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DEL.ICIO.USRepublican: Georgia rivals China as ‘source of contaminated food;’ Irvin should step aside
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Randy Evans, a prominent Republican and Newt Gingrich ally, writes a weekly column that appears in some Georgia newspapers.
He’s penned a tough one that takes state Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin to task for the peanut butter debacle down in Blakely — suggesting that it may be time for the nine-term commissioner to step aside.
Contrary to one line below, Irvin has in fact declared that he will not stand for election again.
But at minimum, consider Evans’ column a declaration that Republicans will spread the peanut butter scandal pretty thick in a 2010 effort to claim an office they’ve never been able to snatch from Democrats.
Here’s a large chunk of the Evans piece:
Unfortunately, it is not as if the Blakely peanut plant is the first sign of a problem with food originating in Georgia.
Instead, there has been a consistent pattern of problems over the past few years that now enable Georgia to rival China as a source of contaminated food.
This is not good for the safety of consumers anywhere. It is not good for Georgia businesses. And, it is not good for Georgia.
In 2010, Georgian’s will elect the Commissioner of Agriculture. There is no word yet on whether Commissioner Irvin will seek his eleventh term as the Commissioner of Agriculture.
Commissioner Irvin was first elected to office in 1956 as a member of the Habersham Board of Elections. Forty two years later a portion of Highway 365 was named after him (the “Tommy Irvin” Parkway). He has been inducted into the Georgia Agrirama Hall of Fame, the Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame, the Georgia Seed Association Hall of Fame, the Habersham County Hall of Fame, and the University of Georgia College of Agriculture Hall of Fame and, according to the Democratic Party of Georgia website, “Commissioner Irvin is recognized nationally for his service as an agriculture leader.”
Well, thanks to the Peanut Corporation of America, he is now recognized nationally for something else, and Georgia is not the better because of it. It is time for Commissioner Tommy Irvin to take his awards and step aside - for sake of the health of Georgians and Americans everywhere.
Change came to Washington, D. C. in 2008. It may be time for change to come to the peanut capital of the world — Georgia.
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Comments
By Peanut Farmer
January 31, 2009 3:09 PM | Link to this
Interesting…the UGA Football blog is full 52 weeks a year, but no one will comment on Georgia food security. Who is to blame is not nearly as important as insuring that no one ever dies from eating a Georgia farm commodity ever again!!
By We Dont Need Regulations
January 31, 2009 5:34 PM | Link to this
Put the blame for this where it belongs. The Republican party has systematically worked to eliminate every regulation of any and all businesses and make sure that oversight is all but non-existent through their slashing and slashing and slashing of funds for anything that even remotely resembles regulation. These Georgia Republicans even enact special regulations when needed to insure against oversight of businesses that have the potential to contaminate our air and water. Republicans are the biggest hypocrites that ever occupied space on this planet. Vote Republican if you don’t care about your health or your children’s health. Just look around. Look at the sugar plant explosion in Savannah. Look at the toxic waste spill from the unregulated retention pond at the coal-fired power plant. Look at the Talmo waste that took a court order to put an end to. These and other problems are brought to you courtesy of the non-regulating Republicans.
By Keith
January 31, 2009 7:18 PM | Link to this
Don’t forget the Peter Pan peanut butter contamination involved a Georgia plant under Irvin’s watch as was the Castleberry chili/BBQ/stew recall that was from the Augusta Castlebbery plant. Irvin needs to resign now!
By AgBulldog
February 1, 2009 3:38 AM | Link to this
Gary Black for Ag Commissioner
By Decker
February 1, 2009 2:01 PM | Link to this
Someone should ask Sonny about this. He is an expert on all things Chinese.