Food,  Government,  Health,  Meat

We’re in the best of hands….

….a friend opined the other day that I was going a little far in my rants about Big Government.  He conceded the abuses but he said he’d rather have the safety of federal inspections than the alternative.  Turns out he…and we…have neither.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2530619#.UaTHlkWFi0w.twitter

Not to belabor the point:  know your farmer and know his processor.  Yes, all our meat is USDA-inspected but what really counts is the Thistle Hill label.  Incidentally, we don’t ship our meat but if you contact us we’ll put you in touch with a reputable supplier near you.

We also have been impressed with the meat offered on the internet by US Wellness.

3 Comments

  • Edward Taylor

    Okay, I’ll ‘fess up- it is likely the case that I’m the (guilty) guy in question that David is alluding to.

    If I’m not the guy then I’m still guilty: I agree with that guy or gal.

    I’m certain the Examiner got the story details right. Jobs are not being done and the folks with the responsibility to do the jobs must be held accountable.

    But a key point is that we heard of the problem. There is a policing mechanism – the IG- and that office did its job. Hearing of the problem is not a given in many countries (and, yes, there are other countries where public health protections are better.)

    What entity and mechanisms will replace federal inspection regimes that is more robust and less susceptible to political or commercial pressure?

    I do completely agree with David that, at the end of the day, a consumer who pays attention is best protected (and likelier to be more healthy.) And I’m all for knowing and frequenting your local farmer- for many good reasons.

    • David

      I may be a retired hack, but I still protect my sources. I do not recall whether this reader is the one in question. And as they say at the very top of government nowadays: I only know what I read in the papers.

      However, I will say I’m not convinced that this story proves “the system works”. No one has been closed down, the threat of food-poisoning is no less. No one has been fired, fined or jailed. It is still business as usual. The crap is still being pumped out into the marketplace. And all this will still be going on five years from now when again someone gets bored and decides to look.

      The only inspection system that will work is one that truly and completely severs any relationship between the regulators and regulate-eees. And then enforcement must include jail time on both sides. Federal inspectors must be jailed and fined….hard!

      Then, we must stop the revolving door that puts the foxes in charge of the chicken coop….and permits the chickens to get promoted to foxes. A good start would be to throw Monsanto out of the White House!

  • mike ortwein

    In the area of the country were I do construction work, all electrical inspections are done UL, which is funded by the insurance industry to make sure homes do not burn down. They work with the local building departments but just do the electrical inspections–they are a private agency.

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