Has President Biden

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

If the FDA cared about anybody they would start demanding lower sugar levels in food.

Daughter #2 has a co-worker who is from Germany and is going back to live there soon. She made the comment the other day that "American food is loaded with too much sugar", I believe it. The other day I picked up some BBQ and hushpuppies from a place that has been in business longer than I've been on the planet. Hushpuppies tasted just like they did when I was a kid, but I swear I tasted sugar in them. Damn they were good

A while back I was watching one of the news programs and they were interviewing a woman from France. The anchor asked her how she stayed so thin with all those sweets and pastries they make and she replied "We don't eat the whole thing!". They take a bite or 2 and save the rest for later.

First thing we need to do is get rid of ALL the lobbyists, next thing is reduce the amount of sugar.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

If the FDA cared about anybody they would start demanding lower sugar levels in food.

Might be useful if you would first go learn what the FDA does, how it works, what limits are placed on it, how it is controlled and influenced by Congress. Really not something the FDA actually can do; it really has pretty limited power. Consider its ability to regular tobacco products being subject to decades of legal challenges and political pressures. Consider also the push back on just getting labels on food so you can find out what's in the package.

And, real sugar has been used less and less actually compromising this country's sugar production; we import a lot of it now as opposed to exporting. Also, what we have been subjected to for decades has been artificial sugar (high fructose corn syrup stuff) and other sweeteners -- all of which we really should not be consuming for a host of reasons.

[robert.]

While fumbling through the internet . I found some things on HFCS. Several companies have been using above the legal limit. End result is a slap on the wrist. This year. The corn refiners assc. has spent a quarter of a million on lobbying. Maybe if. a group on concerned eaters spent 2 million on lobbying things would change. I tell people " If you want to change a law. Throw money at it" 160 million plus people voted Biden or Trump in 2020. If a tenth of that number gave a dollar. to removing HFCS. It would be gone tomorrow. Corn is one of the least efficient crops to produce when it comes to bushels/human consumption. At some point we will need to feed people not drive our cars on it.
https://www.wallstwatchdog.com/money-ca ... with-corn/
Toss more money at congress they'll change things. People like to donate to campaigns. They should really donate to a lobbying group.
Something things to read about lobbying
https://publicintegrity.org/politics/lo ... bying-faq/

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The corn refiners assc. has spent a quarter of a million on lobbying.

Petty cash; really; a quarter of a million is insignificant - ADM has spent a lot more than that for their franchise on making HFCS, and ethanol for decades. You're talking about changing a multi-billion $ product line operation.

[robert.]

I understand a 1/4 mill is nothing. for some reason they have tailed off in 2022. If every voter gave a dollar towards a cause. You would see HFCS removed from food in a month.( maybe a little longer) Plenty of other uses for refined corn. Plenty of other crops that can be grown in the heartland. If corn has not destroyed the ground.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I understand a 1/4 mill is nothing. for some reason they have tailed off in 2022. If every voter gave a dollar towards a cause. You would see HFCS removed from food in a month.

Doubt that very much; takes years to pull an existing product off the market and you'd have to show significant, consistent harm being caused by it as well. I'll refer you back to the decades of the battle with tobacco products and it's still available to buy. Obesity and all the health issues that tag along for the ride seems sadly all too acceptable to too many people.

Plenty of other uses for refined corn. Plenty of other crops that can be grown in the heartland. If corn has not destroyed the ground.

There's this stuff that some folks call "food" that it might be used for, You might think that wheat and oats might be a desirable crop if only for feed stock. Unfortunately, there's fear of over production driving prices and profits down. It's almost another broken area of our economy.

[HONDO74]

Got burping livestock? In New Zealand, you might be taxed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate- ... e-methane/

Kind of gives a new meaning to GAS TAX.

New Zealand has more sheep than people, by a factor of about five. Now those sheep and other livestock could be taxed for incessant belching — a major source of greenhouse gases for the Pacific island nation.

The government Wednesday announced a draft plan to charge farmers for their livestock emissions, in what would be the first effort of its kind. The plan is part of a larger emissions reduction initiative proposed by the Ministry of Environment, which includes plans for its energy, transportation, waste and job sectors beginning in 2025.

New Zealand, with about 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep, is a major agricultural exporter. Agriculture makes up half of New Zealand’s gross emissions, and putting a price on those emissions is one of the ways the country seeks to reach its 2050 net-zero target.

Revenue from the plan will be invested in research, development and advisory services for farmers, who will also receive incentives for reducing emissions through feed additives, Reuters reported.

Cows and sheep are ruminants, meaning they have special, complex digestive systems with multichambered stomachs to digest their food. But as their feed ferments within their bodies, they produce methane as a byproduct — that needs to be belched out.

The process has them releasing up to 500 liters of methane daily. The greenhouse gas is extremely effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere, more than 25 times more potent as carbon dioxide.

High-resolution satellites even detected methane emissions from a cattle lot in California — meaning cow burps were observed from space, according to the environmental data company GHGSat.

[robert.]

Time to harness cow farts. Old time farmers had underground cement tanks for manure. The would ferment the poop into gas. Pump it into light fixtures around their barn and light the place up. Several parts of PA. have banned this type of lighting. I'm not sure if the Amish still use it.

[HONDO74]

Time to harness cow farts. Old time farmers had underground cement tanks for manure. The would ferment the poop into gas. Pump it into light fixtures around their barn and light the place up. Several parts of PA. have banned this type of lighting. I'm not sure if the Amish still use it.

Quote
New Zealand is on a tear to go "green" as much as possible. Their country, their choice. The Prime Minister's latest idea is to tax all of the dairy farmers and those who raise beef cattle per head to discourage milk and hamburgers/steaks.

[robert.]

New Zealand exports 88 percent of their beef. It would show up as an extra import charge for China and The US.

[up148]

Quote
New Zealand is on a tear to go "green" as much as possible. Their country, their choice. The Prime Minister's latest idea is to tax all of the dairy farmers and those who raise beef cattle per head to discourage milk and hamburgers/steaks.

Sounds like they need a new PM and it sounds very short sighted and self-defeating. The taxes will mean higher milk and beef prices for the locals too. Way over the top IMHO.

NZ appears to be a very beautiful place from the nature shows I've seen and the LOR/Hobbit movies. Lots of things you can do to preserve that beauty locally...........greenhouse gases will be a worldwide event that your farting cows will have little affect on IMHO.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

New Zealand exports 88 percent of their beef.

And, this may not be all that significant to the people there.

Unlike the US where beef is what's for dinner, much of the rest of the world's dinner does not revolve around beef and is quite infrequent.

[gregj410]

Ever been to York? They’ll have to close that place down from all the crop dusting that happens there in 3 days.

[gregj410]

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Ever been to York? They’ll have to close that place down from all the crop dusting that happens there in 3 days.

No worries - any session of congress or your state legislature will eclipse York emissions by orders of magnitude....