Go Free Yourself

As you may remember, I was just in Los Angeles for an excellent grant writing training program through the Grantsmanship Center. I had a great time, learned a lot, saw some sites, etc.

I did not, however, stumble upon the black market of bacon dogs. Unfortunately. That would have been really cool. (As a consolation, though, I am still nearly convinced I saw three members of the Hills cast in Beverly Hills.)

Anyway, the point is—because of stupid government nannying, bacon-wrapped hot dogs have been made taboo. This is from Reason.tv today:

Amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles, there exists another world, an underground world of illicit trade in—not drugs or sex—but bacon-wrapped hot dogs. Street vendors may sell you an illegal bacon dog, but hardly anyone will talk about it, for fear of being hassled, shut down or worse. Our camera caught it on tape. One minute bacon dogs are sold in plain view, the next minute cops have confiscated carts, and ordered the dogs dumped into the trash.

Elizabeth Palacios is one of the few vendors willing to speak publicly. “Doing bacon is illegal,” she explains. Problem is customers love bacon, and Palacios says she loses business if she doesn’t give them the bacon they demand. “Bacon is a potentially hazardous food,” says Terrence Powell of the LA County Health Department. Continue selling bacon dogs without county-approved equipment and you risk fines and jail time.

Palacios knows all about that. She spent 45 days in the slammer for selling bacon dogs, and with the lost time from work, fines, and attorney’s fees, she fears she might lose the house that bacon dogs helped buy. She must provide for her family, but remains trapped between government regulations and consumer demand. Customers don’t care about safety codes, says Palacios. “They just want the bacon.”

In “Food Fight: Battle of the Bacon Dogs,” reason.tv host Drew Carey takes a long look at the human cost of trying to prohibit trade in oh-so-tasty treats.

Check out the video here.

And next time you’re in LA, fight the system and look for the bacon dogs. We just want the bacon!

I haven’t been to Los Angeles since I was in fourth grade, but I remember the traffic being horrendous. The smog was also pretty disgusting. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gotten any better—in fact, according to California Assemblyman Mike Feuer, “the people of Los Angeles have just had it when it comes to traffic and air quality.”

Fine. I can understand that. But the solution is definitely not to pass a “global warming tax.”

However, that’s exactly what Feuer is proposing. He’s the author of bill 2558, legislation that would institute a “climate change mitigation and adaptation fee” already endorsed by the board of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This would mean drivers could end up paying an extra 9 cents per gallon at the gas pump or an additional $90 on their vehicle registration, either of which would add an additional $400 million a year for public transit projects.

Needless to say, not everyone is pleased by this scheme. The Los Angeles Times reports:

But opponents already are rallying against the measure, saying it exploits public concern about climate change to tap taxpayers for the MTA’s regular services: providing bus and rail lines.

“This seems to be a cashing in on public sympathies on global warming to generate additional funding for programs that already exist,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

Coupal also objected to the measure’s being called a “fee” — which requires a simple majority for approval — instead of a “tax,” which requires two-thirds approval.

Another opponent wrote a letter to the editor, which appeared in the Desert Dispatch on Monday:

Los Angeles County motorists should ask Mr. Feuer what global temperature would persuade him that a new tax is unneeded. Global warming, now conveniently rechristened “climate change,” is perfect for demagoguery. Those advancing the cause won’t explain how they will know we have won the global warming fight, let alone what the ideal temperature is supposed to be.

Climate has changed as long as the Earth has spun on its axis. It’s been considerably warmer in recent centuries than today, and during those periods humanity simply adapted, indeed, flourished with fewer cold-weather deaths and more abundant crops.

But facts don’t deter schemes like Mr. Feuer’s to raise $400 million in additional taxes to pay for already funded transit projects.

Read the rest of the LTE here, and the LA Times piece here. And in the meantime, let’s hope California voters reject this tax scheme.