03/22/07 Postage Rate Increase & Seal Pups

Postage Rate Increase & Seal Pups. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The U.S. Postal Service is about to up the price of postage. Beginning May 14th, the price of a first class stamp will go from 39 cents to 41 cents. They have also authorized a "Forever Stamp" which will sell at the new 41-cent First-Class Mail one-ounce letter rate. The value on these stamps will always be the one-ounce letter rate and can be used for any future one-ounce letter mailing without extra postage. While first class rates are going up, other rates will be dropping. Spring is the time of new life and that includes new seal pups that have begun appearing on the beaches in Oregon and Washington. Biologists are warning people to leave them alone. Oregon State University marine mammal biologist Jim Rice is urging the public to restrain from trying to "rescue" them. RICE: It's a matter of welfare to the animals more than anything else. The pups will not do well by being interrupted by having people come onto the beach and interrupting the process of having the pups rest and potentially interrupting the nursing by the mother, it will endanger the animals' life. Once an animal is harassed it is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. There are days when I just can't stomach the direction our nation is headed. The mantras of tolerance coupled with apathy is crippling our country. Tell me how many more terrorists will be educated, (alongside our children) at our universities under the guise of political correctness? And how much longer can Americans sell out the sanctity of their food source, US farms before our security jeopardized. In 1992, 8 percent of the food imported into the US was inspected by the FDA. Today the US receives 25,000 shipments from more than 100 countries each day yet we are lucky if 1 percent is inspected. Meaning our families are left venerable to a terrorist attack through our food source and sitting ducks for increased cases of food born illnesses since the majority of the imported food comes from countries with questionable water quality, hygiene and pesticide use. The FDA simply can't keep up with the pace of imports. So while we might save a buck on South American veggies in reality we are investing in the subtle destruction of our country, and it breaks my heart that the masses remain oblivious. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.