Subject Many and Varied – 05/12/2022

We Don’t Understand:

I don’t understand why there is a shortage of baby formula – Well I did a little research and here is what a simple person like me can determine. First, the bacteria. After the recent deaths of at least two infants from a rare infection, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Abbott, a major producer of infant formula, and discovered traces of the pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii in a Michigan plant. As a result, the FDA recalled several brands of formula, and parents were advised to not buy or use some formula tied to the plant. Second, the pandemic has snarled all sorts of supply chains, but I can’t think of a market it’s yanked around more than infant formula. “During the spring of 2020, formula sales rocketed upwards as people stockpiled formula just like they stockpiled toilet paper,” Lyman Stone, the director of research at the consulting firm Demographic Intelligence, told me. Then, as “families worked through their stockpiles, sales fell a lot. This oscillation made planning for production extremely difficult. It was complicated to get an idea of the actual market size.” Meanwhile, Stone’s research has found that an uptick in births in early 2022 has corresponded with a “very dramatic decline in rates of breastfeeding” among new mothers, which pushed up demand for formula once again. Third, Finally, the third factor: America’s regulatory and trade policy. And while that might not sound as interesting to most people as bacteria and viruses, it might be the most important part of the story. FDA regulation of formula is so stringent that most of the stuff that comes out of Europe is illegal to buy here due to technicalities like labeling requirements. Nevertheless, one study found that many European formulas meet the FDA nutritional guidelines—and, in some ways, might even be better than American formula, because the European Union bans certain sugars, such as corn syrup, and requires formulas to have a higher share of lactose. Some parents who don’t care about the FDA’s imprimatur try to circumvent regulations by ordering formula from Europe through third-party vendors. But U.S. customs agents have been known to seize shipments at the border. U.S. policy also restricts the importation of formula that does meet FDA requirements. At high volumes, the tax on formula imports can exceed 17 percent. And under President Donald Trump, the U.S. entered into a new North American trade agreement that actively discourages formula imports from our largest trading partner, Canada. America’s formula policy warps the industry in one more way. The Department of Agriculture has a special group called WIC—short for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—that provides a variety of services to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their young children. It is also the largest purchaser of infant formula in the United States, awarding contracts to a small number of approved formula companies.  As a result, the U.S. baby formula industry is minuscule, by design. A 2011 analysis by USDA reported that three companies accounted for practically all U.S. formula sales: Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Gerber. And finally, the Biden administration sent tons and tons of baby formula to the boarders and third world countries. My point to this long winded overview of the baby formula, is once again BIDENDOES NOT PUT AMERICA FIRST, AND NEVER WILL.

We Don’t Understand The Dramatic Rise In Fuel Costs – Biden said yesterday IT IS NOT HIS FAULT that the cost of fuel is so high. Like he said, ‘come on’ it is Russia’s fault, and the war in Ukraine. And IT IS NOT HIS FAULT the price at the grocery store is sky high, and in some areas shelves are bare for certain items. And he even went so far as to say ‘What did the MAGA group do, nothing, they let people wait in line for boxes of food’. WHAT THE HELL, he is so loosing it OMG. Once again NOTHING IS HIS FAULT.

I don’t Understand The Lack Of Response From Republican Leaders – I am lost on this one. I can’t understand why the Republican Party leadership is not out in front of every camera or mic they can be, and calling Biden out on this crap. If this were Trump, every Democrat out there would be in front of a camera telling everyone what a horrible President he is. I wish the Republican leadership would put the Democrats / Socialists on the defensive for a change, and make them respond to their BS. I realize that the legacy media will not give Republicans 10 seconds, and if they do, they will do a one hour special on how wrong they were.

You know, when you think about it, when someone walks into a store, if you are left, right, or questioning which you are, the money is still the same. I go to Aldi’s, and those who to to Whole Foods, should be pissed at the Biden administration. I wonder if the Republican’s started calling BIDEN and his house of joker’s out, and then give solutions to how to MAKE AMERICA FIRST, you might even win over some of those Democrats that are tired of paying for more and getting less.

We will see what next week brings, hopefully Republican leadership starts throwing it back at the BIDEN administration.

We are Blessed with today, and tomorrow is a new day.