Arsenic chicken

How many times do you eat chicken each week? The NY Times says that while in 1960 the average annual per capita US consumption was 28 lbs, now it’s up to 87 lbs. It’s cheap, so why not?

Here’s why: many commercial chickens eat feed with arsenic in it, to control parasites. And that poison is passed on to you!

Fortunately, antibiotic-free chickens haven’t consumed arsenic. Plus, Tyson Foods chickens haven’t been fed it. However, assume fast-food chicken has it, although not all does. And the skin has far higher arsenic levels than the meat.

BTW, try the Chicken Dijon recipe I just added over in the “Food fun” section. Gee, I wonder how much arsenic is in turkey….

On another note, I can’t help thinking the timing of DeLay’s announcement that he’s resigning, now, after a recent primary win, is all about DeLay’s own interests, and none about doing the best for his constituents or the public in general (interesting Washington Post article on this issue). Big thumb’s down. Question: is this the kind of ethics that other Christian fundamentalists espouse?

Speaking of self-serving behavior, IRS data shows that indeed Bush’s tax cut on investments has padded the wallets of the rich, according to the NY Times. Note that “Among taxpayers with incomes greater than $10 million…whose average income was $26 million, paid about the same share of their income in income taxes as those making $200,000 to $500,000 because of the lowered rates on investment income.” In another story, the NY Times reports that “Most Americans have taken a pay cut since 2002.”

The picture is not pretty.

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