USDA ordered to quit buying anti-Prop. 2 ads

[Auggie]

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 9-23-08

A federal judge accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of ignoring the law on government involvement in political campaigns Monday and ordered the agency not to spend any money collected from egg producers on ads against a state ballot measure that would ban cramped cages for hens and other farm animals.

A government lawyer described the ads as "neutral and educational" and said they were unrelated to the Nov. 4 initiative, Proposition 2. But U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of San Francisco was skeptical of that claim after hearing from a Humane Society lawyer that the government-backed ads featured a No on 2 spokesman with a message that dovetailed with the opposition campaign's theme.

"They seem to have ignored the statutory proscription," Patel said, referring to a law that bans spending federally regulated funds to influence government policy.

She ordered the USDA to extend through Nov. 4 an agreement it accepted last month to refrain from spending any money under its control on advertising aimed at California voters.

LINK: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/23/BA9K132SDK.DTL&hw=proposition+two&sn=001&sc=1000

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As if you needed another reason to vote yes on 2...

[AndyTiedye]

1. Should We Run Ads: "George Bush Wants You to Vote No on Prop 2"?

Given Bush's approval ratings in CA, that might help it pass.

[Bigleaf]

2. Too fucking much. What a shock? Bush and the USDA in cahoots with the factory farms.

Thanks for posting this.

[chatnoir]

3. Cannot believe these evil bastards!

The frickin USDA was buying anti-Prop 2 ads?? They are a gov agency, it is illegal for them to be involved in these things, yet were caught buying ads? WTF! Will they be punished somehow? :grr:

[Tumbulu]

4. these commodity groups have used the grower premiums for decades for political purposes

this is the first time I have heard them stopped. So it is a great day.

All farmers of a given commodity are mandated by federal law to give money to their commodity marketing organizations. All those "got milk?" type adds are paid for by these assessments. Only recently could organic growers get out from these assessments. It was finally allowed after lots of people spent perhaps 20 years demonstrating how these marketing organizations promoted chemically based farming methods and tried to discourage and or outlaw organic production. In some states organic agriculture was nearly outlawed many times. Now it is too big, but 10-15 years ago it was almost wiped out through these commodity groups.

[chatnoir]

5. Thank you for the education and informative post.

I learned more from your post than I have in a very long time on agribusiness. I've been buying organic for years but had no idea about these mandated commodity assessments and their use by commodity marketing organizations.

Thank god for organic growers and their perseverance.