Who's screwed? People who eat. Last week - House Republicans passed the Agriculture Appropriations bill that cuts $87 million from the FDA and $35 million from the USDA food inspection program. Republicans Congressman Jack Kingston defended the legislation saying, "Do we believe that McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken...aren't concerned about food safety? The food supply in America is very safe because the private sector self-polices."
If the private sector does "self-police" then I wonder what Congressman Kingston thinks about the four people who were killed by an e. coli outbreak in Washington state last week. Not to mention last year's salmonella outbreak in eggs and spinach. One out of every six Americans gets sick from food contamination every year - and 3,000 people a year eventually die from a foodborne illness here in America. Not exactly high marks for an industry that Republicans argue can police itself.
So we can add food safety to the list of things Republicans would cut before raising a nickel of taxes on billionaires in America.
-Thom
(Do you think this will create jobs as food tasters for the rich and powerful? Tell us here.)
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