Farewell to food luxuries

The Bush legacy continues and that's not a good thing. Although, this country bid GW adieu in January and welcomed Prez Obama with open arms, we are still feeling the repurcussions of his ridiculous decisions.

I'm not talking about the change in date of daylight savings (which still nerves me to no end), the sinking housing market or crashing stock prices. No, I'm talking about a the ludicrous tarriff being imposed on luxury food items from Europe.

Here's my understanding of the situation.

Some time ago, the health-consciously minded EU decided they didn't want to make available life-threatening hormone-induced US beef to their countrymen and began refusing US beef into their borders. Gasp - how dare they take the health of their people so seriously!

So, as is customary with good ol' Americans like GWB, the only way to rectify a problem is through retaliation. It would be unfathomable for the schmuck to consider why the EU made their decision and then wonder if they were on to something - that being that the meat he's hookering out on the retail market is actually a lethal weapon that will slowly, yet effectively, kill humans.

Instead, GWB decides to hit everyone in the wallet - both European farmers and food producers and American foodies who delight in their products. Starting on March 22, luxury foods like cheeses, truffles and meat products like foie gras (a product that should be made illegal, anyhow) will now receive a 300% tarrif.

So, a Roquefort that would have costed retailers $7.90/pound will now be $31.60/pound, which means retail prices will soar. With such high prices, especially in such uncertain times, the likelihood these foods will be available for much longer is slim to none.

As if things weren't gloomy enough - let's deny them bread! Several high-end food stores are stocking up before the tax takes effect, so get out there while the getting's good!