Brushfire of FreedomThe Conservative Cowboy
Last week the House passed legislation that gives the FDA control over the tobacco industry. This is another step we are taking down the road of more government control. There are a couple of problems I have with this piece of legislation. Please keep in mind while reading this that I do not smoke or use tobacco.
The Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-California said that is was a “historic day in the fight against tobacco.” There have been many “truly historic” days in this short administrations history, truly historic because they are rocking the very foundation of our nation. The Supreme Court ruled in a case back in 2000 that the FDA did not have the authority to regulate the private tobacco industry. Since this ruling, congress has been trying to push this legislation through. The thought is if the law is not going to support our personal agendas then we can just write another law. This is the way our current congress thinks. The only thing that has prevented this assault on private business was the power of former President Bush’s veto pen. Well we have elected a new president that is a puppet of the current congress. Signing a stimulus package with verbiage that addressed and allowed the bonuses that AIG paid to its executives is a perfect example of how inexperienced our president really is.
The FDA would not have the control to ban tobacco, or even the nicotine in tobacco. What they would have regulation over is the products that are put into the tobacco; they can prohibit flavoring the tobacco, and here is the kicker, strictly control or prohibit marketing. The government is creating a monopoly so no wonder Phillip Morris is in favor of the regulation. The government is taking every avenue that smaller competitors have to compete against the huge market share which is already enjoyed by Phillip Morris.
One other issue with this legislation is the simple fact of what agency is getting this power. The FDA doesn’t have the greatest track record in the recent past. You remember that whole Salmonella problem in our peanut butter? The FDA obviously does not have the resources to meet their normal responsibilities. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 came about because of a book written by Upton Sinclair called The Jungle. This act gave the federal government the responsibility to inspect meat products and ensure that the contents of every food product manufactured in the US had an accurate list of ingredients. This act was the beginning and there have been many other acts since the inception of the FDA. The act in question now would add a great deal of responsibilities to an organization that is already stretched too thin. So by giving this new responsibility to the FDA, taxpayers will have to pony up some more of our hard earned money to increase the FDA’s budget. The tobacco industry is rather large in this country and actually quite involved. The FDA will need to expand their workforce, technology and facilities and those things cost money.
We still have a light at the end of the tunnel; this legislation still must pass in the Senate. There is a small hope that I carry that the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster are not achieved. I have made it through this entire blog not mentioning personal responsibility and the fact that this legislation strips away our very simple liberty to choose if we want to use tobacco or if we want to abstain.
Oh wait I guess I just did.
Our liberties are being stripped from us and we are embracing the people that are taking them away.
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