The American Spectator : Corn vs. Coronary Bypass Surgery

The American Spectator : Corn vs. Coronary Bypass Surgery

It is argued here and there that President Obama is not a socialist. But with the incredible recess appointment last week of Dr. Ronald Werrbick to head the newly created American Center for All-American Food Excellence ("American CAFÉ"), the charge of socialism is becoming difficult to refute. Dr. Werrbick will direct an agency that oversees all food production and distribution in the United States. Even though the food industry may account for a slightly smaller portion of U.S. GDP than health care, it is arguably far more important....

The following are excerpts from speeches and articles by Dr. Werrbick over the last few years.

"I cannot believe that the individual food consumer can enforce through choice the proper configurations of a system as massive and complex as food. That is for leaders to do."

"You cap your food budget, and you make the political and economic choices you need to make to keep affordability within reach."

"Please don't put your faith in market forces. It's a popular idea: that Adam Smith's invisible hand would do a better job of designing food policy than leaders with plans can."

"Indeed, the Holy Grail of good food for all in the United States may remain out of reach unless, through rational collective action overriding some individual self-interest, we can reduce per capita costs."

"A progressive policy regime will control and rationalize financing -- control supply."

"The unaided human mind, and the acts of the individual, cannot assure excellence. Food production and distribution is a system, and its performance is a systemic property."

"Food is a common good. We need to move toward a single payer, speaking and buying for the common good."

"For-profit, entrepreneurial providers of fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products, for example, may find their business opportunities constrained."

"I would place a commitment to excellence -- standardization to the best known method -- above production and distribution autonomy as a rule for food."

"Food production and distribution has taken a century to learn how badly we need the best of Frederick Taylor [the father of scientific management]. If we can't standardize appropriate parts of our processes to absolute reliability, we cannot approach perfection."

Anyone hear of this recess appointment?