March 15, 2006

Silvis Alderman has done his homework


From the OC Online opinion section:
Pig plant: profit at any cost
By Bob Zesiger

Very few Americans seem to understand or be much concerned about today's increasingly powerful, influential and controlling corporations. But I feel a responsibility to identify and discuss four documents that have helped me to gain a startling awareness, insight and thus skepticism of our modern (mostly for profit) corporations:

-- 1. "Empire of the Pigs," by Donald A Barlett and James B. Steele

-- 2. "An Interview with Robert Hinkley," by Arnie Cooper the Sun September 2004

-- 3. "Confessions of An Economic Hit Man," by John Perkins.

-- 4. "Crimes Against Nature," by Robert F. Kennedy Jr..

The pig plant that Triumph is planning to establish on Barstow Road less than one mile from Silvis is a glaring example of a profit at any cost project. Triumph is duty bound by the terms of its charter to make profit for its shareholders. But Triumph is not duty bound to care for our environment, public health, the dignity and safety of their employees or the welfare of our community. We the citizens are left with that responsibility.

Triumph's CEO, Rick Hoffman, is highly skilled and experienced at influencing local, state and federal agencies (especially mayors and aldermen) to gain favors and concessions, and acquiring great amounts of corporate welfare at the expense of taxpaying citizens.

In a magical way, R. Hoffman has the cities elected representatives looking at a shiny, new pig plant (in St. Joseph, Mo.) and the possibility of increased jobs and business. What they are failing to focus on is the reality of pollution of well water, streams, rivers, land and air and the repulsive odor and excretion from truck loads (four per hour) of pigs on our streets and roads -- the increased cases of West Nile Virus, pfiesteria, E. Coli and other pig manure related diseases -- the decreased residential property value, additional cost to schools, hospitals, policing, welfare and in general disruption of our quiet and safe lifestyle within our communities.

By encouraging and helping to finance Triumph's pig plant with (taxpayers' money) we are driving many family farms out of existence and encouraging corporate/factory pig farms to flourish. This will be at the expense of our environment, health and well being of neighboring farms and communities. Corporations in general (with Bush's help) are wrenching the control of people's government and resources from citizens of this nation and the world.

Triumph presents a situation where citizens must become informed, voice their opinions and become involved.

A meeting for Silvis Wards 3 and 4 will be 7 p.m. Thursday at the George O. Barr cafeteria. The meeting for Silvis Ward 1 will be 1 p.m. Sunday at Porkies Restaurant. Special Silvis Council session will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at McGeehee Center, Schaddt Park.

Americans must look at/read the book, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man," by John Perkins. Most Americans have no idea of the power and influence that corporations have over the small nations of the world. Corporations corrupt small world governments indebt them to world banks, help themselves to their resources, pollute their environment and threaten or worse the small nations' leaders if they won't cooperate and aid the corporations that abuse and exploit them.

This book will help you to understand why America's wholesome image is being tarnished and America is being reviled throughout the world.


Bob Zesiger is an alderman in Silvis.
I commend alderman Zesiger for taking his responsibilities to be informed seriously and it's truly refreshing to learn that he's well aware of and able to see the larger issues involved in this project.

I think his reading list is excellent, and I hope to find some of the titles. I've already read "hitman" and recommend it as well. This guy knows what he's talking about.

Proposed site of Triumph Plant, 172nd St. and Barstow Rd.
Reader submitted photos.

6 Comments:

At 3/15/2006 4:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you would like to know of the potential for odor go to any area around Joslin Il in the summer. I live in Hillsdlae and you can smell the plant during the summer months if there is a north wind. The odor is sickening at times.
I wonder why all the local politicians went to Missouri now. They will not smell anything now the same as in Joslin. I suggest they go back from late May to late October I am sure they will smell something then.

 
At 3/15/2006 4:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Porkies - how appropriate.

 
At 3/15/2006 6:45 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone else notice how quickly Mike Jacobs was to take the credit for this one, until he realized that the average citizen thought it was a terrible idea? You'd hardly hear him utter a word about the plant these days. He probably thinks that people will forget, just as they have about the train to nowhere, and the mysterious 13.8 mil for WIU that disappeared. I just hope that the voters let him know that he's not going to have everything handed to him anymore.

 
At 3/16/2006 6:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is anyone else confused by the fact that Triumph's people keep claiming that the plant won't smell, yet they also claim that over 1000 pigs a day will be slaughtered? How will all those pigs get there? We've all seen those open air trailers that they ship them in, and we all know that they stink.

Tell Mayor Thodos and Senator Jacobs that you don't want their pig plant. I haven't met a person yet that would be willing to work there.

 
At 3/16/2006 7:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

After Triumph has been up and running a year or two and many local people have quit and no one wants to work there, not to worry. They'll be bringing in busloads of people just off the boat or over the border who'll be more than happy to move in and go to work.

 
At 3/20/2006 8:56 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is there a beef processing plant in Geneseo?

 

Post a Comment

<< Home