BILLION-DOLLAR COWBOYS

The power of meat to destroy individual health is plain and clear. But a lot of American taxpayers are unaware that we're losing at least $128 million a year -- potentially up to $1 billion -- subsidizing cattle grazing on millions of acres of our land across the West. This is according to a new study released last week. Public lands ranching is a boutique industry, supplying less than 3% of the nations beef supply, a cute hobby for self-sufficient would-be cowboys. The notion that "in the rural West, whole towns and school systems depend on ranching," as put forward in the above article by a National Cattlemen's Beef Association flack, is handily debunked here. It's not just the money, though, and it's not just the animals - it's entire ecosystems that we're helping destroy, all without most people's knowledge. Business as usual!