While GMD likes to post polls from a plethora of sources, I figured this one would be helpful in stimulating debate.

Times Argus On-Line Poll for 09/18/2008 Which candidate do you support for Governor? 

Number of votes cast: 782

And for this one with the Rutland Herald.

Number of votes cast: 775

Polls like this may not be scientifc for they are not fully accurate, however it does refute the central premise of many GMD posts that say Pollina has no support. I agree they are not 100percent accurate; nonetheless I question the validity of polls organized by WGOP-TV, or the national based organizations like Rasmussen who fail to include the non-two party candidates in their polls.

All candidates issues should be reported and elections should not be merely horse-raced. I have clear convictions and reasons for supporting Pollina, for to I hope that you may as well, instead of playing electability games, or even worse judging a candidate by who has raised the most money. Those games are unproductive and uncalled for in a democracy. Vermonters should be able to choose a candidate based on issues and not what wealthy individuals or Wall Street like individuals have contributed to the campaign. The average Vermonter can not afford to pay their bills let alone donate to political campaigns.

So while some posts here at GMD beat the dead horse that Pollina has no chance, it is a much different reality on the street. People are appalled that Symington is the Democratic candidate. I have heard it from Republicans and Democrats say “Pollina is due to be given a chance, for Douglas and Symington had their chances.”

Both Douglas and Symington have been muttering “they are going to…”, however they both have failed to, and instead they had mutually compromised Vermonters values. So as this poll may say, along with the VSEA, NEA, AFL-CIO, and the Abanaki endorsement implications, and the growing display of Pollina lawn signs it is clear that many Vermonters support Pollina and want real change.

After each passing debate more Vermonters are awakening to the understanding that Pollina is the strongest voice to lead Vermont away from the past’s failed politics and economics. How about you, do you support the status quo?

 Robb Kidd

Disclosure: I am an active supporter of Anthony Pollina and have donated to his campaign; however I have never been a paid employee of any political party or have held any leadership positions within a political party.

A few days ago, the Central Vermont Localvores presented Montpelier with a plethora of culinary delights all cooked with local ingredients and prepared by some of Vermont’s esteemed chefs. The State House has lawn was flooded with hundreds of Vermonters including the Governor. The Governor as it seems was the case was there for his usual photo shoot and not for a genuine support for the next day he was in Berlin,  Vermont cutting the ribbon of the rebuilt Mc Donald’s. I guess you can say the proof was in the pudding.

The Governor either was meeting Ronald Mc Donald or he has decided that his respect for Vermont farmers and the health of the food supply is conditional to those he speaks with.

SuperSized article below the fold:

True to his nickname, Governor Scissorhands:

“It's an affordable place to have a meal. It provides dozens of jobs,” Douglas told a crowd gathered on hot black pavement outside the building. “And the good nutrition and fitness at your amenities here will help us with that as well,” the governor said before cutting a thick red ribbon with a giant pair of scissors.- From the Times Argus.

The governor spoke without mentioning that the majority of the Mc Donald’s menu consists of processed foods and its super-sized image has been attributed to the expansion of obesity rates in America to the level of epidemic proportions. The Mc Donald’s s system has thrived on squeezing out all facets of our food industry. Whether it is in the large scale feed lots, subsided corn fields or the roadside strip-malls diners, Mc Donald’s has a history of squashing small scale farming and family business in favor of non sustainable farming and a profit driven agenda. McDonald’s is not an affordable place to have a meal because we are now facing larger health risks from the Mc Donald’s super size image, greater environmental cleanup costs and taxpayers are continuing to pay billions in subsidies to support industrial corn which is used to feed the cattle it’s unnatural diet.

As for the faulty logic of job creation, this topic is a farce for the governor to hail. The McDonald’s corporation has received millions of dollars in tax breaks or subsidies under the guise of job creation and most employees are paid on or about minimum wage. The simplistic picture coded instruction manuals do not teach future job skills and is merely a dead end job proposition. While most employees of McDonalds are shortly employed politicians continually hail their job creation while forgetting that smaller in state and family owned restaurants fail to receive their market shares.

