Did We See It Coming?  Do We See It Going?  

Do you have time to spare?  

In past issues of E-News, we have seen the need for us to become more involved in protecting ourselves, instead of leaving protection to government.  An example of this need came when we learned last month that the USDA had failed to inspect meat adequately.  In this issue of E-News, under “Beware and Share,” there is another example, this from the FDA.  

One should expect that government agencies would not be adequately funded, as the priorities for scarce dollars lie elsewhere.  And one should expect that reassigning responsibilities, as the Congresswoman from Connecticut wishes to do, would be inadequate, given that the fundamental problem of inadequate funding would remain.  

Where would a solution lie?  The best solution, one which nobody is talking about, would be to involve more people in protecting us.  An example of that was the secret video which revealed the violations at the slaughterhouse last month.  

Could we avoid more large failures if we involved more people in our protection?  Intuitively, yes.  Actually, we do not know.  We will know when we try.

If you answer the multiple-choice questions below and e-mail to lessonanswers@mymontebello.com with “Lesson answers” in the subject field, you will be credited toward a “certificate of recognition in community affairs” to be awarded in 2007 by a local nonprofit organization.  

1. What is a recurring phenomenon which is unlikely to change for the better?

(a) Government insensitivity to the public.

(b) Inadequate funding making it impossible for government to protect us adequately.  

2. What is the solution to this problem?

(a) Authorize and appropriate more money for protection.

(b) Contract out protection to businesses which specialize in security.

(c) Involve more people in our protection, and do it through nonprofit organizations, so as to reduce the urge to cut corners to increase profit.

March 27, 2008