Voter Guide: Proposition 37 - Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food

[Barry]

This is the biggie this time around. I haven't seen any polling but I sure hope we win this one! This is the reason to make sure you and everybody you know Votes! Every vote will count!

From the Pacific Sun:

YES - If someone put something into your groceries that you didn't ask for—wouldn't you want to know about it? Backers of Prop. 37 are betting you do with the California Right to Know Act, which would require that genetically engineered foods sold in California would have to be specifically labeled as being genetically engineered. GMOs, for the uninitiated, are genetically engineered organisms—foods, such as corn or soybeans, whose genes have been fiddled with in a lab in order to make the plants bigger, stronger, or grow faster. An oft-cited example is infusing genes from a flounder into a tomato seed to increase the tomato's frost tolerance. Pesticide/weed-killer manufacturing giant Monsanto is the corporate bogeyman in the eyes of the anti-GMO crowd (and for good reason)—it and others that profit from GMOs argue that it would create another government bureaucracy (well, someone would have to monitor the labels, right?) and increase family grocery bills by hundreds of dollars per year (by that they mean those families who switch to organic produce to avoid GMOs) all over something that hasn't been shown to be harmful. Whether studies have shown GMOs to be harmful is a matter of debate—long-term, unbiased studies on GMO effects are largely nonexistent. It's too young a technology. But what shouldn't be debated is the idea that consumers have a right to detailed information about what's in the food they're eating. Fifty countries already require GMO labeling—or have banned them altogether (in Europe they're known as "Frankenstein foods.") Heck, maybe GMOs are completely safe and all that concern over eating a tomato-flounder was all for nothing! Perhaps, but we're pretty sure red dye No. 5 looked pretty good for a while, too. At least Prop. 37 gives consumers the choice of whether to put their trust in Monsanto, or not.

CA Democratic Party: YES

CA Green Party: YES YES YES on 37! If its true that we are what we eat, then there are few things more basic than our right to know what's in our food.

There's been plenty posted about this on WaccoBB already, including some people who are opposed because they think it doesn't go far enough. IMO, this is a classic case the good being the enemy of the perfect. If there were a polling option to say, "No - because it is not strong enough", I'd support your vote against (though I'd still vote in favor), but that's not how it works. The message you will be sending will be indistinguishable from the Monsanto crowd. I assure you, if this doesn't pass, a future stronger measure will go down by even larger margins! This is our chance!

Keep in mind that laws need to be crafted so they pass! If a perfect law doesn't pass it hasn't accomplished anything! On a national scale, when 50% of the country is voting Republican, there is only so far to the left the Democrats can move and have a prayer of winning.

Please, Please, Please, put your reservations aside and vote 'YES ON 37' and support a future proposition to strengthen it. Let's get this much accomplished Now!

I'd like the discussion on this thread to be focused on the question of whether or not to support 37 on the basis of whether it is strong enough and what is the best action to take if you don't think it is strong enough.