Bankocracy

Rahmaland Cigarette Tax Increases by $1 a Pack

"Taxes on cigarettes sold in Cook County, Illinois which includes Chicago, are going up by one dollar a pack. The price of a pack of cigarettes could be near $11 in Chicago, $6.67 of which is city, county and state taxes. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says the tax, which takes effect Friday, is expected to generate more than $25 million annually. The people of Cook County will soon learn what a black market looks like. Preckwinkle seems to already know it's coming. She says the county Revenue Department will hire more staff to help stop tobacco smuggling and tax evasion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRahmaland Cigarette Tax Increases by $1 a Pack

U.S. launches new major anti-smoking campaign

"US health officials launched a hard-hitting offensive aimed at slashing the numbers of smokers across the country following the success of a similar campaign last year. The new campaign encourages smokers to kick the habit with a series of adverts spotlighting the wrenching personal stories of individuals battling smoking-related illnesses or diseases. The number of calls to health services doubled to around 200,000 during the 2013 campaign, which cost $54 million and lasted 12 weeks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. launches new major anti-smoking campaign

EPA Forces Man to Spend $200K to Expand Lake, Then Doesn’t Grant Permit To Do It

"Shortly after Mr. Lathrop built his lake, the Army Corps of Engineers determined that the dump he had put the lake on was a 'wetland' according to the Clean Water Act and referred him to the EPA for prosecution. When Mr. Lathrop met with the EPA to talk about his lake, they determined that he must expand a lake on an adjacent farm. In order to do so Mr. Lathrop had to apply for a permit from the Corp. That cost him another $200,000 and, despite the Corp lifting their order against him, he has still never received the permit. It's been 15 years. This decades-long fight has cost Mr. Lathrop $300,000. It has left him and his family on the brink of bankruptcy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEPA Forces Man to Spend $200K to Expand Lake, Then Doesn’t Grant Permit To Do It

To protect restaurants, D.C. may curb food trucks

"Should D.C.'s food laws try to protect consumers and public safety? Or should they try to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants from competition? D.C.'s restaurant lobbyists, along with many local politicians and bureaucrats, seem to thi nk the government's job is to save the delis and diners, bistros and brasseries from the scourge of falafel trucks, barbecue buses and weenie wagons. Most of downtown D.C., according to the Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington, would be off-limits to food trucks under new regulations proposed by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTo protect restaurants, D.C. may curb food trucks

Major supermarket chains promise not to sell genetically engineered salmon in the U.S.

"The US Food and Drug Administration is in the final stages of deciding whether to allow GM salmon onto the market. If approved, AquaBounty Technology’s salmon would be the first genetically engineered animal to enter the food supply. The GM salmon is the first in some 30 other species of transgendered fish under development, including tilapia. Researchers are also working to bring GM cows, chickens and pigs to market. However, those plans could be blocked by Wednesday’s commitment from national grocery chains, such as Trader Joe’s, Aldi and Whole Foods, as well as regional retailers, not to sell genetically engineered seafood." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMajor supermarket chains promise not to sell genetically engineered salmon in the U.S.

Frankenfish and Other Stupid Industrial Food Tricks

"Genetically engineered salmon is one step closer to your unsuspecting plate. First came the farm-raised fish lacking the health benefits of wild-caught fish, and now food culture is taking one more step toward lunacy by creating genetically modified animals in the form of Frankenfish. The FDA will likely approve this untested experiment for human beings for consumption as food, thanks to a biotech company called AquaBounty Technologies. The company created this so-called food product via a new gene construct that combines Chinook salmon growth with a regulator gene from an eel-like fish called an ocean pout." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrankenfish and Other Stupid Industrial Food Tricks

Milk Machine Aims to Hook Kids on Chemical Sweeteners

"As a solution to sagging milk sales, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) are petitioning the FDA to 'amend the standard identity of milk' and other dairy products. Dairy special interests want to be able to add high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and other chemicals to milk while bypassing the requirement that the products be labeled 'artificially sweetened.' The attempt is to pass this off as a health benefit for children because the chemical sweeteners are not considered to be sugar." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilk Machine Aims to Hook Kids on Chemical Sweeteners

A bitter lesson from ‘the best and the brightest’

"The Boston School Committee announced last week that it will finally end almost 40 years of forced busing — long after the policy effectively wrecked local schools. In May 1974, Boston residents voted 15 to 1 against busing schoolchildren to achieve racial integration. A month later, U.S. District Judge Arthur Garrity ignored the popular vote and made himself czar of Boston schools. Even though there are only 13 percent white students remaining in local schools, almost two-thirds of students last year were bused away from their neighborhoods. Students were dragged out of bed before 6:05 a.m. for the glory of a long-dead judge’s vision." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA bitter lesson from ‘the best and the brightest’

Florida bar forced to stop flying Irish flag after bureaucrats decide only American flag is allowed

"A popular Irish bar in Florida has been banned from flying the Irish flag just days before St Patrick's Day. The owners of Culhane's Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach, northeast Florida, have been told they are no longer allowed to fly the flag because of a local rule banning the commercial display of non-U.S. flags despite displaying it for eight years. The four sisters who own the bar said they would apply for a temporary permit to at least fly the green, white and orange flag on St. Patrick's Day but are shocked by the ruling." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida bar forced to stop flying Irish flag after bureaucrats decide only American flag is allowed