The American landscape has now become littered by fast food chains and in many locations the mom and pop shop has become a distant memory. As with the big-box store it is not job creation when jobs and businesses are removed from an already viable source, therefore a corporate business that extracts the dollars from the local economy and exploits the landscape should not be a model to praise. The Mc Donald’s corporation spends more money marketing to children than they do to paying wages, and therefore creating a whole new generation of malnourished consumers and under paid workers. While the Governor cuts another ribbon and fails to live past one day of hailing the triumphs of healthy local foods I hope that it becomes another nail in his political coffin. I can see through Governor Douglas’s phony smile and I just wonder when others will see through his deceit.

Peace

Robb Kidd

“Eating at fast food outlets …. is simply a manifestation of the commodification of time coupled with the relatively low value many Americans have placed on the food they eat.” Andrew F. Smith, ‘Encyclopedia of Junk food and Fast Food’ (2006)
 

Once again another multi national corporation puts the screws into the community they are supposedly supporting. News headlines in Vermont broadcasted that IBM is to lay off workers in some of their facilities throughout the country. Vermont’s Essex location is to bear their share with ninety employees forced out and onto the unemployment lines. What is so ironic is that Vermont politicians have been coddling IBM in order to prevent such measures. While IBM (International Business Machines) further exports American jobs to China and other countries, politicos like our own Governor Jim Douglass, Republican and “conservative” Democrats grovel over how to concede to them.

Just recently, a claim from opponents of the Global Warming Bill had used IBM as a reason why they could not support a tax on Vermont Yankee as it would send a wrong message to the business community. Well there goes that message; instead IBM has just sent its employees and the community a message that it just does not give a hoot about Vermont. Ironically, the potential savings from the Global Warming bill could have provided IBM would have offset any cost measures and would have virtually let them retain employees. Extra revenue offsets are as well about to come from reassessment of their facilities in Essex, and it seems that while every residential property’s values have gone up, big business’s assessments have gone down, thus lower taxes for an extremely profitable corporation.

Additionally, while our governor was out gallivanting around China to search out lucrative trade opportunities for Vermont companies, IBM seemed to have other intentions. It appears that IBM’s plans are just to process computer chips in Vermont and then ship them around the globe to be installed in one of their other facilities. I guess that is what is mean by exporting. A lot of talk has been made by the Governor of the opportunities for trade; however a simple fact that IBM is responsible for eighty percent of Vermont’s foreign trade is a scary statistic since that it is an unfinished product that quite possibly could be completed here in Vermont; however the greener pastures of lower wages and less environmental regulations have tempted IBM to displace Vermont and American jobs.

While, American and Vermont workers struggle to pay their bills, pay for healthcare or educate their children America’s glorious corporations bypass America for their needs of enriching their executives and stock holders. Neither America nor Vermont should cow toe to these mammoth international conglomerations because it is quite evident that the community they do business in is just another tool for them to exploit. And for that matter the politicians who advocate the corporate line, have to go…

Peace

Robb Kidd

“You name the large multinational corporation, many of which make substantial campaign contributions to both political parties, and they're on the Export-Import welfare line. Needless to say, many of these same companies receiving taxpayer support pay exorbitant salaries and benefits to their CEOs. IBM, for example, gave their former CEO Lou Gerstner over $260 million in stock options while they were lining up for their Export-Import handouts.” Senator Bernard Sanders while a Congressman. 

