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slow_life
Joined: 29 Dec 2006
Location: here
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 Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:41 am Post subject: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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Americans....how about writing your senators and congressmen? I did and here is my letter. Step up and be heard on this issue.
Dear
As you know, there is an ongoing dispute with South Korea over the importation of US beef. We have an agreement to ship boneless beef to Korea but when their inspectors discovered eleven minute chips of beef, they rejected the entire shipment....many tons.
These chips were so small, xray machines could not detect their existence.
I urge you to support your fellow senator, Max Baucus from Montana, in his efforts to open up beef trade in S. Korea. Beef producers from many states need this market open and not restricted by senseless regulations.
If S Korea persists with it's current policy, I ask that you fight against any FTA with that country .
Also, I ask that you take this one step further and support Sen Baucus by instituting an inspection of imported Korean automobiles and if one flaw is discovered, send the entire shipment back to Korea.
Please try to enlist the support of other senators in these efforts.
Sincerely |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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"eleven minute chips of beef"
So, the inspectors found beef in the beef? Must have been a real shock. |
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Sincinnatislink
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Location: Top secret.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like there's more to the story than we're getting.
How about some background? |
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markhan
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| slow_life wrote: |
Americans....how about writing your senators and congressmen? I did and here is my letter. Step up and be heard on this issue.
Dear
As you know, there is an ongoing dispute with South Korea over the importation of US beef. We have an agreement to ship boneless beef to Korea but when their inspectors discovered eleven minute chips of beef, they rejected the entire shipment....many tons.
These chips were so small, xray machines could not detect their existence.
I urge you to support your fellow senator, Max Baucus from Montana, in his efforts to open up beef trade in S. Korea. Beef producers from many states need this market open and not restricted by senseless regulations.
If S Korea persists with it's current policy, I ask that you fight against any FTA with that country .
Also, I ask that you take this one step further and support Sen Baucus by instituting an inspection of imported Korean automobiles and if one flaw is discovered, send the entire shipment back to Korea.
Please try to enlist the support of other senators in these efforts.
Sincerely |
First, I am decidedly in favor of free trade. Additionlly, I find the price of beef extremely expensive in Korea. In fact, it is the most expensive in the world; 5 times more than the US.
However, you forgot to mention why the entire shipment was sent back to the US.
Namely, it was shipped back due to the detection of bone, which in turn, dramatically increase the possibility of "Mad cow disease." This disease is, of course, extremely so rare in the State that one can safely consider as "stastically insignifcant."
However, when you have small and yet vociferously vocal beef lobbysists (their livelihoods depends on it) claming that powerful American Beef industry is forcing down dangerous beef to Korean public, any Korean politician who is involved in this affair will not come out and say, "true there is a case of mad cow in the US, but it is so extremely rare, you don't have to worry about it." Saying it so will be a political suicide. It also doesnt help that Bush is the current president.
I don't know who you are but if you are going to urge fellow Americans to write a letter to senator, you should at least give balanced, overall situation of the matter.
By emphasizing "senseless regulations" and dismissivley ignoring the concerns that general Koreans have on the "mad cow disease," you are no different from Korean beef lobbyists who employ "appeal to fear" to influence the general public. |
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4 months left
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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There were some American politicians "suggesting" that the bone might have been planted by the Koreans. The Koreans are using beef as a bargaining ploy for the FTA.
Why don't you write to the American Beef Industry and ask them to send over a bunch of beef and have a big BBQ for ESL teachers to prove that US beef is safe to eat.
After Mad Cow was discovered in Canada, a huge BBQ was held to show that beef was safe. |
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superacidjax
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| markhan wrote: |
It also doesnt help that Bush is the current president.
I don't know who you are but if you are going to urge fellow Americans to write a letter to senator, you should at least give balanced, overall situation of the matter.
By emphasizing "senseless regulations" and dismissivley ignoring the concerns that general Koreans have on the "mad cow disease," you are no different from Korean beef lobbyists who employ "appeal to fear" to influence the general public. |
First of all Bush being the current president is not an influencing factor on the beef issue. The average Korean doesn't care. The people opposed to US beef are typically opposed to any foreign trade. These groups are simply puppets of a socialist movement. These are the same people that oppose any hard-line stance against North Korea. These are the same people that protest any efforts by the government to enact mandatory proficiency testing for teachers.
