Gov't Screws It All Up--Again!
Few things in life are reliable; I mean really reliable; like you can almost stake your life on something taking place but one such reliability is that when the government becomes in involved in anything, it gets totally screwed up; costs way more money; and is usually corrupted and ends up pretty much worthless. In that vane, Fairfax County, Virginia has passed a new law making it illegal for any ministry, any church, and even any private individual from making meals, or anything edible in a kitchen that has not been approved by the county health officials.
In case you haven’t quite caught that, making a home cooked meal for a homeless person, or making cookies for a church or soup kitchen that distributes the food to the needy is now against the law.
Behind the legislation is the good intention of trying to protect the homeless from food poisoning. Okay, point taken. But in the words of Jim Brigl-- chief executive of Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services--"We're very aware that a number of homeless people eat out of dumpsters, and mom's pot roast has got to be healthier than that, but that doesn't meet the code."
According to code, food served to the public must be prepared in a kitchen that has been inspected and certified by the county Health Department. The standards for certification are not easily met and would put many ministries out of business so to speak. Under the code, anyone preparing such food—even a private person in their home—would require a “commercial-grade refrigerator, a three-compartment sink to wash, rinse and sanitize dishes and a separate hand-washing sink, among various other requirements.”
Understand there has not been any kind of outbreak of food borne illness. The new law could leave the 2000 homeless of the county starving. Ah, but when you’re a law maker, starvation, apparently, is a more healthy alternative than eating food which might possibly, perhaps, maybe, theoretically, someday, give someone a stomach ache.
In a typical and almost comical gesture, the county is waiving the $60 certification fee. Honestly, are these people from another planet? When someone becomes employed by a governmental agency at any level do they automatically submit to a radical brainectomy?
Someone slap me and tell me this has all been a bad dream!
In case you haven’t quite caught that, making a home cooked meal for a homeless person, or making cookies for a church or soup kitchen that distributes the food to the needy is now against the law.
Behind the legislation is the good intention of trying to protect the homeless from food poisoning. Okay, point taken. But in the words of Jim Brigl-- chief executive of Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services--"We're very aware that a number of homeless people eat out of dumpsters, and mom's pot roast has got to be healthier than that, but that doesn't meet the code."
According to code, food served to the public must be prepared in a kitchen that has been inspected and certified by the county Health Department. The standards for certification are not easily met and would put many ministries out of business so to speak. Under the code, anyone preparing such food—even a private person in their home—would require a “commercial-grade refrigerator, a three-compartment sink to wash, rinse and sanitize dishes and a separate hand-washing sink, among various other requirements.”
Understand there has not been any kind of outbreak of food borne illness. The new law could leave the 2000 homeless of the county starving. Ah, but when you’re a law maker, starvation, apparently, is a more healthy alternative than eating food which might possibly, perhaps, maybe, theoretically, someday, give someone a stomach ache.
In a typical and almost comical gesture, the county is waiving the $60 certification fee. Honestly, are these people from another planet? When someone becomes employed by a governmental agency at any level do they automatically submit to a radical brainectomy?
Someone slap me and tell me this has all been a bad dream!
posted by PB at 11:59 AM
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