A very important article A Nation In Debt: How we killed thrift, enthroned loan sharks and undermined American prosperity, by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead at http://www.the-american-interest.com/ai2/article.cfm?Id=458&MId=20.
Today, I read an article in the New York Times, and watched the accompanying video, about sick cows made to stand and/or walk so they could be slaughtered, and then eaten.
About a year ago, I lowered my conventional beef intake to once a week. Now, I have decided that I will only eat naturally-raised beef once a week. I don’t want to be a vegetarian, and I don’t care for fish (even if I did, we hear so much about over-fishing that I wonder if that’s a viable option), so I will continue to eat meat. Beef is (was) the only conventional meat I eat. No more.
The image of the cow just waiting to die reminded me (literally) of the look on Timone (my deceased Italian Greyhound, my poopsie) when he was extremely ill. At that point, we knew we had no alternative than to put him down. How sad (that’s an understatement) that people could see that cow and not be moved.
What is with the USDA that they could allow this? Honestly, we’re talking about food that millions of people, including children, eat! Do they eat this stuff? Do they feed it to their children? I am appalled enough about the notion of not labeling genetically modified foods or even meat that may be from cloned animals*, but to allow us to each sick animals is horrendous. At least they closed down this plant. I wish we could close down the USDA! Well, maybe not, but at least get it to do the job it’s supposed to do.
*To the best of my knowledge, cloned meat is not (yet) used for human consumption. I don’t know if I’d want to eat cloned meat, but sure as hell know I’d want to make that choice myself!
I didn’t think it was possible. I’ve been a registered Republican since I was 18. Of course, I haven’t considered myself a Republican in several years, but I didn’t think I’d be a Democrat!
Below are the candidates ranked by how much I agree with their stances.
 |
Bill Richardson Score: 50 Video |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Line-Item Veto Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Energy |
 |
John Edwards Score: 44 Video |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Line-Item Veto |
 |
Hillary Clinton Score: 44 |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Line-Item Veto |
 |
Barack Obama Score: 44 Video |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Line-Item Veto |
 |
Joe Biden Score: 44 |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Line-Item Veto Energy Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Social Security |
 |
Chris Dodd Score: 43 Video |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Line-Item Veto Death Penalty |
 |
Dennis Kucinich Score: 43 |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Line-Item Veto Death Penalty |
 |
Mike Gravel Score: 42 |
Agree Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Marriage |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Line-Item Veto Energy Death Penalty |
 |
Mitt Romney Score: 23 |
Agree Stem-Cell Research Abortion Line-Item Veto Energy Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Health Care Social Security Marriage |
 |
Rudy Giuliani Score: 23 |
Agree Stem-Cell Research Abortion Energy Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Health Care Social Security Line-Item Veto |
 |
John McCain Score: 15 |
Agree Line-Item Veto Marriage Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy |
 |
Sam Brownback Score: 15 |
Agree Iraq Line-Item Veto Energy |
Disagree Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Marriage Death Penalty |
 |
Tom Tancredo Score: 14 |
Agree Immigration Line-Item Veto |
Disagree Iraq Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage Death Penalty |
 |
Ron Paul Score: 14 |
Agree Social Security Marriage |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Line-Item Veto Energy Death Penalty |
 |
Jim Gilmore Score: 9 |
Agree Abortion Energy Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Social Security Line-Item Veto Marriage |
 |
Duncan Hunter Score: 9 |
Agree Line-Item Veto Energy Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Marriage |
 |
Mike Huckabee Score: 8 Video |
Agree Line-Item Veto Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage |
 |
Fred Thompson Score: 8 |
Agree Line-Item Veto Death Penalty |
Disagree Iraq Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage |
Take the quiz yourself at http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=25946 (thanks to Marlene for providing the link).
My brother Greg will be so proud.