Last I mentioned food freedom I was head over heels that there was a pathway to removing state and federal food bureaucracy. It’s time for an update.
My first tactic was to petition the legislature or petition for a ballot measure. By getting a certain number of signatures we could force the issue to the floor of the legislature and if no action was taken, we could put the issue on the ballot to be voted on. Direct democracy. Places like California and Colorado, the citizens have a right to this. Wisconsin citizens do not. Disappointing but okay.
I decided to shrink my view to my own little village and township. Our state constitution mentions a home rule provision. Home rule is the notion that each governmental body, no matter how small, has the right to regulate/deregulate all things within its jurisdiction. Nope! Wrong again! Wisconsin has what’s known as limited home rule. Meaning the villages and cities can pass local ordinances and rules, but they can only be MORE restrictive than the state, not less. (Insert eye roll) What a gut punch that realization was.
My last option is to convince representatives from across the state to either amend the state constitution to allow full home rule rights, or to roll back a bunch of the current regulations on the sale of food products. Both options are monumental undertakings with a minute chance of success. Many would ask, then why bother? Two reasons. First, for measures of circumvention to be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the masses and authorities we must exhaust all other pathways forward first. Second, who knows, we might get lucky.
I hope wherever you are, one of these avenues for change are available to you. Leading a charge like this is a lonesome uphill battle. With time, tenacity and perseverance you will attract like-minded folk to your cause. While we navigate the trenches of food politics, we still need to secure the supply of food for our communities. To do that we need something that lies outside the jurisdiction of federal and state agencies and authorities. That something is a Private Members Association. Stay tuned for more on this fantastic topic.
Gaia's Sanctorum 