People who continue to blame New World Screwworm crisis on the Biden Administration need to stop
The Secretary has had 15 months to prepare a competent response, and despite what some are saying, the response has been lackluster and unserious
Let’s go over some facts:
In order to eradicate the NWS, we need somewhere between 500M-600M sterile flies produced WEEKLY, and we currently produce 100M weekly
There are current mechanisms and technologies that could be deployed IMMEDIATELY in order to produce those numbers that have been ignored by the USDA for the past 6 months
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) which oversees the NWS response is a disaster. There were some competent veterinarians interviewed during the transition willing to serve and reform the bureau who were blocked by the Secretary and her team. Instead they decided to retain the same director from the Biden Administration (ironic) who botched the response to the Avian flu
The tick rider program (people on horseback looking at wildlife and livestock in desolate areas) is completely disorganized, so the “surveillance” mechanisms that continue to be touted are not sufficient enough to detect these infestations in extremely rural areas in the timely manner required to combat this
On top of all this, producers in Texas are being pressured NOT TO REPORT potential cases, and if it wasn’t for some brave people reporting on this current case in LaPryor, it’s possible it would have been covered up
NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARATION NOW
BREAKING: Three counties in Texas have declared local state of disaster declarations on the New World Screwworm: Kinney, Jim Webb and Uvalde
Three others are pending: Webb, La Salle and Val Verde
The reasoning behind these declarations is because they feel they are not getting the federal nor state support needed to combat this crisis
Its long past due for the President to declare a National Emergency Declaration so local officials on the front lines are getting the support they need
A flesh-eating parasite that had been kept out of U.S. livestock for decades has been detected in Texas, threatening the nation’s cattle industry and food supply at a time when prices are already high. https://t.co/p011Q4crOe
@NoahSabich@le_prince_russe So glad they did! 47 south is one of my favorite routes if I'm going to Decatur or Champaign. So much history in those little towns, like time travel.
Jeff Bezos said the bottom half of Americans should pay zero federal income tax.
He cited a nurse in Queens making ~$75K and paying ~$12K in taxes saying “we shouldn’t be asking this nurse in Queens to send money to Washington.”
I think America could be one giant food and medicinal plant system dotted with garden cities. It'd take a sea-change in how we view potential our own yards, agricultural systems, and empty spaces. Perennial food webs with nutrient dense produce can serve our health and wildlife.
Jeez Joliet/Elwood, stop complaining about all the trucks spewing diesel coming from warehouses that got 20 year tax abatements and hire workers through temp agencies to avoid paying benefits.
People are mad about data centers, they're mad about warehouses. Boy if neoliberalism hadn't killed all the factories people would be mad about them too.
https://t.co/u2UQ7mnKRV
Hey Will County and surrounding area in the freight hub, what do you think? Why ya'll complaining about all that diesel pollution and those crumbling roads?
@MarcDunkelman I live in Will County near the rail yards. Yes, lots of "development" but basically the race to the bottom personified. Globalism, largest companies in the world having their stuff moved by independent contractors, lots of temp jobs, roads crumbling.
And they barely existed before 2010! The endless proliferation of mega-sized distribution centers is undoubtably the biggest change in US land use patterns in my lifetime. They really should attract more cultural attention.
@TheJvandy Yes, I so resonated with that. I love driving through all the little towns in Illinois and so often old brick. buildings downtown are abandoned/thrift store/etc. So much local ownership replaced by big corporations. And yes, agree, good people have somewhere to get essentials.
This sentence man: "Midwesternism is the great granddaughter of the Chamber of Commerce chair driving two towns over to shop at a dollar store because the grocery on Main Street couldn’t make the numbers work." https://t.co/NkF1g7AuJ9
I've been thinking a lot about how the Midwest is a landscape of inheritance. This idea is explored in a few paragraphs and forty photographs of grain elevators, Main Streets, railroad tracks, and towering beers.
Feeling honored to have these published by @RacketMN.
I've been thinking a lot about how the Midwest is a landscape of inheritance. This idea is explored in a few paragraphs and forty photographs of grain elevators, Main Streets, railroad tracks, and towering beers.
Feeling honored to have these published by @RacketMN.