Eat Up! Meat and the Free Market
Ah, the free market. Free and unfettered. Ya gotta love it.
When asked during his Congressional testimony if he would eat the meat from downed cattle processed by his meat packing company, Steve Mendell, President of the now defunct Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, replied that he would not.
Personally, he would not eat that meat. Got that? Good.
When asked if he would have kept that same meat - the meat he wouldn't eat himself - in the U.S. food supply IF the federal government had NOT forced his company to do a recall of it he replied "yes."
Let that sink in. He* would NOT eat the meat, but without that pesky, evil government regulation, he would have allowed you and your kids to eat that meat.
That is what you get with no regulation. Government does serve a purpose in the market. It should make industry behave in ways that keep it from harming the common good. Without it, industry will not regulate itself. It will forever put profit above people.
Anyone who likes to cite the canard that industry will regulate itself can take the video from that testimony and stuff it directly up their ass. One frame at a time.
*An exhaustive search of the internets could not find any evidence of Mr. Mendell's vegetarianism.
17 Erect Nipples:
The state of the American food supply terrifies me far more than the threat of actual terrorism.
And I think I'd certainly rather die at the hands of someone who believes in something than at the hands of someone who is simply out to make a buck.
This post nicely outlines why I am a Democrat.
Free market capitalism will ALWAYS put profit ahead of people.
I believe in regulation.
I quit eating meat a long time ago and I'm glad I did, unfortunately my husband and son eat meat and I have to cook it for them (although I only have meat in their meals twice a week now). Any industry that is in charge of distributing food to the public needs to be regulated. Hell, Bush and the rest of the Republicans love regulating everything else. We're told whether our kids could receive sex education, they regulate where our drugs come from (not Canada!), they only scream non regulation when it suits their corporate interests.
Go Vegan, it's better for you...and the cows.
For what it's worth, the meat industry is not really a free market since it is propped up by billions in government subsidies. So there is really no excuse not regulate more strongly.
Sir Robin said it perfectly. Awesome post.
Brilliant post! John makes a good point but this is the way it goes...it appears that the more the feds give 'em for subsidies, the less they hold them accountable for anything. It doesn't matter if it's a dem or a rep. Same old song and dance.
I think of eating meat in the same way I think about free market capitalism:
I'll partake of it, I suppose because I have to.
Unfortunate companies put their profit above everything including children.
I just stood and applauded you, P-tits.
I'm standing with Beth and applauding you, for this post and so much more.
I am so sick of the myths that continue to endure despite all evidence to the contrary:
-free market will regulate itself!
-abstinence-only sex ed works!
-republicans are fiscally conservative!
-peach ice cream tastes just as good as fresh peaces!
It's all bullshit. Thank you for highlighting this great example of myth #1 NOT being true.
Ugh. I love meat, but that picture of the cow makes me want to become a vegetarian, even if Mr. Mendell isn't (as far as we know). Great post.
I would not could not with a mouse
in house, with a louse... you get the picture.
What's good for us is not good enough for them. This whole meat recall makes me oh so happy I've given up corn fed beef. It's only grass fed/organic beef, if I eat red meat at all that is, for me for now on
when i saw the footage of the animal abuse i nearly puked
can we smash Grover NOrquist's face in the cow dung ---
but the fundies and bush-lovers are still SO scared about the turrists -- poisoned food and poisoned imports from China -- that is a mere bag of shells compared to iraq.
why are the inmates running the asylum
The reason big agri will sell bad food is that they know that when people get sick--years from now--it will be impossible to pinpoint who was responsible and, at worst, they will have to throw a few dollars into some class action pot and walk away. They should make those fuckers eat the tainted food they eat. In congress. While we watch.
Ick.
Great post, dcup.
Yes dcup, great post, as always.
You do have to give Mendell credit for his honesty in his testimony. I think I would've taken the fifth.
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