Dems accuse Bush of drug double-standard (Yes to beef / No to medicine)

[truthpusher]

http://www.newsobserver.com/24hour/politics/story/2183384p-10282710c.html

Published: Feb 26, 2005
Modified: Feb 26, 2005 11:12 AM

Dems accuse Bush of drug double-standard

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The Bush administration cites public safety in trying to block admission of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, but has agreed to expand imports of Canadian beef and cattle despite cases of mad cow disease, Montana's Democratic governor complained Saturday.

"President Bush was recently here in Montana and we had just one question for him," Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in his party's weekly radio address. "Why allow bad beef to enter the U.S. from Canada and not allow safe medicine?"

complete story: http://www.newsobserver.com/24hour/politics/story/2183384p-10282710c.html

[msongs]

1. yawn.........Bush has a double standard on everything.. I heard that

radio commentary by the gov of Montana this morning. made lots of sense. now lets see if the Dems as a whole will start acting like an opposition party and OPPOSE things eh?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[shawcomm]

2. If it's good for corporations, it's a go

if it's good for the American citizen, they can go fuck themselves.

[trogdor]

3. What's good for Big Biz is good for America.

Didn't you know that? Get with the program. /sarcasm off

[Benhurst]

4. The Bush White House is very much into beef. NT

[SomewhereOutThere424]

5. I actually find that ironic

One of bush's loyalties intertwined with the american ranchers (mostly texan minded). He'd gutted a lot of environmental bills which would solely benefit them. I wonder why he's allowing beef imports from canada now which will infringe on said ranchers/beef industry? Or is this somehow benefiting the american ranchers and beef industry too and I'm missing it?

Maybe he's trying to suck up to canada after he realized they're not going to suck up to him as much as he'd like.

[snippy]

9. Bush is doing the bidding of the large corporate beef processors on this.

The processors use the threat of lower prices on imported beef to screw the US ranchers. This is an important issue in several western states and is creating some buyer's remorse in some Bush voters.

[Mockingbird]

6. Is Canadian Beef tainted?

Well, I am not up on what measures Canada has in place to ensure the meat supply these days.

I am equally concerned about the haphazard testing & state of denial in the U.S. Maybe more so. Its like "our beef, right or wrong." U.S. tests almost not at all. Only "downers" - cattle that can't walk to slaughter, while Japan tests all beef.

If we don't look - there's no danger of finding any.

The 60 minutes report for Sept 11, 2001 was going to be on Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.

But to your point, yes - its an odd inequity & requires an intense scrutiny.

Maybe it gives a place to place blame if there is tainted meat in the U.S., or else its a bargaining chip. Tough not to immediately expect ulterior motives that have a payoff for this bunch & be a detriment to everyone else. Their track record for levels of honesty is so stellar.

Maybe that's where the proposal to test all kids for mental health irregularities comes from. Questions about the food supply.
This adminsitration doesn't care about average citizen safety, only who greases what palm & how much. (On the face of it, screening kids might be good, but to what use would it be put given the health care system?)

How's that for stringing odd bits together?

[Kagemusha]

7. The beef thing isn't what really annoys me.

It's that the admin, and hell, Law & Order did this too, pushing this idea that if it was tested in Canada, IT ISN'T SAFE. Not because the Canadian source may be skirting Canadian laws. But because Canadian drug testing is incompetent and not up to the level of a first world nation... which is an incredibly outrageous accusation with not one iota of proof behind it.

And the argument the FDA is so much better that only the FDA can be trusted makes me downright sick.

[Danmel]

8. I'd trust Canadian inspection more

It doesn't appear that Health Canada is in bed with the big Pharma companies to anywhere near the degree the FDA is.

We were in Canada this summer: we didn't see droves of Canadians dropping dead from bad meds.

[depakid]

10. Two new mad cow cases were discovered THE DAY AFTER

Bush announced the policy. THE FREAKIN' DAY AFTER!

And as usual, the sycophants in the MSM remained silent. Of course, BSE is (and probably has been for over a decade) endemic in the US- so our beef supply is obviously already tainted, and a lot of unabashed beef eaters WILL be getting sick in the coming years. How many is anyone's guess.

[AnnInLa]

11. Gov Schweitzer

is good at pointing out the hypocracy of bushco...when he was running for Senate, he would join busses of seniors heading up to Canada for their meds, and encourage them to observe and write down all the trucks entering the US from Canada hauling timber, cows, other "safe" Canadian items....apparently, it's just the drugs that are suspect.

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. We need to get WAAAAAY better at framing this issues for the citizens

The blivet** administration has a huge head start on framing propaganda to make the monstrous things they do sound like they are patriotic and good for the "common man." We as progressives need to rethink and reframe these vital issues in language that makes the truth shine clear. The benefit to the people of opposing the cartel's policies is clear to anyone that studies what is actually done, but the WORDS that are spun out through the corporate media make black sound like white, up sound like down, criminal negligence sound like patriotic care.

We MUST fight back in reframed language. The truth is clear to us, we must make it clear to the people.