Dean Calls for Gov't. Aid to Beef Industry

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean on Friday assailed the Bush administration for failing to set up a livestock tracking system he said could have averted the current mad cow scare and said he supports federal aid to help the American beef industry weather the storm.
snip>

The former governor, whose state has a large dairy cow population, said the Bush administration failed to aggressively set up a tracking system that would allow the government to quickly track the origins of the sick cow, quarantine other animals it came in contact with and assure the marketplace the rest of the meat supply is safe.

"What we need in this country is instant traceability," he said.

Dean said such a system should have been set up quickly after the mad cow scare that devastated the British beef industry in the mid- to late-1990s. The Bush administration was still devising its plan when the sick cow was slaughtered Dec. 9, and on Friday the government still hadn't determine the infected animal's origins.

"This just shows the complete lack of foresight by the Bush administration once again," Dean said. "This is something that easily could be predicted and was predicted."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-dean-interview,0,6490853.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[candy331]

1. Dean is our man

If anyone can do it Dean can!

[Cha]

2. bush not only doesn't have "foresight"

..the bushco are constantly scrambling to cover up their massive lie structure. How much longer can they survive?

[mouse7]

3. "The Bush administration was still devising its plan"

Gawd... three years in and Bush claims he was still working on a plan.

I think continiuing to devise plans and do nothing WAS the Dumbya plan.

[JNelson6563]

4. Seeing as he's a doctor

he knows well the danger of lax rules etc. in this industry.

Julie

[Cocoa]

5. one candidate I think will disagree...

I don't expect Kucinich to agree with this view. He hasn't made a statement on it yet, we'll see if it comes up at the next debate.

[JI7]

9. because he is vegan ?

?

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. We need all the candidates to talk about this

no doubt about it

[Dems Will Win]

7. Dean Machine Instant and Brilliant Response

And it's all Howard I think.

[jamesinca]

8. We need to send them aid

Quit the PR stunts of politicians eating beef and put the animals down. Compensate the farmers for their loss and put an end to the embargos on U.S. beef products. It will save a lot of money in the long run and save a few lives. It is not a crisis or epidemic yet, but keep denying its existance and it will turn into one.

Dr. Dean is right on this one.

[Blue Gardener]

10. The beef industry got themselves into this mess

Let them get themselves out. Why do I have to pay because of bad farm practices? The factory farms want profit over the safety of the consumers, too bad if the profit disintegrates.

[dodgerartful]

11. I agree, let the beef

industry get themselves out of it.

[bicentennial_baby]

13. Agreed

The beef industry can well afford to improve their operations, which includes following the regulations that would prevent this shit in the first place.

[Nay]

12. The beef industry lobbies, howls, and fights against any rules

that would cut into even a penny of profit, and we're supposed to bail them out?? Bullshit.

I say the govt ought to start supporting the beef industry that DOES NOT use unsafe and disgusting practices -- that would be the local organic beef industry. Many, many small farms would love to produce clean beef, if only they got the boost that the industry farms get.