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Irked by Christmas tree promotion program

Editor, Index-Tribune:

     

  The following article appeared in the Drudge Report today, Nov. 11:

  “In the Federal Register of Nov. 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing, David R. Shipman, announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the board is to run a ‘program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expand existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)).

  “And the program of ‘information’ is to include efforts to ‘enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States’ (7 CFR 1214.10).

  “To pay for the new federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52). And, of course, the Christmas tree sellers are free to pass along the 15-cent federal fee to consumers who buy their Christmas trees.”

  I find this outrageous. Why should our government be involved in promoting the Christmas tree industry? Why on earth would we set up yet another government agency, to promote, of all things, Christmas trees?

  It appears this is just another way to waste our taxpayer dollars.

  Janice Lehne

  Sonoma