While many accusations have been leveled at the domestic catfish industry and its pursuit of U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections, the intent of the U.S. catfish industry has always been very clear — consumer safety.

U.S. consumers currently believe that their seafood is subject to the same rigorous inspection standards as those imposed on meat and poultry products. However, that is not the case under the existing Food and Drug Administration standards.

Seafood consumption in the United States now exceeds 4.9 billion pounds annually. Of this amount, over 83 percent is imported, and less than 1 percent of our seafood imports ever sees an inspector. Furthermore, only a fraction of that amount is ever tested for contamination from illegal drugs and chemicals.

It is of great concern that inspections by the Canadian government along the U.S. border and testing by the agriculture department of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi have found dangerous and illegal drugs and chemicals in Asian fish imports that had already been cleared by the FDA.

The first and foremost responsibility of the elected officials of this country is to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens. The assurance that the food we eat is safe should be an integral part of that responsibility Taking action to eliminate any threat to the safety of the American public, including food safety, should be non-negotiable and off-the-table in any political arena. Let’s hope our elected officials do the right thing.

Joey Lowery

President

Catfish Farmers of America

Indianola, MS

A delicate balance

An acquaintance of mine recently sent me an e-mail deploring the federal deficit and high government spending. He was longing for the “good old days” 100 years ago when taxes were low and the government debt was low. I had to ask, good for whom?

Theoretically, everyone is born with an equal opportunity. But then you have to factor in luck and fate. Statistically, luck has a normal distribution, i.e., one of those bell-shaped curves where most people have about an average amount, but some people on one end of the curve are always lucky and people on the other end are always unlucky; it is the way the dice roll. Fate sometimes deals a bad hand, and one bad hand can knock you out of the game.

When I was a young child, three of my aunts were widowed in a short period of time. One uncle was run down by a speeding stolen car as he walked across a street. In the blink of an eye, a family’s circumstance can change. In an ideal world, people practice charity and take care of the less fortunate. In the real world, the government assesses taxes and creates programs like Social Security, Aid for Dependent Children, etc.

The government maintains a declicate balance between people being taxed and people receiving benefits. A matter of chance can plunge a family from one group into the other. One person may win the lottery, another may be run down by a speeding car. Often, the process is slower, as illustrated by the character George Minafer in “The Magnificent Ambersons” by Booth Tarkington. One should remember the admonition: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Fred E. Camfield

Vicksburg