L E T T E R S

November 26, 2007

I just finished the Nov issue and read, "So long...for now?" Your presentation on Johanns was so nice I wondered if it was the same Johanns that tried to run USDA. Please consider the following points: 

1) Johanns was stacking enemies sky high and had to run for it.
2) Johanns worked to develop the most expensive welfare Farm Bill in history. His plan feeds more free meals to illegal alien government school children by double of any program in history. "Feed them and they will come."
3) He tried to make mandatory the NAIS program and over 80% of the livestock producers refused. The USDA gave more grants (bribes) to organizations, tribes and universities to "sell" the NAIS program than any bad government idea in history.
4) He blew away over $200,000,000 in USDA salaries, grants, and gifts to promote the poorly conceived NAIS program and it all failed. Before leaving, he ask for 20 million more.
5) He spent more time promoting international beef trade than any Ag Sec in history. He never understood that the USA is a net import meat country. The USA imports nearly 40% of the nation's consumed meat. Every ton of steak he worked to export was replaced by a ton of foreign imported beef to feed US consumers. Does that make good sense?
6) His USDA 600,000 union meat inspectors have totally failed. Under Johanns they enforce the 100% USDA meat inspection rule (that USDA made) on "every" large interstate meat procession company; every large meat recall was inspected and passed by USDA. Then after Topps has an E.coli problem with USDA stamped and inspected beef; who caused Topps to shut down----you guessed it---USDA! Every recent big E.coli problem was inspected, passed and stamped by USDA. For some strange reason the meat companies went navel-up, but every USDA Union Meat inspector still has their job! Under Johanns these huge businesses were destroyed and he covered for the real culprit (USDA) who failed to do valid professional inspections.
7) Under the false veil of disease location, Johanns promoted a 48 hour disease trace back with NAIS. To the opposite, disease prevention is not important to USDA. In fact by USDA data the dairy industry has annual loses of over $200,000,000 to a disease called paratuberculosis (johnes disease) which has caused more livestock financial loses than Foot & Mouth, Anthrax and BSE combined. USDA has a major disease located (johnes) and not one penny in the proposed Farm Bill is designated to develop an accurate test, or to vaccinate for it. Last year all funding previously designated for the johnes program was canceled. During his reign Johanns and USDA hunted disease with the same fervency a burglar hunts a cop.
8) As an employee of the President Johanns was a failure. Right when his Farm Bill was failing, the NAIS program was a retch, instead of "cowboying up" he throws in the towel. He doesn't have the class to give a month's notice, a week or an hour. He wrote the President a resignation letter, drops it in the mail box with no warning, and walked to the parking lot. A gutless departure consistent with a failed employee.
9) Will he come back to Washington? You bet he wants to, but with more tenure and better retirement pay. He likes the money and the power. He likes to pour water or gas on the fires of his choice and stand at a safe distance!
Bill Clinton taught us when the feds paint a picture, every tax payer should walk around behind the canvas and see what really props the easel up! Your Meatingplace readers deserve to see the other side of the painting.

Darol Dickinson 740-758-5050