David Kaye wrote:
wrote:
This E coli fiasco is a prime example of government that doesn't work.
How so? Farms take the cheap way out by providing only the barest of
essentials to their farmworkers. Many farms do not even have
conveniently located outhouses and places to wash the hands. It's
likely that the e coli outbreak came from a farmworker who didn't wash
his hands after defecating.
Perhaps. But look at the number of folks who walk out of a public
restroom without washing their hands... and the water and soap are
right there!
The other likely cause is using human or
animal waste as fertilizer, though it's unlikely because this is
frowned upon by agricultural inspectors.
Sludge. Its use is common enough.
Interesting that the company that grew the spinach is called "Natural
Selection Farms". Sounds like natural selection at play, definitely.
It would have been nice if the news media would have focused in on this
situation by finding out a little about farming. I watched some videos
of stories from KRON, KPIX, and CNN, and didn't see anything talking
about the *source* of the problem.
That would imply guilt...
And saying that spinach comes from farms is called "profiling."
Also, our local news media (this is a local or somewhat local story,
having taken place in the Salinas Valley), hasn't told people that
*all* they need to do is cook the spinach! Cook the spinach at at
least 150 degrees (160 to be safe) for 5 minutes, and that's all there
is to it. Or if people are still squeamish about it, bring the water
to a boil for a few minutes (212 degrees).
Buy canned spinach
Why couldn't the local media cover this? It's not rocket science.
Hell, the local news media are better at covering rocket science...
Because rocket science problems can always be blamed on government.
Spinach problems have to be blamed on farmers, farm workers, or food
workers, though some will make it a government problem. Government is
always bad...