Saturday, August 30, 2008

Government Blocks Mad Cow Testing

This is the kind of story that just shouldn't be, but in these days it doesn't even elicit a roll of the eyes.

Here's the AP version of the story:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration can prohibit meat packers from testing their animals for mad cow disease, a federal appeals court said Friday.

The dispute pits the Agriculture Department, which tests about 1 percent of cows for the potentially deadly disease, against a Kansas meat packer that wants to test all its animals.

Larger meat packers opposed such testing. If Creekstone Farms Premium Beef began advertising that its cows have all been tested, other companies fear they too will have to conduct the expensive tests.

So this little company in Arkansas wants to produce quality beef, they'd like to be able to tell their customers it's not going to kill them. They want to test their beef for disease and the federal government won't let them!

You tell me how this represents the conservative principles of small governments and a free marketplace.

In fact, if you were to believe in the power of the free market, you would see that a small company like this can have the positive effect of forcing quality up. That last paragraph says what will happen. If Creekstone offers guaranteed un-sick beef, then the big companies will have to test, too. Consumers benefit as the market stabilizes around a safer product. It sounds to me like it comes right out of the book. If a big company doesn't want to test, they can produce cheaper meat and pass the savings to the consumer -- you can save money by buying the cheaper beef, at the risk of catching a disease that turns your brain into a sponge, your choice.

This is as pure an example as you will find of the Bush administration putting citizens at risk in order to protect the interests of big business. This is not free enterprise, it is not small government, this is greed, pure and simple, dangerous greed.

18 Comments:

Blogger Queers United said...

another reason to go VEGAN
http://www.goveg.com/order.asp

August 30, 2008 10:49 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

But they were also against the 9/11 commission's investigation, and our PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE to the knowledge that all of our lives were in imminent danger, was to sit and page through a children’s book.

I think that foreign headline said it best after the second election: “How can so many people be so stupid?”

August 30, 2008 1:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, come on, Many-Named Anonymous, I wanted to hear your explanation of the wisdom of the Bush administration saying that meat producers can't test their animals for mad cow disease. Us lefties think it's a bad idea. Come on, man, tell us how stupid we are, explain to us why it's the government's place to tell a small business they can't guarantee the quality of their product and promote the health of their customers.

Different Anon

August 30, 2008 10:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very sad, DA.

Very sad.

August 30, 2008 11:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This decision by the Bush administration to prohibit Creekstone Farms Premium Beef from testing all its cows for mad cow disease is what's sad. Anon would, however, be happy to have the government require Creekstone Farms to enforce gender identity discrimination in their bathrooms.

That's pathetic!

August 31, 2008 9:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, I agree with Jim on this one. The sad thing is people like DA, always hoping for the worse.

As for Caun't Be that Stupid, who said:

"Anon would, however, be happy to have the government require Creekstone Farms to enforce gender identity discrimination in their bathrooms.

That's pathetic!"

She has, once again, pathetically tried to imply without any basis that CRG or myself wants to require discrimination because we don't want to outlaw it.

No one should forget that TTF wants the government to require something. CRG wants the government to stay out of interpersonal relations.

Let's consider CBTS's stmt again:

"Anon would, however, be happy to have the government require Creekstone Farms to enforce gender identity discrimination in their bathrooms."

This describes the liberal mindset perfectly. If we don't outlaw something, we must be requiring it.

This only makes sense it buy the proposition that our lives are defined by government action and that the government is the only vehicle we should use to define our lives.

23-08 is not about gay vs straight, it's about freedom vs big brother.

August 31, 2008 2:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sure, Sybil. You think it's "freedom" to be forced to sell untested meat and to discriminate against minorities. This American disagrees. You even think there's a Bill 23-08 that has something to do with discrimination.

I think the government should let meat processors protect us from tainted meat if they want to (in fact I think they should all do so routinely and consistently) and I think the government should protect minorities from discrimination too. I am sick and tired of Bush protecting his cronies while giving the rest of us the shaft.

It's time for the change we need.

August 31, 2008 4:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I am sick and tired of Bush protecting his cronies while giving the rest of us the shaft."

The metaphorical shaft is completely appropriate for moral degenerates like TTF supporters.

Again, if the government has forbidden testing by private companies, they're wrong.

Again, if you say CRG has supported laws segregating restrooms, you're a liar.

August 31, 2008 7:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Again, if you say CRG has supported laws segregating restrooms, you're a liar.

Sybil, not only are you a coward, but you are ignorant and dishonest. Here's a leader of the CRG making a comment right here on this blog. Read it this time and understand exactly what the CRG wants.

Do you think my insistence that we seperate lockers and showerrooms by biology makes me a rightwing loon

Theresa November 15, 2007 6:50 PM


Uh, who's the liar, Sybil??

August 31, 2008 9:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are, CBTS.

Theresa isn't proposing any governmental coercion forcing bathroom segregation by gender.

CRG wants the current situation maintained.

August 31, 2008 10:29 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Sybil says…

“No one should forget that TTF wants the government to require something. CRG wants the government to stay out of interpersonal relations.”

And here’s the translated version of that sentence:

No one should forget that TTF wants the government to require something. CRG wants the government to stay out of interpersonal relations, except when it comes to age, race, religion, color, sex, handicap, national origin, or marital status.

September 01, 2008 4:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bill 23-07 does maintain the current bathroom, showerroom, and lockerroom situation because it states This division does not apply to accommodations that are distinctly private or personal/ Bathrooms, showerrooms, and lockerrooms are "accommodations that are distinctly private or personal." If the bill was silent on private and personal accommodations, the HRC said it would interpret the bill to cover these areas, but Bill 23-07 is not silent on them, it specifically excludes private and personal accommodations. Any existing law covering private and personal accommodations like bathrooms, lockerrooms and showerrooms, is unchanged by Bill 23-07.

September 01, 2008 9:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"CRG wants the government to stay out of interpersonal relations, except when it comes to age, race, religion, color, sex, handicap, national origin, or marital status."

Looks like "emprobably stupid" didn't want "caun't bea that stupid" to be the only liar on the blog.

You've got competition, CBTS.

September 01, 2008 1:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You win, you beat us all, hands down, Sybil. Nobody lies on this blog except for you and your fellow Anonymouse shower nuts.

September 01, 2008 5:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You did, CTBS.

You said CRG favors laws requiring gender segregation of restrooms.

That's a lie.

September 01, 2008 11:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scuse me, Aunt Bea backed up her statement with a quote from the leader of the shower-nuts.

September 01, 2008 11:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry, she didn't.

September 02, 2008 10:03 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Sybil says…

Sybil: "No one should forget that TTF wants the government to require something. CRG wants the government to stay out of interpersonal relations."

(And now, the translated version of that sentence):

Emproph: "CRG wants the government to stay out of interpersonal relations, except when it comes to age, race, religion, color, sex, handicap, national origin, or marital status."

Sybil: Looks like "emprobably stupid" didn't want "caun't bea that stupid" to be the only liar on the blog.”

----------------
None of which addresses the hypocrisy.

September 03, 2008 12:35 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home