Now Obama's Killing Christmas

Yep. He's really stepped over the line now, taxing Christmas trees. Not to worry, FOX News is all over this one like white on rice. Except, as usual, they miss the point and get twisted up in the details. Can you imagine? In these trying times, that's some nerve, adding a 15 cent tax per live tree to support an Ag Dept program to promote live trees at Christmas. From the Federal Register:

The initial assessment rate will be $0.15 per Christmas tree domestically produced or imported into the United States and could be increased up to $0.20 per Christmas tree. The purpose of the program will be to strengthen the position of fresh cut Christmas trees in the marketplace and maintain and expand markets for Christmas trees within the United States.

Except that the GROWERS want it. See, there are people who grow, cut, transport and sell trees every Christmas season. They're seasonal, but they are JOBS. They need help because I guess too many people are buying cheap fake Made in China trees....And oh, by the way, this has been in the works since 2008, BEFORE Obama was president.

Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers, reports more honestly.

By taxing themselves, growers will raise $2 million a year for ads promoting the merits of real, live trees. Or, at least, trees that once were living, as opposed to the artificial kind that have seized an increasing share of the holiday market.

"As demographics and buying habits have changed we have watched the market for real trees shrink drastically, requiring us to spend much more time and money on promotion," said Don Cameron, past president of the California Christmas Tree Association.

Kind of like "Pork, the other white meat" or "Milk, it does a body good", or "Where's the Beef?"

Where's the Beef, indeed.