The concern about Mad Cow is a lie. The ONLY people protesting US beef in Korea are beef producers or their affliliates. The beef producers are claiming a fear of Mad Cow, not the general consumer population.
So if you're going to try and demand a "balanced" view, perhaps you should do the same. Koreans don't have a concern about mad cow, other than that related because of beef producer's propaganda. The regulations ARE senseless. Have you read the regulations?
This is a country where they boil dogs but yet I can't buy American beef with bones? This is a country where rice is 5-10 times more expensive than in the USA, yet the government is more interested in protecting five farmers that are using techniques developed in 1643.
FTA NOW. Screw the farmers. Modernize or retire. South Korea has been held back economically because "senseless" regulations have driven up the price of food, thus leaving less money in consumer's pockets to invest, buy other goods or whatever. I'm tired of subsidizing out-dated farming methods. I'm tired of listening to communist propaganda from the "poor" farmers.
If the ranchers and farmers would spend half the effort modernizing that they spend on setting fires and protesting, then there would be no issue. They'd be able to compete.
I find it strangley ironic that there's no massive concern about the instances of Trichinosis from eating pork. There's far more danger from Trichinosis than the statistically improbable Mad Cow.
The whole issue has nothing to do with food safety. That's the part of the story people don't want to talk about. The whole point is politics. The influence of a very small special interest group affecting the household finances of tens of millions. |
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superacidjax
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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| 4 months left wrote: |
Why don't you write to the American Beef Industry and ask them to send over a bunch of beef and have a big BBQ for ESL teachers to prove that US beef is safe to eat.
After Mad Cow was discovered in Canada, a huge BBQ was held to show that beef was safe. |
That's a great idea. I would like to request some bone-in ribeye.. cooked Medium rare, with a side of truffle mashed potatoes and .. ahh. I wonder if I can fly to the US and back and make it in time to work tomorrow! Very tempted to make a steakhouse run to the US..
As far as Canada's BBQ party.. It would have been hilarious if people got sick from the potato salad.. then the potato salad industry would have to have a big potato salad party..
Why can't someone get sick from beer? ..then the beer industry could prove it's safe by having a big bash.. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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I often wondered why Korean beef is so much more expensive than say Australian beef or that for the US.
I was told that "We can't trust beef from other countries, as it's laden with growth hormones and other kinds of drugs and stimulants".
Whew! I thought it was something else entirely. So, does the same hold true for cars? And rice? And, and, and..... |
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ChuckECheese
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm all for the BBQ party. We'll BBQ and fry up some Korean AI chickens too. |
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Gamecock
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 12:00 am Post subject: |
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| Where is MESL's letter to the Ambassador on this??? |
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KOREAN_MAN
Joined: 01 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 12:01 am Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| superacidjax wrote: |
| The concern about Mad Cow is a lie. The ONLY people protesting US beef in Korea are beef producers or their affliliates. The beef producers are claiming a fear of Mad Cow, not the general consumer population. |
Wrong. Most people are against it due to safety reasons, not just the beef producers. IMO, importing any kind of meat from any country is a bad idea. I believe the only reason the U.S. decided to do FTA with Korea is because they can sell American beef.
And FTA is NOT free trade. Don't get fooled. As far as I know, FTA between the U.S. and Mexico f**ked up Mexico's economy so far. (The president of Mexico who supported and signed the deal lives in the U.S. now for protection.) |
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JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 12:10 am Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| KOREAN_MAN wrote: |
| superacidjax wrote: |
| The concern about Mad Cow is a lie. The ONLY people protesting US beef in Korea are beef producers or their affliliates. The beef producers are claiming a fear of Mad Cow, not the general consumer population. |
Wrong. Most people are against it due to safety reasons, not just the beef producers. IMO, importing any kind of meat from any country is a bad idea. I believe the only reason the U.S. decided to do FTA with Korea is because they can sell American beef.
And FTA is NOT free trade. Don't get fooled. As far as I know, FTA between the U.S. and Mexico f**ked up Mexico's economy so far. (The president of Mexico who supported and signed the deal lives in the U.S. now for protection.) |
Why is it a bad idea to import meat? Just curious. |
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KOREAN_MAN
Joined: 01 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:02 am Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| JMO wrote: |
| Why is it a bad idea to import meat? Just curious. |
Well, because it can carry various diseases around the globe and kill millions of people. And it can take years to find out whether you're infected or not. Eating meat is very unhealthy in the first place. Eating imported meat makes things even worse.
