It Figures

Well, no surprise <a href="http://www.agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/agNews_050608crCOOLdl.xml&catref=ag1001">here</a>.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Shortly after 5:30 Eastern Daylight Time today (06/08/2005) the House voted against the Rehberg amendment, 240 against, 187 for. That leaves the House Agricultural Appropriations Bill unchanged, so <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> funding for <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> would be blocked in 2006 and the program would be delayed another year, to September 2007. The Senate still hasn't voted on its agricultural appropriations bill. After it does, the Senate and House will have to negotiate any differences.</blockquote><br />n<br />nThe big Meat packers wanted this killed and bought enough Congressmen to do it. As I have said before I don't particularly like <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> but I support it on the Federal level, on the state level it is so ridiculous it's not worth comment, because it is the right thing to do. Consumers should know where their food comes from even though it is going to cost the ranchers more money than they will make on it. Yes, for the ranchers it is a money losing proposition and anybody who thinks different is a <a href="http://nowherethoughts.net/pics/TheFool.jpg" target="_new">fool</a>. I really hate to say it but it's the truth.<br />n<br />nThe American Agricultural Economics Association's magazine Choices had a very good series of articles on just this issue in their <a href="http://www.choicesmagazine.org/2004-4/cool/index.htm">4th quarter 2004</a> issue. Of particular intrest are the articles on <a href="http://www.choicesmagazine.org/2004-4/cool/2004-4-04.htm">whether consumers will actually pay a premium</a> for labled beef and <a href="http://www.choicesmagazine.org/2004-4/cool/2004-4-02.htm">who will actually pay for <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym></a>.<br />n<br />nI do have a question relating to this whole <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> issue. If, consumers would actually prefer to buy US beef and if this would increase demand for US beef overall, wouldn't somebody have done it all ready? Wouldn't some private outfit have taken advantage of this market niche and filled it with US beef and made money for everybody? As an example, if on a state level Montana beef was in such large demand wouldn't some entrepreneurial rancher raise, feed, and slaughtered his own beef to fill this niche and make money instead of mandating with law such a thing? It sure seems to me if this were profitable it would have all ready been done so therefore it is going to cost us money.<br />n<br />n<b>The surprise is half the battle. Many things are half the battle, losing is half the battle. Let's think about what's the whole battle. David Mamet</b>