~ HAS THE WORLD GONE MAD...? New madness ?? ~

[Ladyhawke1]

Gosh! Then.... the Govt. should say out of the clean up of the gulf oil spill and let private "enterprise" clean it up ......OH.....wouldn't that ruin their profit margin? Oh, my I can hear them screaming now. Waaaaaa!

 

[Rosalind]

No...both parties want big gvmnt and just lie to get elected.

Yeah, that.

 

[seedcorn]

Hey Seedcorn....explain this away.


http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/21-7

What this has to do w/pesticides used in foreign countries that are illegal in USA????

Per the article, calcium, sulfur are now required in fields to get production. Farmers use to get "free" sulfur from coal burning factories. Now w/scrubbers, we are seeing sulfur deficiencies in field crops. Now the disturbing part was the mercury in the waste products. Altho the author never went into details as to levels of anything.........didn't lie, just never told whole truth. Heavy metals sounds much worse than it is because it is found in ag limes mined naturally in ground. Some of you need to understand options........If you want production jobs in America instead of slave labor countries, there will be waste products. If you want to live, human beings produce waste products that if analysed, will test as toxic. USA produced ag produce, use much less pesticides and antiobitics-it's not even close.

People do have choices, don't buy slave labor products. There is no law that says you have to buy fresh tomatoes, grapes, banana's, etc out of season. Do w/out. Buy canned produce from American canneries. I know it's not as cheap.

 

[seedcorn]

It just never stops. :/

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/12-3

Once again, FOREIGN food brought in, contaminated USA produced food...thanks for proving my point. Stop SUPPORTING SLAVE LABOR COUNTRIES. It's that simple.

Buy from American companies that have a reputation for safety, abiding by USA standards, with a high code of conduct. It's out there, it just cost more than slave labor food.

 

[seedcorn]

No...both parties want big gvmnt and just lie to get elected.

Yeah, that.

I wish I could see a difference in either party in the way they act. All I hear is reteric. Until congress is forced to live by the laws they pass for the common citizen, nothing will change. It's elitiest government.

 

[Rosalind]

People do have choices, don't buy slave labor products. There is no law that says you have to buy fresh tomatoes, grapes, banana's, etc out of season. Do w/out. Buy canned produce from American canneries. I know it's not as cheap.

Beg to differ! The CSAs I belonged to in grad school were certainly cheaper in the long run than going to any grocery store. The hard part is, if you're poor it's nigh-on impossible to save up enough money for the lump sum payment, and if you live in a tiny apartment then canning and freezing all that stuff can get challenging. But it's definitely cheaper to buy "freezer beef" from a local farmer than it is to buy a pound of ground here, a steak there; ditto the fruits and veggies.

There is a big demand in this area for CSA shares that include meat and dairy. Even the fruit/veggie CSAs sell out quite quickly, as people who are trying to lower their bills figure out that it's cheaper and better quality to get fresh food from a neighbor. New ones are being added every year, and those sell out as well; some of them are only a few shares being sold by very smallholders (20 acres or less). But, I'm sure it beats selling Tupperware when it comes to making ends meet. Warms the cockles of my cynical old heart, too, seeing folks being ingenious and helping themselves and their communities.

 

[vfem]

Rosa, there used to be CSA shares in dairy here but due to laws and fights with the farms it is now impossible to get! Too many companies start talking down locally grown places around here too. Also, things written on labels are not all exactly true. Too many things are now labeled "packagekd in the USA" or "Imported by 'some company' in NY, NY" but not where its imported from. They are HIDING the imported goods, and lying about slave labor.

P.s. - Smithfield in NC has had over 300 migrant illegal workers arrested through 2008. Those people worked with no benefits, and some under the minimum wage with no over time pay. Slave labor! So Seed, don't go on like it doesn't happen here. You are turning a blind eye and allowing these things to happen because you are living in the land of denial.

