Well, it only took three votes in the House of Representatives and two votes in the Senate, plus a little back and forth over basic constitutionality, but the landmark Food Safety and Modernization Act is now poised to become law, pending President Obama’s signature today. Below are snips from articles that will only hint at the truth of this PoS legislation.

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH CONTROL AND GROWING THE GOVERNMENT!

The measure is expected to cost $1.4 billion over the next four years, including the expense of hiring 2,000 new FDA inspectors.

Domestically both large and small food producers will need to keep better records [backyard gardens] and the FDA will aim to eventually carry out inspections every three years on facilities

With time running out, the House quickly passed the Senate’s version of the bill, and then the Senate, to the surprise of many legislative observers, managed to motivate itself to pass the bill again this weekend. It went back to the House on Tuesday, where it passed again 215–144, and it now goes to the President’s desk.

The bill isn’t perfect — it covers only the 80% or so of the nation’s food system covered by the FDA. [see Just the FIRST step]the bill gives the FDA sweeping new authority and responsibility to improve its policing of the country’s food system, it offers no way to pay for the added coverage.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the legislation would cost an additional $600 million [this number is wrong, it is 1.4 BILLION!]

73 lawmakers had already left Washington, DC, when the House voted today on this bad legislation

The House bill, which began life as the “Cash for Clunkers Temporary Vehicle Trade-in Program” (very fitting given this basket case of a “food safety” bill), had been on the Senate’s legislative calendar since June of 2009. Tuesday morning, the House voted on the Rules Committee’s “closed rule,” meaning that no amendments are allowed. It then went to the House floor, and after less than an hour of debate, the bill passed, 215 to 144.

the new legislation will expand the reach of the federal government without making food safer.

The bill includes an exemption for small farmers and food processors, and those who sell directly to the public at farmers markets and farm stands. That exemption was pushed by advocates for local food, who argued that small producers would not be able to afford the testing and record-keeping required by the legislation. [SEE JUST THE FIRST STEP, EVERYONE WILL BE SUBJCT TO THE WHIM OF THE FDA] drew objections from major agricultural producers, which argued that no one should be exempt.

the bill would give the FDA access to internal records at farms and food-production facilities.