(This would be something. – promoted by Brattlerouser)

cross posted at Evolving Peace 

Out along the Left  Coast an earthquake is about to emerge in the city by the bay. Now I don not wish for a real earthquake to happen in San Francisco; however Cindy Sheehan is about to make some seismic fault lines upon the weak Democratic machine of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi who self appointed her dictation to the rest of the Democratic Party and claimed that “impeachment is off the table,” is now about to see the power of democracy. While Cindy Sheehan is about to throw her hat in the ring and challenge the weak impotent Nancy Pelosi for her Congressional seat I encourage others across the land to follow suit. In Vermont, I nominate Dan Dewalt for that call.

While Speaker Pelosi has dictated her will upon her faithful flock of chicken hawk Democrats the Bush/Cheney administration continues to ignore the rule of law and the will of the people. Let us remind the Democrats that we elected them to reverse course in America and as we sit on the sidelines more die in Iraq, individuals are still spied upon and secretly tortured and the detriment to our earth is further exasperated. It is nice to hear words from Democrats that they do not support the war nor the President and now we even a few token Republicans give lip service as well; however the truth of the matter is that until we remove the chief architects of this deceit America’s reputation will be permanently tarnished.

Here in Vermont, Peter Welch continually says his number one priority is to end the war, and says that impeachment would be a distraction from its resolve. I refute his claim and state that it is not his prerogative to follow Nancy Pelosi’s agenda but to follow the grassroots call of impeachment. For that reason, even though I tediously worked on his campaign and wrote numerous letters on behalf of his candidacy I am publicly declaring that I will not vote for Peter Welch unless he signs on to articles of impeachment. Likewise, since Peter appears not to listen to voice of the people I am recommending that we as a people vote for someone who truly understands Democracy and that is why I am recommending Dan Dewalt for Congress. A man who understands what freedom and democracy stands for.

Come on and take the Pledge.

I state your name so solemnly swear never to vote for a political candidate who 1. Refuses to uphold the Constitution and continues to allow and imperial President and Vice-President to do as they feel fit with our country or 2. Has supported the war directly or indirectly or. 3. Has supported other candidates who have voted for this war (including Obama, Clinton, and Edwards).

And therefore, I solemnly swear to only vote for candidates who have supported Articles of Impeachment for President Bush and Vice-President Cheney and those who clearly voted to defund the war immediately and have never once supported any measures of this illegal and immoral war.

Those who are failing to call for removal of the war’s architects are just as responsible as those who have orchestrated it. If you live in San  Francisco say no to Nancy Pelosi and anywhere else in the country stand up and refuse to support the candidates of war and obstruction. Democracy calls for impeachment…

Peace

Robb Kidd

“Let's impeach the President for lyin'
And misleading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door
Who's the man who hired all the criminals?
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors
They bend the facts to fit with their new story
Of why we had to send our men to war”- Neil Young..

crossposted at (http://evolvingworld…)

As the Vermont Legislature rapped up its session a week ago, news and opinions have dominated the prognosis of the recent energy bill and the last minute education compromise; however important agriculture legislation has barely received a bleep on the radar screen. THE VIABILITY OF VERMONT AGRICULTURE, H522 not only has passed the Vermont House and Senate but has just been signed by Governor Douglas.

There are many parts to this bill that deserve recognition but to many observers, this bill had one outstanding provision and that was in regards to poultry provisions. Thus to many, it was known as the Chicken Bill. As of today small scale Vermont farmers (producers of less than 1,000 birds per year), will be able to sell their poultry directly to consumers at the farm and farmers markets, as well as local restaurants without going through the high regulatory barriers of state inspection.

There’s more…

Myself as a vegetarian, am ecstatic about its passage for a number of reasons. As a personal reference, I began a vegetarian diet as a general disapproval of the large scale farm industry that has manipulated the raising of meats to a factory like setting. The meats consumers receive in a supermarket do not represent meats found in the natural world. Animals in a factory farm system are feed unnatural diets, injected with dangerous hormones and bred for specific genetic qualities. As well, in addition most animals are systematically confined to small areas for their entire lives and are forced to live an unnatural live. Even so called large scale “free range” produced animals are just given limited access to the natural environment. One could debate the philosophical questions of this practice, but as a consumer there are stark differences to industrial produced meats compared to those of naturally raised meats whether it is with taste or the health attributes.

