Morning Politocadoes!

I’m sure we’re all still chewing on the avalanche of news. Barr, quelle surprise, did in fact try to cover up the report, which is now being subpoenaed. Jared Kushner, Boy Adventurer and Lil Lady Ivanka were denied their security clearances only to be overridden by a political appointee. House Ways & Means is demanding Trump’s tax returns from the IRS directly. Also, Teresa May is glued to the PM seat now because everything must be awful everywhere, I guess. Let’s talk about something else.

Can I confess something? I like bacon. I like sausage. The fact that they come from the same animal is just amazing.

It’s okay if you can’t or don’t happen to partake, the fact is that pork products are very popular in the United States. Bacon in particular seems to be in a competition with cranberries to see how many products it can be unnecessarily forced into. One of the drawbacks of course is that we have to be careful when its cooked. But you know what’s kept the risks involved eating meat in general? Why, regulation and thoughtful thorough inspections of course!

So it should come as a shock to learn that the Trump Administration, as early as May, is giving more power to the Pork Industry over inspections. As much as 40% of the federal inspectors are being cut and will be replaced by plant employees. There are similar plans afoot for the Beef Industry. Good I say! Screw that Upton Sinclair and that busybody Teddy Roosevelt! Surely the industry will regulate itself to ensure the best product possible!

These inspectors are typically USDA trained veterinarians. They can identify diseased living hogs when they arrive at the plants. This is usually a good way of preventing outbreaks. Said one former inspector during a trial run of this new system in 2015. Hog carcasses would whiz by inspectors so quickly that checks for fecal contamination or Salmonella weren’t possible.

“I saw the alleged inspections that were performed by plant workers; they weren’t inspections. They were supposed to meet or exceed USDA standards — I never saw that happen.”

This comes on the heels of the heels of broader deregulation by the Trump Administration, including the FAA. The FAA, you may recall, about a year after the changes were put into effect, started to see a rise in the number of crashed airplanes due to critical lack of oversight and inspection.

Pork industry to gain power over inspections

Because when your motive is profit and then maybe more profit that is your first and only priority.

Soysages actually aren’t that bad, food for thought.

Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule is in effect because we’re better than him. Keep an eye out for any news items being posted too much. Alert a mod if these posts are getting too ‘Clammy’ and they’ll pin it to the top of the thread.