Join all the grass roots organizations you can find that oppose NAIS...WRITE LETTERS to your representative and senators! WRITE LETTERS to Sec. of Ag Vilsak!

This is the most recent letter that I sent to the DEPT. of Agriculture:

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I am a member of the grass roots "Yahoo" group, Texas Citizens Against NAIS. I am following up on a call to action. NAIS is one of the WORST bureaucratic nightmares to come out of Washington in generations. The people who support this useless, tax dollar money pit are those who are uninformed non-livestock producing consumers and producers that have been mislead by the large agribusiness lobby (organizations like the National Cattleman's Association and the Farm Bureau that purport to support ALL producers but are, in fact, in the hip pocket of the Tysons and Monsantos of the world) and large agribusiness itself.

Those in the food producing livestock world ALREADY HAVE MEASURES IN PLACE to accomplish the so-called goal of NAIS. Why add another layer of bureaucracy to existing programs that will A.) NOT make the food supply any safer, B.) NOT have any impact on disease PREVENTION, or C.) NOT have any impact on disease outbreaks? What NAIS WILL do is drive small scale producers, supporters of sustainable agribusiness, hobbyists and CHILDREN IN 4H PROGRAMS out of the livestock loop. This doesn't even address those of us in the HORSE INDUSTRY, who have no desire to sell our "product" for HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

I am not aware of any grassroots movement OR organization/s SUPPORTING this legislation.

I am sending this (from the call to action) to let you know that:
 
  a.. We don't want -- and we will not comply with -- the National Animal Identification System.
  b.. We do not want H.R. 1105 out of Senate Committee.
  c.. We do not want H.R. 1105 passed by the Senate, either by itself or together with other bills.
  d.. NAIS is an assault on our food supply and our economy.
  e.. NAIS is an unconstitutional assault on our Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.
  f..  NAIS subjugates our production, selling, distribution, purchasing, and consumption of food to the whims of bureaucrats and agents of a government that is more interested in serving multi-national corporations and trade organizations than in upholding and defending the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
  g.. We want it stopped!  Stop it on Friday 27, 2009!

As a breeder of American Quarter Horses, I am ADAMANT about point "a." above. NAIS will do nothing to PREVENT disease or disease outbreaks. All this unnecessary program will do is line the pockets of database managers, software and technology vendors, CORPORATE AGRIBUSINESS, and NATIONAL BREED ASSOCIATIONS (like AQHA, that will benefit by providing database "services" to the USDA).

Before point "b."  or "c." happens (and neither, especially "c.", should NEVER happen), it is imperative that a COMPLETE COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS be done. Legal council for an independent, NON-PARTISAN, national anti-NAIS organization has submitted TWO FOIA requests asking for this information. TO DATE, BOTH REQUESTS HAVE BEEN IGNORED.

THIS IS NOT THE CHANGE I CAMPAIGNED AND VOTED FOR!!!
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
~ President Barack Obama

In this time of dire economic crisis, our government owes it to "we the people" to STOP programs like this that will further destroy the economy and break the backs of generations of small (primarily low and moderate income) farmers.  The ultimate cost of this program will fall on EVERY AMERICAN in the form of INCREASED FOOD PRICES at the grocery store. Agribusiness, large and small, will pass on the unnecessary cost of this program to consumers. Let's work "smarter, not harder" to do everything in our power to make food affordable for those with the greatest need. I demand that our tax dollars be spent on producing ECONOMIC STIMULUS, NOT CREATING MORE LAYERS AND LEVELS OF BUREAUCRACY.

Respectfully,

David Greer
- by David Greer