 

[seedcorn]

Rosa, there used to be CSA shares in dairy here but due to laws and fights with the farms it is now impossible to get! Too many companies start talking down locally grown places around here too. Also, things written on labels are not all exactly true. Too many things are now labeled "packagekd in the USA" or "Imported by 'some company' in NY, NY" but not where its imported from. They are HIDING the imported goods, and lying about slave labor.

P.s. - Smithfield in NC has had over 300 migrant illegal workers arrested through 2008. Those people worked with no benefits, and some under the minimum wage with no over time pay. Slave labor! So Seed, don't go on like it doesn't happen here. You are turning a blind eye and allowing these things to happen because you are living in the land of denial.

Blind eye? condoning slave labor by anyone? Do you even read what I type or just go on some stereotype of what I do/am? Importation of goods made by slave labor has never been acceptable to me or importation of goods not by USA standards. For me this includes food. I just find it interesting that some of you have supported slave labor (yes, I've saved the posts where you have) in foreign countries saying "it's our only choice". Who is turning a blind eye???

Im like most other Americansm make the choices BASED on what is offered

I've been to slaughter checks in commercial plants, they-on the whole-are not near as filthy as some of you potray them. Best solution is small, family run lockers but they are more expensive as they have to pass USDA standards/bills on with less product going through the plant.

 

[seedcorn]

Smithfield in NC has had over 300 migrant illegal workers arrested through 2008. Those people worked with no benefits, and some under the minimum wage with no over time pay.

So are you saying ag is the only ones that hire migrant illegal workers? You skipped past the point that they were caught. How many industries (people) are employed every day that aren't caught? Obviously Smithfield (not a fan of them) were looking for them as they had them arrested (300 over how many years, your quote is THROUGH 2008).

Do you ask to see citizenship cards of everyone you hire to do a job? Or to see birth certificates of everyone that you do business with? Ag is just an easy scape goat. Everyone gets overtime pay, benefits are there unless you are part time, try again. So you think it's better to buy imported meats from slave labor countries that don't even try to live up to standards? I agree that family run lockers are better than smithfield lockers which are vastly superior (no comparison really) to imported meats.

Non-farmers owning "shares" in dairies/farms were stopped by the IRS, tax loopholes for the rich. Nothing to do w/USDA.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Hey Seedcorn....explain this away.


http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/21-7

What this has to do w/pesticides used in foreign countries that are illegal in USA????

Per the article, calcium, sulfur are now required in fields to get production. Farmers use to get "free" sulfur from coal burning factories. Now w/scrubbers, we are seeing sulfur deficiencies in field crops. Now the disturbing part was the mercury in the waste products. Altho the author never went into details as to levels of anything.........didn't lie, just never told whole truth. Heavy metals sounds much worse than it is because it is found in ag limes mined naturally in ground. Some of you need to understand options........If you want production jobs in America instead of slave labor countries, there will be waste products. If you want to live, human beings produce waste products that if analysed, will test as toxic. USA produced ag produce, use much less pesticides and antiobitics-it's not even close.

People do have choices, don't buy slave labor products. There is no law that says you have to buy fresh tomatoes, grapes, banana's, etc out of season. Do w/out. Buy canned produce from American canneries. I know it's not as cheap.

Seedcorn said:

"Heavy metals sounds much worse than it is because it is found in ag limes mined naturally in ground. Some of you need to understand options..."


My ex used to work at a sewage treatment plant in Malibu Canyon. Heavy metals was monitored 24/7. I was the biggest concern they had and was continually monitored. Any sniff of this and there was emergency measures, shut downs and fines.

The treated waste was used on some cropsthen the product was not used on food for human consumption. I do not know what the standards are now. Now there is what they call acceptable levels. Unfortunately, the industry SETS those standards.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/01/04-3

"Federal policy needs to change to reflect 21st Century science -- including the importance of critical windows of development, mixtures of chemicals, and low-dose exposures -- to ensure current and future generations reach their fullest potential,"

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/02/toxic_shock.html