01/20/05 The inauguration; Confirmed?

George W. Bush officially begins his second term of office as President of the United States today. And the nation conjures up visions of the inauguration. The precession to the Capitol. The administration of the oath of office. The Presidential speech. And &all those parties. But before one thinks this is just one great big social function at the nation's capitol, Washington D.C. ag insiders say the various inauguration events serve a great purpose. It is a time for ag interests to meet and greet with lawmakers and bureaucrats and talk business in a more relaxed setting. And more importantly, it is a time to convince lawmakers and bureaucrats how to shape agriculture, natural resources, environmental and economic policies for the next four years. Hours after the President is sworn into office, the Senate will resume business matters. And one in particular of note is a confirmation vote on President Bush's choice for U.S. Ag Secretary, Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns. Johanns is expected to easily be confirmed, and step into the role held for the last four years by Ann Veneman. And after a week of published reports, Veneman's new job after U.S. Ag Secretary was revealed. She was announced Tuesday by United Nations Secretary General Kofe Annan as the new head of U.N.I.C.E.F. & The United Nations Children's Fund. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: How many times have you heard derogatory comments about large corporations. They are blamed for everything from fixing elections to destroying the environment. I know acquaintances that work for some of the big giants who are almost embarrassed to admit it & that somehow by working for a large company they have sold their soul. Well I am here to tell you that. there are a lot of big companies with soul. In many cases their resources have improved the environment and working conditions throughout the world. The amount of cooperate aide donated to tsunami victims to date has been simply astounding, and that number just keeps rising. Pfizer's gift of 10 million cash and 25 million in products has garnered it top position on the list of US companies that have donated more than 180 million. Names we all know well like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, UPS, and Verizon should make not only their employees proud but the rest of us as well. The contributions of US cooperation's play a major role in our ability, bounty and technology to aide suffering nations.