HR 2749 that passed in Congress on July 30 will create burdensome hurdles for small farmers and community gardens. A similar bill in Poland wiped out 60% of small farmers. And this kind of regulation is blamed for 60 suicides among small farmers in the U.K. Granted, not as many people want to be a small farmer in America anymore. But there soon may come a time when we might all want to grow something to sell, like in Cuba after the Russians pulled out.

It took a crisis in Cuba,(they were getting awful skinny) for the government to condone private initiatives in agriculture(truck gardens on rooftops etc. I guess you'd call that 'elevator gardens.') I don't understand why our Congressional delegations can't wake up and smell the coffee and realize the consolidation they are favoring in agriculture and fisheries is promoting economic stagnation and societal malaise. Which adds to the health care crisis as well, as people can't afford as much health insurance. But God forbid they would add up the true costs of their decisions.

Monsanto and the rest of big agri-business didn't have to break a sweat to get HR 2749 passed. They had been greasing the skids all along. This kind of stuff always reminds me of a one-man fishing, processing and marketing business in Alaska. He was very successful but needed 18 permits. He was the best small operator, but couldn't go long term. I'd sure like to hear what our Congressional delegation has to say about this bill.

And at the same time, maybe they could explain how giving the 80 + species complex of groundfish in Oregon away to a few rogue fishermen is going to help. They have been using completely unselective fishing gear for decades and fished the continental shelf to practically nothing.

I've heard lame attempts at apologizing for nefarious fisheries management by retired fish managers. Like you can somehow wipe the slate clean before you die. The stocks are hammered, period. You can't say anything to make it alright again.

There are similar practices going on at this time, such as the horrendous by-catch and dumping of king salmon by trawlers on the West Coast(not to mention Alaska). It brings to mind a story told of a State Trooper who caught a woman rolling through a red light. She said, "I was almost stopped." Whereas the Trooper responded, "Mame, if I was hitting you with a baseball bat, would you want me to slow down, or come to to a complete stop."

The point is, when you're talking about natural systems, the systems themselves are crying out for a complete halt, not a partial halt. Just thought I'd mention that for the benefit of those who think compromising is a one-size-fits-all approach to everything.

But all is not lost to corporate interests. The public can make decisions on a local level and shut out the influence peddlers. If local governments got a mandate from the people, maybe they could just say "no" to Washington and their bought and paid for mandates.

I had high hopes for the farmer with the little truck farm and road-side stand in Rusch. I don't know what all is in HR 2749, but over one million people from just one movement have written in asking "what on earth are you guys doing?" So, it can't be good. And it might put a kink in my plans to make a health product, to help keep me and my friends out of the clutches of our health care system.

All the best.