A frozen food caucus? A frozen food caucus? Oh come on. Really?
Well, apparently, yes, there is indeed a frozen food caucus now in the Congress. It’s brand-new. Representatives Cal Dooley and Butch Otter are the co-chairs. The American Frozen Food Institute is the driving force behind the caucus, and it notes that co-chairs Dooley and Otter have a “vested interest” in frozen food. You see, each congressman has a couple of frozen food processing facilities in his district. So you just know this is a burning issue for them.
Anyway, why not? For good or for ill, Congress gets involved in virtually every aspect of our lives these days. Few congressmen any longer judge legislation according to wide political principles that can be applied to, say, the food industry as a whole rather than just the frozen food industry. Or industry as a whole rather than just the food industry. Or economic life as a whole rather than just this industry or that industry.
It’s a chilling thought. Public policy these days is all about special rules and special regulations and special tax breaks and special subsidies, unique to you and your industry or sub-sector of the industry. It’s all about who you know and what you can give them in return for what they give you. You couldn’t have a Life-Liberty-and-the-Pursuit-of-Happiness Caucus. There aren’t any bills pending about that.
The Frozen Food Institute has lobbied Congress on everything from trade barriers to frozen onion standards. For them, a frozen food caucus makes sense. I just hope frozen corn and frozen Salisbury steak will be treated fairly.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.