In addition, to my ethical and health concerns of industrialized meats, the current large scale farming procedures are just not environmentally sustainable. The average American meal travels 1,500 miles and those added costs are producing higher levels of carbon. Current American trends of a fast food diet of 4,500 calories demands ten times as much energy in fossil fuels to produce. So what is needed is a more balanced sustainable approach to agriculture and that entails fostering a local and natural based agricultural system.

For farmers, the bill is a great economic boost. The high cost of processing birds just did not make sense for small scale producers. They were stifled by regulations set in place to protect the public from the harms of industrialized producers. Instead now with the advent of the bill’s passage farmers can diversify their farm and not only become more economically stable they can become more ecologically balanced. As a direct result farmers are given greater opportunities to profit while at the same time protecting our treasured rural landscape. Fostering local farms protect the land from being turned into sub developments since they are becoming more economically viable.

The passage of THE VIABILITY OF VERMONT AGRICULTURE is an important step forward in creating a sound environmentally sustainable environment. I hope that we see more proactive measures coming from our government in helping fostering ideas like this to move forward. Our food resources are as important as the air we breathe, so big thanks goes to the Vermont House and Senate Agriculture Committees for diligently working on these issues and for Governor Douglass signing the bill. Oh, yeah and yes I will eat chicken again, but only locally from a farmer I know.

Peace
Robb Kidd

“Were the walls of our meat industry to become transparent, literally or even figuratively, we would not long continue to raise, kill, and eat animals the way we do.” Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”

cross posted at Evolving Peace http://evolvingworld…

The weather is a little gray today, and that is fine by me. We had temperatures soaring into the 80’s and while the temperatures set to cool for the week Montpelier was rocked by a storm. The storm was not due to any weather pattern or a flood of the river, but of a rise in energy and passions for the calling of impeachment of the President.

This past Wednesday, shortly after ten I arrived into the cafeteria of the State House amongst a sea of citizens demanding that their leaders recommend impeachment.

I was there actually for some other matters; however I am in complete support of the efforts. I was amazed at the impressive showing. So many folks present there, all decorated with signs stating their names and where they were from. It was impossible to ignore the issue of the day. Organizers claimed about three hundred were in attendance and word spread around that it was the largest numbers to attend a session in the house. The house was rocking with emotions and folks from all corners of the state where there to make their point.

A call for democracy, return of order to the United States Constitution, ending the war in Iraq, and justice was the mission of the day. While the outcome of the vote fell short of its passage another chink in the Teflon of this presidency has been punctured. Speaker of the House Symington, a Democrat, reportedly had been refusing to allow a vote to be taken, but amongst pressure from the citizens she had no choice but to call a vote. A rumor mentioned to me that her refusal can be attributed to her friendship with Congressman Peter Welch. Congressman Welch has been appointed to powerful committees by Nancy Pelosi, US Speaker of the House and if Welch proceeds with Articles of impeachment that could affect his relationship within party leadership circles. Whatever the case, the vote failed; however  it is not the end of the matter, but just the beginning of another chapter.

I hope that this impressive grass roots movement grows. While I am at odds with the pragmatic approach displayed by the Democrats towards impeachment, there is still the reality that the Senate would not vote to convict the President and Vice-President. Those who are aware of the issue realize that our democracy has been willfully hijacked by criminals and that the issue is of grave importance. Yes, I want impeachment, but unfortunately there remains a percentage of the population that just doesn’t care or even gets it. However, failure to allow justice to be served on this administration sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents by justifying circumvention of our system of laws.

