What American Farmers Have in Common with Tunisian Fruit Vendors

On December 17, 2010 a Tunisian fruit vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire, sparking riots across his country and through the Middle East. The conditions that caused him to protest may seem like they are half a world away, but his struggles are not as alien to Americans as you might think. American farmers running small farms sometimes face the same kinds of tactics from the government that caused Bouazizi to feel that he had enough. Government confiscation, which can make it hard for a business person to earn a living, can affect both Tunisians and Americans alike.

Mohamed Bouazizi, Fruit Seller

Bouazizi was a fruit seller in the small town of Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia. He didn't have a permit to sell fruit; most vendors did not, because in that country, getting a permit is difficult and often involves paying bribes. On December 17, a city inspector confiscated his scale, because he didn't have the proper permit to run a vending business. Inspectors periodically would confiscate goods from street vendors like Bouazizi; when they did, they had to pay money to get their items back. This confiscation eats away at their profits and makes it hard to earn a living.

Sheep, Rabbits, and Raids

America is not immune to governmental raids that threaten a businessperson's livelihood. Small farms, in particular, are subject to these kinds of raids. In 2001, a sheep farmer named Linda Faillace had 125 sheep confiscated because they had been imported from Europe, and the government feared that they could have mad cow disease. Although it was eventually discovered that the sheep were completely healthy, Faillace had been devastated financially, and no longer farms. In another case that seems bizarre to many thinking human beings, a family was fined $90,643 for raising more than $500 in rabbits in a single year; although USDA inspectors did not find anything wrong with the way that they were raising their rabbits, the fact that they were unlicensed warranted the gigantic fine (although nobody informed this family that they needed to have a license to sell more than $500 in rabbits in a year). The family's total profit (before the fine) was about $200. There may eventually be an alternative resolution to the rabbit case. These two cases are not isolated incidents. Raids have been conducted on small farms all across the country, for committing crimes such as selling raw milk or other similar offenses.

Americans, Wake Up for Freedom

If Americans don't wake up soon, at some point the citizens of the United States may be no better off than the people of Tunisia. The government passes regulations for a reason; it might be afraid that rabbit farmers won't treat the rabbits well, or that people might get sick from sheep. We can't be protected from everything; at some point we have to do our own research and take our own steps to protect ourselves. If we keep allowing the government to take on this responsibility, more and more of our freedoms will pass away.

Sources:

Max, D.T. "The Next Mad Cow?" Chelsea Green Bookstore, 16 October 2006.

McCarty, Bob. "USDA Appears to be Caving on Rabbit Fines (Updated)". Bob McCarty Writes, 24 May 2011.

McCarty, Bob. "USDA Stands Behind Hare-Raising Fine (Update)". Bob McCarty Writes, 19 May 2011.

Von Rohr, Mathieu. "The Small Tunisian Town that Sparked the Arab Revolution". Spiegel Online International, 18 March 2011.

Whitehead, Catherine E. "Tunisia's Revolution and New Government Facing Economic Woes". Suite 101.com, 19 Jan 2011.