Is there a constitutional right to food? Mainers to decide

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by submarinepainter, Oct 23, 2021.

  1. submarinepainter

    submarinepainter Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Is there a constitutional right to food? Mainers to decide (msn.com)
    From the link. He says it's a common-sense amendment that would make sure the government can't stop people from doing things like saving and exchanging seeds, as long as they don't violate public or property rights.




    I think there is a constitutional right to grow food . But not a right to food, don't come steal mine but if you are hungry I will pack you a lunch!

    I am sad that the Dems are against it? this is sad as charging people for rainwater. I grow a small amount in 5 gal. buckets as I rent . Some times I grow in my window in the winter , i think we can and will continue , I know plenty of people who have Chickens and Pigs , no have died
     
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  2. Chrizton

    Chrizton Well-Known Member

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    I support it within reason. As far as veg, grow anything you want. As for livestock, I wouldn't want my neighbors to fence in their little yard and turn the whole thing into as nasty pig pen.
     
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  3. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It appears the law as worded would theoretically allow that very thing. So it probably won't pass. But I fully support it being reworded to protect against such things so it does pass. The corporatization of food will eventually lead to the monopolization of food. Just like how many can't grow marijuana in their garden, the corps will come up with some excuse to lobby to ban growing potatoes or raising chickens without an unobtainable permit to further entrench their monopolization of essential goods. We can already see this beginning with the fairly common ban on drinking unpasteurized milk based on the argument 'we can't let people risk getting sick.' Its not so much of a stretch to imagine that logic being extended to home gardening.

    As a somewhat aside, I live in a small town surrounded by farmland. One edge of our town butts directly up against a cow pasture, and cows can frequently be heard mooing from most anywhere in town. Afaict, no one cares. Its certainly no more of a nuisance than when then the nearby Army base practices their artillery drills. The freeway makes far more noise than either of those.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
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  4. 61falcon

    61falcon Well-Known Member

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    The way that question in the post title is worded makes it sound like we have an obligation to feed anyone that claims they are starving???
     
  5. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Not really. It didn't ask 'is there a constitutional right to be provided food?'
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
  6. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    I would say there can't be any right to any commodity. Somebody must use labor at some point to produce cultivate are provide all commodities.

    A commodity represents labor. There can never be a right to somebody else's labor. We fought the bloodiest war in our history over that.
     
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  7. Cybred

    Cybred Well-Known Member

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    If there's no right to food, then the right to life is useless.
     
  8. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    On a more philosophical note, rights are negative in nature. Meaning you don't have a right to things it's more of a freedom from things.

    The right to free speech for example is the freedom from prosecution for things you say against the government.

    Once rights guarantee something to a person rather than freedom from something there will be a caste system there must be. There has to be a sub population to supply their superiors. That reality is exactly why the Constitution was created and the Republic there in.
     
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  9. wgabrie

    wgabrie Well-Known Member Donor

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    Many crops today are GMO products that are the owned intellectual property of large corporations. Farmers that use them are not allowed to save the seeds for the future nor trade them to other farmers to use. If the Maine voters approve this measure, it will be immediately challenged in the courts by the big GMO corporations, and it will be a big fight between the rights of people vs. corporations.
     
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  10. Shinebox

    Shinebox Well-Known Member

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    went to look at a small ranch in Gilbert, AZ this morning ... while we do love our townhouse, it has a very small backyard and my wife wants a place where she can have a big garden, chickens and goats ... not to mention that people from Cali, Oregon and Washington are invading Scottsdale and I can now sell my place for almost twice what I paid for it ... we had some acreage up in northeast Arizona that we were developing but it was too desolate for my wife ... 45 minutes to the nearest town ... sold that at a slight loss ...

    just want to raise some food, brew my own beer, make goat cheese, maybe some beehives ... teach my grandsons how to kill and dress chickens and other wild fowl ...

    Arizona and Maricopa county are not very intrusive on property rights ...
     
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  11. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    Water?
     
  12. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    sounds like this bill is to stop corps from copyrighting the seeds in the food they sell, if you sell the food, that includes the seeds in the food

    you can't copyright DNA, can you imagine if they modified your child's DNA and they made it a crime for them to have kids cause the DNA was copyrighted, same thing
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
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  13. Shinebox

    Shinebox Well-Known Member

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    well water but hooked up to city sewer ... not sure about rain barrels but we don't get much rain anyway ...
     
  14. Shinebox

    Shinebox Well-Known Member

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    probably GMO seeds anyway ...
     
  15. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    I was just wondering. A garden can take a lot of water and goats need pasture. We catch all the rainwater we can store. But having a place out in the country is nice. And goats are....well...a pain in the backside.
     
  16. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You have the right to live, but you don't have the right to make someone else keep you alive.

    In the same way, you have the right to provide yourself with food. You don't have the right of someone else to give you food.

    The bill in the OP is regarding protections for people to grow/raise their own food at their own home, presumably in response to some ordinance or HOA or something that is preventing or threatens to prevent them from doing so.
     
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  17. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    actually you can copyright DNA if its DNA that you created (modified). Thats the basis for how monsanto has been able to sue people who grow their seeds (even accidentally and unknowingly) without having purchased them.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2021
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  18. Chrizton

    Chrizton Well-Known Member

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    More or less where I am. I have a horse farm at the end of my neighborhood, golf courses on either side of that and just a lot of country beyond that that used to be tobacco fields back in the day. I wouldn't care about backyard chickens/ducks/pheasants as long as they were caged for their protection from cats and dogs. beyond that, it would just depend on how big their land was and what they wanted to do with it. I strongly support urban agriculture and practice it myself to the extent I can on my few acres as time allows. I am trying to do more permaculture so I don't need to do an endless amount of crop tending. One of the things that can make it difficult for some are weed ordinances or bans on front yard gardening as that is where some lots have all their space/sun.

    Anyway, I suspect the exchange of seeds things from the article is really an end run around seed/plant patents, which is another thing that annoys the crap out of me. I can legally grow marijuana for my own consumption but it is just not something I am into smoking and therefore not really interested in the hassles of growing it either.
     
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  19. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    This is an incredible idea, it would make me reconsider Maine as a place to move to.

    Abolish all zoning and building requirements immediately and without replacement.
     
  20. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I don't think such an amendment would even be needed in a Conservative-Libertarian state.
    It would go without saying that you have the right to give seeds to your neighbor and grow food on your own land.

    Apparently that basic idea a lot of people would just take for granted doesn't exist in some places.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2021
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  21. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    Pardon my ignorance, but if you OWN your property, no one can stop you growing whatever you want on it. As long as it's not a huge tree which will cast too much shade on your neighbour or something .. legally you can grow whatever you want. IE the example pictured:

    [​IMG]

    Meantime, what kind of absolute sh!thead weirdo neighbours would not think this is fantastic? I can't even begin to fathom someone not liking it.
     
  22. Moonglow

    Moonglow Well-Known Member

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    You don't have any rights you just have a few privileges.
     
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  23. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    People have a right to work to put food on their own table as well.

    No one is owed anything except to be left alone.
     
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  24. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    If you have a right to food somebody else produced you have a right to free labor meaning somebody else is a slave.

    The right to life is a negative right. That means you have the right not to be killed. Sustaining your own life is your responsibility nobody else's.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2021
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  25. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    but you should not be able to is the point

    apple seeds in your apple should never be a crime to plant and grow, or any other plant

    it's no different from fixing a babies dna, then charging the child for any kids he has in the future, or his grandkids, ect cause he is passing down that copyrighted dna
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2021
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