So while in the Senate, Senator Leahy continues with oversight hearings on Alberto Gonzales and domestic spying and Peter Welch is in the House is issuing subpoenas on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s role of deceitful manipulation in the case for war, another domino falls on the charade of the presidency. Each day another individual changes their mind and before we know it we will see him impeached. Movements don’t happen overnight and unlike our propagandist history books that tell us that magically overnight Congress decided to pass civil rights it takes work and time to convert a population. Each step forward, although it may look like it was futile is one step closer to goal. Debate just echoed the VT House chambers and soon those same words will be coming to Washington, D.C. I personally would like to thank my two Vermont Representatives Warren Kitzmiller and Jon Anderson for voting in favor of the resolution and the Vermont Senate for passing it last week, that is how democracy works.

Wednesday’s storm rocked the house, and with the rise of Thursday’s sun a sense of calmness was present. After witnessing the scene of just the day before, it seem as if the State House was a quiet oasis from the busy world, but legislators were diligently back to work and onto creating solutions for the problems of the day. While impeachment was just one issue of a day, there are many issues going on without your involvement. To those who rallied up for impeachment, while you see the necessity for accountability on the national front, your state houses are going on without you. Use the energy of impeachment to make change within..

Peace
Robb Kidd

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Howard Zinn, Author of “A People’s History of the United States”

cross posted on Evolving Peace
(http://evolvingworld…)

As I have written in my last post we as society need to give thanks and praise to our elected officials when they follow the path of consciousness and do the right thing. To those outside of Vermont, Friday April 20, 2007 the Vermont State Senate voted to recommend that President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney both deserve to be impeached. Contrary, to what the Vermont’s congressional delegation, Vermont’s Senate has determined that this Presidential administration has committed crimes and atrocities that are going to affect all of us for years to come and that politics whether it be within the halls of Congress or our small town halls all issues are deeply affected. All politics is local and until we as a society make amends with what has occurred at the national level, we as a democracy can not move forward.

It is a crime that we as a society have to debate for sources of funding for education and health care while there are unlimited resources for global wars based on lies. Once we stop the false needs for wars maybe just by chance we can have all the money for human needs and not just for the destruction of the planet. So when one governmental body makes a bold move and recommendations impeachment of a standing president we as a society should reflect on what has transpired.

I thank Senate President Pro-Tem Peter Shumlin for allowing this historic vote to move forward and foreshadowing the general mood of the population. We the people of Vermont have asked for it and we the people of Vermont have received it, the next step is now for the Vermont House of Representatives to pass the same legislation and while there meets resistance from speaker Gaye Symington, I remind the populace that the Vermont legislature represents us and if the speaker is so inclined to fail to respond to the people’s wishes we the population have the right to not support her.

At this present juncture in time I am inclined to support Senator Shumlin since he valiantly proved to act to the best of his ability and with that resolve I refuse to stand behind Speaker Symington. Speaker Symington is obstructing justice and to me that is just guilty as those who have perpetrated the crimes against our constitution. Speaker Symington, ignoring of the impeachment issue is inexcusable, for the people have asked for it. Impeachment is local and in case you have not noticed almost forty local towns overwhelming voted for impeachment. Let’s impeach and move forward towards seeking answers for education, health care and funding for renewable energy. America has been plagued by a cancer like administration and as any treatment prescribes eradication we must do the same within the government. First comes impeachment and then comes the healing.

So while the Vermont State Senate choose to act and the US Congress  and the Vermont House continues to dillydally in the process of impeachment the country’s safety and security rests in the hands of a man who has lied, tortured and is responsible for the deaths of countless individuals. I thank the Vermont Senate and I urge the rest of elected officials to follow their lead.  It is important that American begins to heal but until we fully analyze the inner valleys of our democracy and punish those who led us astray we will be stuck in a perpetual cycle of cronyism and opportunism. Those who have led the country astray must pay, and thank you Vermont State Senate for answering our pleas. 
Peace
Robb
Kidd

“Impeachment is not a remedy for private wrongs; it’s a method of removing someone whose continued presence in office would cause grave danger to the nation.” Counsel for President Bill Clinton

Crossposted on Evolving Peace(http://www.evolvingw…)

Throughout Vermont there has been a whole lot of hoopla regarding impeachment of the President. While almost forty towns passed resolutions urging our elected officials to act out and bring about articles of impeachment of the President, the criminals who have hijacked our democracy are allowed to continue their unabated destruction of the planet. Enough talk has been said about the President and Vice-President, and the rule of law and justice calls for action.

