By Andrew Kuhn
On October
24th in Jefferson City, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced the
withdrawal of a proposed rule to modify the state's waiver under Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The proposed cuts would have eliminated 9%
of the states budget, leaving local food pantries to serve meals at $1.30 per
person.
"Ensuring
state-administered food assistance programs operate as effectively and
efficiently as possible is an important priority of my administration," Governor Nixon stated in a press release
"With greater certainty about what the federal funding level for the food
stamp program will be after last week's budget agreement, we have made a
determination that the appropriate course of action is to maintain the policy
that is currently in place."
These
cuts were proposed to adjust for the planed $40 billion in SNAP cuts over a 10
year period across the United States. Two Farm Bills worked through the House
of Representatives, H.R. 2642 was passed to the senate on a 216-208 vote and H.R. 1947 was
passed on a 36-10 vote. On June 10 the 2013 Farm Bill passed 66-27. Roy Blunt
(R-MO), voted in favor of the bill, while Claire McCaskill (D-MO) voted against
the bill.
Debbie
Stabenow, the author of this legislation states “Reforming agriculture programs
will save taxpayers billions of dollars while helping Michigan farmers,
ranchers and small businesses create jobs, because we worked across party lines
to streamline programs, we were able to save tax dollars while investing in
initiatives that help boost exports, help family farmers sell locally and spur
innovations in new bio-manufacturing and bio-energy industries."
Ironically, Stabenow was born, raised and educated in Michigan. These
innovations she refers to are loopholes for Monsanto. Section 735, dubbed The
Monsanto Protection Act is an anonymously introduced provision, not seen by all
Senators before voting, that gives the bio-tech giant immunity from federal
courts halting the sale or planting of genetically modified crops and prevents
activists from persuading courts to force US farmers to abandon and destroy
Genetically Modified Organism crops already stamped with the United States
Department of Agriculture's safety approval. What it does not include are any
requirements or regulations that GMO be labeled for consumers.
Center
for Food Safety has accused Senator Mikulski (D-MD), chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee of a “backroom
deal” with the biotech industry, who donated $372,000 to this committee alone
as reported by the Washington Times. In that same report it was noted Monsanto
has “donated” 7.5 million to the Capitol Hill revolving door since 2009.
“Only an
evil genius could have dreamed this up,” claims Scott Faber of the
Environmental Working Group.
Monsanto
gained infamy in the 70s for their patent product, Agent Orange, a bio-weapon
that has done irreparable damage to Vietnamese farms and citizens. Now their
patent GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” saturate 80% of processed
foods in the US today. These are plants or animals, genetically engineered with
DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. This genetic variance
is otherwise not possible in nature.
The
environmental impact of these crops, pesticides and herbicides on our soil and
water could persist for generations. “Despite bio-tech industry promises, none
of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought
tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit,” reports
nongmoproject.org
The sale of
these products have been banned or regulated in over 20 countries, including
five US states.
The Farm
Bill is one example of how the “Federal Government favors the big guy over the
little guy … an egregious example of cronyism,” said Senator Paul Ryan (R) of
Wisconsin, as quoted by Missouri Association for Social Welfare (MASW) in a
release written by Glenn Koenen Chair of MASWs Hunger Task Force.
Monsanto's
global headquarters is here in St Louis on Olive and Lindbergh, where several
participated in Marched Against Monsanto twice this year in step with some two
million worldwide.
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