One of the most important elections being held on November 6 doesn’t even have a Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, or other partisan on the ballot!
Yet, this contest in California will likely have a huge impact on national policy and on grassroots efforts to rein in the arrogance of corporate power that’s running roughshod over too many Americans. That’s why those powerful interests are going all out to win in California, bulldozing as much as $50 million into this one election – more than they’re putting into some of the big-money battles for U.S. Senate seats.
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What’s the name of this popular, populist candidate who’s spooking CEOs of national corporations right out of their Guccis? Mr. Right-to-Know.
He’s on the November ballot as Proposition 37, a citizens initiative to require food conglomerates to label products containing genetically-manipulated organisms. These GMOs, developed in the engineering labs of such biotech giants as Monsanto and DuPont, have had their DNA unnaturally altered and quietly slipped into hundreds of processed foods without even telling us consumers about the adulteration. Also, adequate scientific studies have not been conducted on the long-term impacts that these manufactured organisms will have on human health, our environment, and small farmers.
So, a broad coalition of these “people’s interests” came up with Prop 37 – not to ban GMOs, but simply to say that We The People have a right to know if the food and biotech profiteers have put these highly-questionable organisms in the products we put on our families’ dinner tables. The people’s proposal is a straightforward, easy way to empower every consumer in the marketplace – and the corporate powers HATE that.
For updates on Mr. Right-to-Know’s California campaign, go to www.caRightToKnow.org.
“Food-Labeling Push Puts Popular Organic Brands At Odds With Their Own Owners,” The New York Times, September 14, 2012.
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