After six years of unchecked powers the Bush/Cheney cabal is on its final throes. Yes, Senator Leahy has been using the power of his chairmanship of the Senate Judicial Committee and rightfully demanding answers from the administration and yes, Congress has begun initiating legislation to end the war in Iraq; however that is no where’s near enough to answer for what has occurred in the last six years in Washington.

In today’s WashingtonPost.com, columnist Mary Ann Akers wrote that Congressman Dennis Kucinich is introducing Articles of Impeachment for Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Article at this link http://blog.washingt…

Congressman Kucinich also candidate for President has been written off by the “mainstream” media and has been a lone voice for justice in Congress demanding answers from this President and Vice-President well before it became politically savvy. Dennis Kucinich while some have written him off as being too “new-age,” has been a lone voice of progressive change in Congress, unlike the “Madison Avenue” marked up candidates juiced up on corporate money. At least, one of the Presidential candidates has the guts and resolves to act on their conscience. The true roots of the Democratic Party are in the grassroots and what we have been calling for is impeachment.

The Democratic Party has a choice, they can squelch the legitimate call for democracy by continuing to show the colors that have been painting a dismal hue on its losing banner the last decade or they can become the real voice for progressive change. There are those Democrats who hide under the cloak of elections and say that Americas will not vote for Democrats if they began impeachment proceedings. They fail to remember that the American public overwhelming voted for the Republicans who actively sought out impeachment for Bill Clinton’s frivolous moral crimes. Meanwhile, the Republicans not only regained their majorities in the House and Senate they also obtained the White House. The Democrats continually have shown an image of weakness and if they fail to operate in strong manner and draw up articles of impeachment they might as well hang up the towel in 2008.

America and the world have had enough of the Bush administration fatalistic handling of our nation’s affairs. This administration has fabricated evidence in their case for war, manipulated the judicial system as a weapon for political vendettas, tortured prisoners and illegal spied on innocent American citizens. Failure to support impeachment of the President and Vice-President is a failure to protect the Constitution. All conscious elected officials in the United States have the duty to do whatever is necessary for impeachment, whether it be in their state legislatures or the United States Congress; otherwise a dangerous precedent will be outlined for future presidential administrations. Impeach Bush and Cheney now.

Peace
Robb Kidd

“When people ask if the United States can afford to place on trial the president, if the system can stand impeachment, my answer is, “Can we stand anything else?”” George McGovern- US Senator and Presidential Candidate 1972

crossposted on Evolving Peace (http://evolvingworld…)

Dominating coverage of potential political candidates recently seems to be too focused on how much money each candidate has raised. While there are a whole plethora of candidates to choose from for the office of president it seems that the American media prefers the candidates who are able to obtain the most amount of money with little regards to policy or track record.

The other day, Hilary Clinton was hailed as the front runner since she raised 26 million; however just twenty million dollars of that money can be used for the primary, so that entitles Barrack Obama the leader, since he raised 23.5 million. I fear this trend of politics that candidates are decided based on their ability to raise money, since it leaves room for American democracy to be overly influenced by big money. Elected officials are supposed to answer to the will of the people, but with the introduction of money interests candidates who had obtained the support from Oil companies, Nuclear Industries or “High Tech” companies tend to favor legislation favorable to their donors. I ponder to question on where this money is coming from and how much influence is being peddled onto them.

