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Quick fixesBy Seymour Klierly If there's one thing you can count on in Washington D.C. it is overreaction. When a few members of Congress were caught abusing campaign donations--boom, Congress quickly enacted new campaign finance regulations. When the economy started to soften due to high fuel costs and bad mortgage decisions--boom, Congress passed and President Bush signed a $150 billion plus package that puts a few hundred dollars in several million hands. When ethanol production out paced its mandate--boom, a new mandate five times greater than production was passed. While the government's quick reactions to these situations were praised at the time; those quick solutions later brought about real concerns of their own. The campaign finance bill unknowingly gave almost unchallenged power to outside groups to run their own ads without following the same disclosure requirements of the actual candidates. The economic stimulus package passed without offsets adding to our national debt, of which there is no plan to pay off anytime soon. Finally, concerns are now arising that the new ethanol mandate might not be met without harm to the food and livestock industries. These are only a few recent examples of the classic Washington reaction and regret syndrome. Let me clarify my concern here. I'm not claiming that our federal government made the wrong decision in each of these three examples. I'm saying that when D.C. reacts quickly, just like everyone else, they often overlook details. I bring this up because a new situation on the national scene is ripe for a similar outcome if our elected officials are not careful. The recent exposure of the treatment of non-ambulatory cattle at the Hallmark/Westland meat packing plant will no doubt put food safety reform back on the legislative front burner. Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois has long been a proponent of a single food safety agency. His proposal has yet to get a majority of members' support, but this latest development may urge more members to jump on board--especially in an election year. While on the presidential campaign trail, Senator Hillary Clinton recently announced her new food safety platform. Coincidentally it includes a single food agency. What's interesting here is that Durbin, the lead on the issue, supports Senator Obama for president. Could Senator Clinton be trying to steal an issue from the Obama camp? In the non-stop campaign environment of presidential politics, don't be surprised if the two try to "one-up" each other on food safety proposals. There's no doubt that when Congress returns from their break, Senator Durbin and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut will push even harder for their single food agency bill. The concern yet again will be whether Congress gives the proposal enough scrutiny to avoid the mistakes of the past when taking quick action. After all, it's only our national food system that's at stake. 2/25/08 Date: 2/20/08
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