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Mad Cow & a brief timetable of corruption
Ever wonder what more than $3 million in campaign contributions since 2000 can buy from the Republican Party? Well, now you don't have to wonder - you can see it on display right here, as the meat processing industry has once again convinced the Bush administration to reduce testing for beef inspections after another Mad Cow case was discovered last week.

You may recall, that back in 2003, Knight Ridder published an expose showing how "from key policymakers to midlevel administrators, the Department of Agriculture is staffed with former executives of the meat and poultry industry, now in charge of regulating their former employers." Combine that with the campaign contributions and you get this brief - yet totally frightening - timetable of corruption that begs the question: how many cases of Mad Cow are going undetected?

12/24/03:

"The first apparent case of mad cow disease in the United States has been discovered, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday." - CNN

12/31/03:

"The Bush administration must take more steps to protect Americans from mad cow disease, Democratic lawmakers and consumer groups said on Wednesday... The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the meat industry have rejected adopting a program to test all U.S. cattle, modeled after Japan's approach." - Reuters

3/14/06:

"A cow in Alabama has tested positive for mad cow disease, the Agriculture Department confirmed Monday, the third case in the U.S." - Associated Press

3/16/06:

"Agriculture Department officials today defended their plans to reduce the number of cattle tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, even after a third case was confirmed in Alabama last week." - CongressDaily