Latest Posts
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Everything You Need to Know About the Milk Cliff
Ugh, why are we talking about dairy products instead of the "fiscal cliff?"
Because the fiscal cliff is bullshit. The panic surrounding it has been concocted by media outlets that like countdown clocks a lot more than they like explaining policy. If Congress fails to extend the current tax rates and spending levels before midnight tonight, they can always amend the tax code in January, which means your taxes will go up for two weeks. We will all find a way to get by. Meanwhile, there's a chance you won't be able to afford a milkshake in January, so let's talk about what matters.
Tags: Agriculture, Fiscal Cliff, Food, Tom Vilsack -
What Should We Call the Milk Cliff?
Unless Congress reauthorizes the current milk price support program that expires on December 31st, a 1949 dairy price support law will go into effect, sharply raising prices for consumers while guaranteeing a financial windfall for dairy interests.Much like the fiscal cliff, keeping the old law on the books was meant to goad Congress into passing a new farm bill, but if congressional incompetence remains more powerful than the dairy trigger, prices could rise to $6 or $8 per gallon. You can call it the milk cliff, or see what else the Internet hive-mind has come up with:
1. The Dairy Cliff
2. Udder Disaster (h/t Todd Zwillich)
Tags: Agriculture, Food, Twitter -
13 Things Americans Banned in 2012
We live in the land of the free, which means we're free to ban just about anything we don't like. In 2012 Americans dropped the ban hammer on public nuisances from goose livers to "gateway sexual activity."
Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, California, Colorado, Fashion, Food, Health, Health Care, Los Angeles, Massachusetts, New York City, San Francisco, Sex, Television, Utah -
11 Reasons Why America Will Never Be #2
A new study released by the National Intelligence Council claims that the United States–currently the world's #1 economic superpower–will fall to second place sometime before 2030, and that China will take the top spot.
National Intelligence Council? More like National Dumb-igence Council. China may have a growing middle class, but the United States has plenty of reasons why it will always be #1, in everything.
Here are 11 of them:
Tags: Alcohol, China, Christmas, Chuck Grassley, Food, Music, South Dakota, Television, War on Christmas -
Slate Is Wrong About Grapefruit
Popular Internet web-log Slate is known for its politics reporter/youthful dreamboat Dave Weigel, and for adhering to a strict editorial policy of being contrarian about absolutely everything. This is a website that once ran a piece entitled "Creed Is Good," for god's sake.But today, Slate, today you have gone too far.
Katy Waldman writes, under the headline "Grapefruit Is Disgusting":
Grapefruit is unwieldy, disgusting, and in some cases dangerous to eat. It is indisputably the worst fruit anyone has ever put on a plate. [...] It belongs in the trashcan.
So please, if you were even remotely thinking about shipping a box of grapefruit to someone you love for the holidays, kindly desist.
This is wrong. And it when the mainstream media gets it wrong, either about WMDs or grapefruits, it is our duty as citizens to tell the truth.
Tags: Food, Slate
