Historical Hanging Terraces

In looking again at S. 385, there's a hanging terrace there. (Hanging terrace is, if memory serves, a geologist's term for a terrace formed during the Ice Age along the shore of a lake, when the level of the lake lowered because more ice melted, it left it hanging there, a geologic marker of a past historical event). In this case, the terrace is the name of the Senate Committee--it's a remnant of two issues: the shuffling of the Forestry Service between USDA and Interior back in TR's day and the origin of FDA in USDA before it became independent then into HHS. Regardless of the bureaucratic reorganizations, the committee jealously retained jurisdiction. The same power politics goes on today, with the Department of Homeland Security and its committees, much to the disgust of the 9-11 commission.

"S. 385

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to restore integrity to and strengthen payment limitation rules for commodity payments and benefits.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 15, 2005

Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. HAGEL, and Mr. JOHNSON) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry"