Pay Double, Eat Half!
By Susan Christian Goulding
Seal Beach, CA

In the heart-rending video secretly taped at a slaughterhouse in Chino, a forklift driver pushes a weak, moaning cow — even carelessly backing over her leg. Imagine a cherished pet dog or cat in her place.
While we unite to condemn Michael Vick's sadistic abuse of pit bulls, such horrors occur to cows every day. This is not an isolated problem solved by the shutdown of one meat packer — nor by the arrest of a hired hand following orders.
It's no surprise that slaughterhouses see perpetual turnover of their minimum-wage employees. Surely this gruesome work robs a piece of the soul. The tragedy of farmed animals belongs not just to them, but also to the invisible laborers who make our steaks and hamburgers possible.
Raising cows, pigs and chickens humanely requires the space they once enjoyed on family farms and ranches.
I propose a slogan regarding all meats: Pay double, eat half, break even. When it comes to our health, less meat is more, anyway.