As had been revealed recently in a New York Times article, the top 300,000 Americans earn 440 times the amount of the bottom 150 million America, so as a result the top 300,000 have an unfair advantage to dictate policy and control the political system as they fell fit. So while corporate America jockeys up their support and place their dollars on their political horse we Americans are left on the infield of the track looking on and hoping for maybe a candidate that supports the slightest interest to our plight.

I am doubtful that any of these major candidates truly represent the average American but as my pessimism rides on the national political spectrum, I am hopeful on changing what occurs around me locally. In individual towns, counties and states a lot more can be achieved, your voice is stronger to your locally elected officials and that is where the true roots of democracy are. We are made to believe that politics revolve around what goes on in Washington, while it tends to be the case revolving around issues such as the War in Iraq and taxation; however the daily policies of our lives are affected much more of what occurs locally.

So, while I read the disturbing stories of the money involved in national elections, I am weary about the corruptibility of the national system. The message portrayed on the national level is that if you have 50,000 dollars you can become appointed ambassador of Belgium if you donate money in attacking your candidate’s opponent. While the rich and powerful of the upper classed dictate the resolve of our national government, we the people have a voice within our local communities. In statehouses and town halls policies are being dictated without your involvement, if you want to make a difference act locally and speak your voice. The true voice of democracy comes from the people on the ground, not from the barrel of the President’s gun.

Peace
Robb Kidd

“The people of this country, not special interest big money, should be the source of all political power.” Paul Wellstone, deceased U.S. Senator Minnesota

Cross posted on EvolvingPeace (http://www.evolvingw…)

This last week the Vermont House or Representatives unanimously voted in favor to support the recommendations of the Agricultural committee’s bill entitled THE VIABILITY OF VERMONT AGRICULTURE (H.R.522). While many proposals float in and out of committee meetings that offer suggestions and highlight faults of current policies too often there is little action that is taken in finding real solutions to the problems of the day. Many bills and aid packages come to the legislative process that are mere band-aid solutions and never take a proactive approach to solving a situation; however this latest action by the Vermont Legislature goes beyond that and is a beginning step in protecting family farms and our rural landscape.

Including within the bill is a provision that allows small scale poultry producers to sell their poultry to local restaurants and directly to consumers at local farmers markets without going through the costly and restrictive inspection process. The provisions are only for small scale producers of less than a thousand birds per year. Restaurants and farmers will be required to label each sale as “non-inspected.” To refute critics of those that oppose the measure on the grounds of public health, many feel that locally produced meats are much safer than those that come from factory farms that genetically modify poultry or inject the poultry with untested antibiotics.

There are many amongst the population who are calling for a more locally based agriculture. This past summer American Flatbread in Waitsfield tried to use organically raised poultry from a farm across the street, but was shut down by Health Department regulations. George Schenk, the owner during his recent testimony to the House Agriculture declared that we as a society have turned our backs on our agrarian roots and that we are responsible for the failures of the family farm. While regulation after regulation have been put in place to check on the large scale factory farms of Purdue and Tyson the responsible and local based producers of our local rural economies have been straitjacketed into poverty.

We have seen rises of food and animal produced illness from the factory farm industry and the debate is beginning to take fold of the roots of the problem. The most important factor to returning food safety is to fortify and support a local based food system and that will require your support. Small farmers have been bankrupted by a system that was supposedly designed to check on the larger scale producers, but instead we the populace have been left to pay the price with inferior quality meats and the paving over our rural communities.

There are many issues to be addressed when it comes to agricultural policy and while there are those farmers that are left struggling by anachronistic regulations I am proud to say there are representatives proactively seeking solutions to the demise of family farms and rural communities. If you live in Vermont, I recommend you thank Agriculture Committee Chair Zuckerman (P), Vice-Chair Perry (D) and all the other members of the committee for being proactive in finding solutions to the crisis in local agriculture. If you are not from Vermont I suggest you recommend that your representatives follow Vermont’s lead and be proactive.

Peace
Robb Kidd

“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to it’s liberty and interests by the most lasting bands” Thomas Jefferson