1. What was your involvement in the writing and passage of the Iowa seed pre-emption bill in 2005 and why do you oppose giving local governments the authority to regulate and control Genetically Modified Organisms and Confined Animal Feeding Operations in their own jurisdictions?
2.Please explain your position on the use of Biofuels, specifically corn-based ethanol. Please also address the issue of devoting farmland to the growing of fuel crops which has caused a drastic rise in food prices at home and calamitous shortages in poor countries causing food riots throughout the world.
3.What is the Iowa State University's Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products? What is the involvement of Agribusiness; Monsanto, ConAgra, etc.; in the Institute and will your position as 'distinguished fellow' cause conflict of interest if you are confirmed Secretary of Agriculture?
4.Please discuss your support of federal subsidies for the production of High Fructose Corn Syrup in light of the growing body of evidence that it is directly related to the epidemics of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in the US, especially in children, driving up the cost of health care for poor and middle class Americans?
5.Considering the WIC program falls under the purview of the USDA, what will you do as Secretary to increase access of fresh, healthy, sustainably grown food to poor citizens?
6.In light of President-Elect Obama's Stimulus Plan's element of investment in infrastructure, will you commit to the building of WIC friendly 4-Season Farmers Markets selling only sustainably grown and raised food in the 1000 poorest neighborhoods in the US?
Getting answers to these questions will shed light on how Gov. Vilsack views the future of food. Change must come in the production of food, but it needs to be the type of change that stems from sustainability and with concerns for human and environmental health as well.
4 comments:
I just got done watching several discussions on TV, most recently on "Hannity", about Tom Daschle's ethics problems with tax issues.
Where is the outrage over Obama appointee, former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack.
Vilsack refused to address crimes of an Iowa Department of Corrections employee, reported to him while governor, and refused to address the subsequent cover up of those crimes by other employees of the IDOC, and the barrage of harassment suffered by the one who reported the crimes.
Where is the outrage?
Maybe ethics are a bit of a problem in more than one arena.
I was not happy about the Vilsack appointment, but knowing that is was going to happen and putting my faith behind President Obama I am working toward voicing support for members that would be vitale in making sure sustainable agriculture and local food systems are treated with priority. I am hopeful that Vilsack will not operate "agri-business" as usual and that by showing support for people like Jim Riddle as head of Agriculture Marketing Service & Chuck Hassebrook for Deputy Ag Sec. I will admit what Vilsack did as gov was below my radar. My concern now is how he will behave as ag sec. I'm holding back outrage and giving into hope.
I have little faith that Vilsack will change his stripes at this point. I would hope that if Obama knew about Vilsack's lack of diligence regarding corruption within the Iowa Department of Corrections he would have made a better choice. My only hope is that, as AgSec, Vilsack will have more people keeping an eye on what goes on.
I assure you my eyes will be watching. As Sec of Ag Vilsack needs to behave in a way that is far different from the generous friend he's been to big agri business. His love for petroleum based food systems will not get us far and is not the change we need to embrace for a more sustainable future-that's what I'm looking for & when Vilsack acts in a way that isn't part of that I'll be sure to be showing some outrage-that I promise you.
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