China bans imported meat from Europe. Australia only imports from NZ. It's not just "senseless" Koreans. |
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superacidjax
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:25 am Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| KOREAN_MAN wrote: |
Wrong. Most people are against it due to safety reasons, not just the beef producers. IMO, importing any kind of meat from any country is a bad idea. I believe the only reason the U.S. decided to do FTA with Korea is because they can sell American beef.
And FTA is NOT free trade. Don't get fooled. As far as I know, FTA between the U.S. and Mexico f**ked up Mexico's economy so far. (The president of Mexico who supported and signed the deal lives in the U.S. now for protection.) |
You are just plain wrong. You said the former president of Mexico lives in the US for protection presumably because he signed the NAFTA treaty? First of all President Carlos Salinas de Gortari lives in Europe AND Mexico. His brother Enrique was murdered in 2004 in an extortion plot involving members of mexico's federal police force. Nothing to to with a free trade agreement.
First of all an FTA is free trade. It's about eliminating tarrifs, import quotas and artificial constraints to trade. Korea is the world's tenth largest economy and you think the US justs wants the FTA for beef? Why does Korea want the agreement so badly? Because FTAs work. Here's a summary page of the KORUSA FTA benefits:
http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Fact_Sheets/2006/asset_upload_file582_8880.pdf
You don't know know what you're talking about regarding Mexico. Just flat out wrong (or perhaps trying to lay some anti-FTA propaganda.) I lived in Texas nearly my entire life. I have anecdotes about the benefits of NAFTA on the Mexican economy. But, how about listening to the experts:
Dr. Albert Fishlow of the of the Center for Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley said, "NAFTA has had enormous beneficial effects on Mexico�s growth and export profile. Since 1994, exports have grown at an average rate of around 20 percent per year and have changed in type from a concentration in petroleum-based products to manufactures. Contrary to expectations, the economic growth stimulated by NAFTA did not reduce the migration of Mexican labor to the U.S. Instead, during the 1990�s, this labor pool was a boon to U.S. production as well as an important release for Mexico from the pressures generated by a persistently high unemployment rate, the dislocation of rural economies and a growing population. While the U.S. economy was booming, this pattern helped to keep down inflation and wages in the U.S. and boosted Mexico�s economy with a massive inflow of dollars. Currently, for the first time in over a century, Mexico enjoys Latin America�s highest level of per capita income."
Did you read that? Mexico has the highest per capita in Latin America for the first time in over a century. Yeah, Free Trade is really hurting Mexico. I could find documentation all day long about NAFTAs benefits. But hopefully you get the point.
Your claim that importing meat from other countries is a bad idea is scientifically and logically ignorant. Perhaps people shouldn't travel either. Humans spread more dangerous diseases than food ever would. Perhaps we should just stay locked up in our little villages and never buy anything from other villages.
There is no mad cow in the US. If Korean people think there is a safety issue with US beef, then Korean people are suffering from a propaganda fueled delusion. I'm not going to listen to food safety admonitions from a country that buys fish laying on sidewalks and vegetables on the subway station stairs.
I suppose "mad cow" concerned people are the same Korean people that still believe that sleeping with a fan on can kill you? Where do you think those Mad Cow stories came from? The Korean beef industry. The average Korean doesn't know where Chicago is on a map, but you're going to suggest that the average Korean is knowledgeable about US food safety regulations? They only know what the Korean Beef industry wants them to know.
It's all politics. It has nothing to do with safety.[list=][url][/url][/list]
Last edited by superacidjax on Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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superacidjax
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:26 am Post subject: Re: Beef dispute...SK vs USA |
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| KOREAN_MAN wrote: |
| JMO wrote: |
| Why is it a bad idea to import meat? Just curious. |
Well, because it can carry various diseases around the globe and kill millions of people. And it can take years to find out whether you're infected or not. Eating meat is very unhealthy in the first place. Eating imported meat makes things even worse.
China bans imported meat from Europe. Australia only imports from NZ. It's not just "senseless" Koreans. |
When has meat killed millions of people?
It sounds like sex should be banned between different countries' citizens too. That spreads killer diseases and it takes years to find out about. Sex between foreigners is even more deadly.
Not only should we stop the Free Trade Agreement, we should opposed any proposed Free Love Agreement.
After all, this is about safety right? |
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