To be on NIGHTLINE tonight. Calif. cuts labor costs!!!!

[napi21]

If you're cruising through Los Angeles and come across a herd of 100 goats, you may think that you've stumbled into a Tinseltown production. Actually, those goats are city employees -- goat labor doing the work of man at a cut-rate cost. They eat everything and are being used to clear vacant lots and the type of low-lying brush that's kindling during the SoCal fire season. "They don't call in sick on Monday 'cause they don't drink," their handler tells ABC News correspondent Brian Rooney.

[billyoc]

1. Just a shout out to my SEIU Local 1000 District Labor Council 784 brothers:

CURRIED GOAT

2 1/2 lbs. goat flesh
4 stalks escallion, diced
2 tbsp. curry powder
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp. butter
2 med. onions, diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
Sprig of thyme
About 1/3 of a Scotch Bonnet pepper (HOT PEPPER FINELY CUT)

Cut goat's flesh into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Season with salt, black pepper, crushed garlic, escallion, diced onions and 1 tablespoon curry powder. Let stand at least half an hour.

Scrape off seasoning and lightly brown in hot fat. Add about 1 pint hot water and all the seasonings except onions. Cook over medium heat until fork tender - about 40 minutes. Add the second tablespoon curry powder, butter and the onions about 10 minutes before removing from the fire.

The gravy should be of a consistency not to need any thickening. Serve hot with plain boiled rice.

[Warpy]

2. They're using them near the Rio Grande here in NM

because they have a fondness for non native, water hogging plants like salt cedar and leave the native cottonwoods alone.

They're great at clearing invasive species off the riverbanks.

[question everything]

3. And they do not pollute the air with those high-power

mowers.

Quieter, too.

[Suich]

4. They use them in Seattle, too!

They munch on blackberry vines, which grow wild all over the place.

[Cleita]

5. Goats are lovely little animals.

Several of my neighbors keep them. Don't blame them for what people do.

[napi21]

6. Oh, I'm not blaming the goats for anything! Many times, I've suggested

to my husband that we get a few goats and he wouldn't have to mow the lawn! Unfortunately, we aren't allowed to have them here. I guess I just found it interesting that Cal. USED to use undocumented workers to do that work, at least the cutting along the freeways, and now they appear to have gone for even a cheaper labor market!

[Cleita]

7. In my county they have an even cheaper labor market than the goats.

Goat owners around here do rent their goats out for lawn duty, but in my county the brush clearing crews are prisoners.

[TahitiNut]

8. That's been done for years (decades) in many parts of the country.

It's even been done in New York City to knock down weeds on vacant lots.