got to make a living, but the land and water management practices have got to change if it is affecting public safety and other businesses right to make a living.
If my current Governor has his way, the cost of this mess will be passed onto the taxpayers of Ohio instead of those who created the mess. Kinda like a bank bailout.
Just imagine the depth of the Bank scandals if the already pathetic level of regulation did not exist at all. Where there is no law, there is no law to be broken…
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/toxic/2010/jul/31/dog-dies-owner-ill-after-animal-swims-algae-choked-grand-lake-st-marys
And that story you linked is horrible. Everyone should read it.
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/toxic/2010/jul/31/dog-dies-owner-ill-after-animal-swims-algae-choked-grand-lake-st-marys
We had a neighbor who according to public record receives 400 grand a year in farm subsidies years ago have a manure tank rust through and dumped over 100 thousand gallons of raw sewage that came onto our farm. I am extremely thankful for regulation because he felt like it was not his problem to clean it up and make it right.
Thankfully the law thought otherwise...
It would have been very costly for us to clean up the mess that he made through improper maintenance of his equipment in the name of reaping higher personal profit.