Business, not public, is put first

Re “EPA listens to lobbyists, boots expert” and “Official defends meat inspections,” Feb. 29

The article about the Environmental Protection Agency succumbing to industry pressure and firing a highly regarded toxicologist (and erasing her very existence from all paperwork in a frighteningly Orwellian manner) is extremely disturbing on many levels.

When you combine that with the article about the U.S. Department of Agriculture defending the slaughter of “downer” cattle, it becomes apparent why Americans are so cynical about the federal government and desperately hoping for some sort of change in the way it operates.

Our federal agencies are not just run by lobbyists, they have become lobbying groups themselves, advocating policies and levels of risk that inevitably favor business at the expense of public safety. We deserve better.

Eric Cook

Redondo Beach