TOLD YOU SO

The one thing I don't do is prophecy.  But a couple of months ago when environmentalists and eco-foodies were celebrating the in-your-eye jury ruling against Monsanto regarding the school landscaper who allegedly contracted cancer from using Roundup, I think I was the lone voice on our side that did not celebrate.  I said "it ain't over."

 It wasn't.  Only two months after the jury verdict, a judge has already thrown out $200 million of the damages and opened the door to throw out the whole shebang.  This is the first of some 8,700 suits filed against Bayer, new owner of Monsanto.  How would you like to buy an outfit with these pending suits?

 I guess it's no big deal for Bayer, which already has 24,300 suits against it over the blood thinner Xarelto, 17,000 over its birth control implant Essure, and 2,700 over its birth control product Mirena.  What's a $300 million suit over Roundup in comparison?

 The Wall Street Journal headline says it well: "Roundup Setback Doesn't Faze Bayer."  Notice how cavalier it all is?  Just a little setback.  And of course now that the jury ruling is set aside, Bayer will appeal the rest of the award, a measly $78 million.  Bayer has every reason to be unfazed.  It's professional at settling tort cases. 

 Its cholesterol drug Baycor faced 14,000 claims and experts predicted a crippling $10 billion payout.  What happened?  About 3,100 were settled out of court, Bayer won the first three cases that actually went to trial, and the whole kerfuffle cost a measly $1.16 billion.

 When are people going to learn that justice comes from personal responsibility?  Nobody held a gun to that landscaper's head to use Roundup.  He had access to the same information I have.  Why in the world would you call Monsanto and ask if their product causes cancer?  This is almost comedy material if it weren't so serious and deadly.  It's like calling Tyson and asking:  "Do you abuse your chickens?"  Seriously.

 When are we going to learn that you can't trust the government; you can't trust the courts; you can't trust big business.  If you want true security, come home.  Home to neighbors, community businesses, local farmers, and most importantly, your own kitchen.

 Where do you buy your food?  On a scale of 1-10, rate your level of trust over the vendor/venue for the different places you buy.  What can you do to shift the mix higher on the trust scale?