Makes Me Wonder

With The Pickle spending so much time in Iowa recently, I couldn't help but wonder why the press didn't press him on some issues.

Federal officials said they turned up a dangerous form of salmonella at a Cargill Inc. turkey plant last year, and then four times this year at stores selling the Cargill turkey, but didn't move for a recall until an outbreak killed one person and sickened 77 others.

In May 2010, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA will be issuing new performance standards designed to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry.

At the Fair, Vilsack bragged about spending cuts he's made in the Department of Agriculture, like streamlining cell phone contracts and e-mail processes.

Vilsack says it's saved millions. “Now we can make them and we can make this USDA more efficient, more effective, more customer focused more focused on our core competencies."

Yet, The U.S. Department of Agriculture is paying $112 million in tax money to farmers and ranchers in 11 Western states to restore the habitat of the Sage Grouse, a bird that has not been listed as either threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species law because the government says there are too many of them.

That sounds like a core incompetency and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Keep in Mind that Vilsack's Ag Department is spending money on a “cultural transformation” that includes a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Special Emphasis Program.

Finally, What about Food Stamps as economic stimulus?