The raisin court

I wrote about the National Raisin Reserve back in 2013 in a post cleverly titled I Heard it Through the Grapevine.  (Ouch, my arm hurts from patting myself on the back).  There's even a "Raisin Administrative Committee".

Did you know that the government regulates raisin production?  Did you know that you aren't allowed to produce "too many raisins"?

Yep, in a law dating back to the forties the government gets to decide how many raisins can be produced by American raisin farmers and they confiscate any raisins above that limit.   The raisins allegedly go into the "raisin reserve" although I have no idea what that means.  Are there giant silos filled with raisins somewhere in Kansas?

Anyway, one farmer claims that this is un-constitutional.  I can't see how he is wrong.

Now there is a SCOTUS case and they will be hearing arguments this week.

I hope that the Supreme Court will weigh in on the side of free markets here and just throw out this whole stupid law (which has been used to regulate a variety of crops other than raisins over the past seventy years or so), and in doing so strike a blow for free markets. 

Maybe then we can start discussing milk pricing and sugar subsidies.

I heard it through the grapevine

If you still think that government isn't out of control,

Since 1949 the National Raisin Reserve confiscates a part of each raisin grower's crop.  No, it's true.  They also have offices around the world including one in Singapore which I found with a quick Bing search.  Not sure how much of their "contributors" money they spend each year but they claim to be a non-profit devoted to promoting raisins.  Nice to have a non-profit that you are legally obligated to support.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/california-farmer-takes-on-the-national-raisin-reserve/2013/07/07/b2b529ac-e750-11e2-a301-ea5a8116d211_gallery.html#photo=1

The good news is that following Obama's announcement that government will become more efficient and "smarter", the Raisin Administrative Committee has now made their forms available on-line.  Now you can more efficiently assist the government is confiscating your crop.  And yes, the website IS raisins.org.  Since they don't appear to actually produce one single raisin, someone must have a sense of humor.