Thursday, December 2, 2010

Food Safety Is An Issue?

It's 5:42 AM as I begin writing this post. I'm watching last night's Daily Show. Jon Stewart just went over the criticism over a new food safety bill that just passed the Senate. I cannot help but literally shake my head. I just do not understand why there is so much objection to us having safe food to eat.

In September Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) objected to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that said Americans were not eating enough fruits and vegetables. He said
Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said people in America are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. They want all the power of the federal government to force you to eat more fruits and vegetables. This is what the federal, CDC, they going to be calling people and finding out how many fruits and vegetables you eat (sic) today. This is socialism of the highest order! (source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvpCIjFuwXE)
I guess the Congressman does not understand the need for a healthy diet and how it directly correlates to disease control. The saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is not for mere amusement. The CDC's role is to find the sources of viruses and prevent them (look at the name!).

Last week, Sarah Palin attacked First Lady Michelle Obama for her anti-obesity campaign on Laura Ingraham's radio show:
I think she has got a different worldview and she is not hesitant at all to share what her worldview is. And I will take heat again for saying it on your show Laura but she encapsulated what her view of America is, I believe, unless she has evolved and things have changed in the last two years, but she said it on the campaign trail twice that it was the first time that she had been proud of her country when finally people were paying attention to Barack Obama. I think that's appalling. We can think of this infinite number of reasons to be proud of American exceptionalism and it baffles me that anybody would have that view and then allow that view to bleed over into policy.

Take her anti-obesity thing that she is on. She is on this kick, right. What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat. And I know I'm going to be again criticized for bringing this up, but instead of a government thinking that they need to take over and make decisions for us according to some politician or politician's wife priorities, just leave us alone, get off our back, and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions and then our country gets back on the right track.

Now there is this food safety bill. All it is saying is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has more power to inspect our food and force recalls when necessary.

I realize that Rep. Gohmert and Gov. Palin are talking about telling us what foods we can and cannot eat. My question is how do they feel about the banning of Four Loko in many states? Actually, let's take it up a notch. Do they still want mercury to be present in our medicine? We have the FDA and the CDC in order to make sure that we stay healthy and the treatments for any illness (whether it be an aspirin or chicken broth) is safe to ingest.

I understand the belief that inspecting our food is big government. However, how many parents are going to actually trace the entire history of every piece the food they eat? Unless that food is home grown or made in-house, I will guess not many parents will.

First Lady Obama's campaign regarding anti-obesity is related to other pieces of health. Obese people are more susceptible to heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure to name a few. It is not her saying that the average American is dumb. It is her trying to prevent a health crisis!

If Gov. Palin and Rep. Gohmert are so strung up on this anti-big-government-that-is-taking-over-our-food-supply mantra, why did they not protest New York City's ban on trans fats in foods? Actually, I will go one further: why have they not called for the dissimulation of the Food and Drug Administration? It makes one wonder.

I realize this post has been all over the place. But it all ties in together. If you eat healthy and exercise, you will be in better shape and be more able to ward off a plethora of diseases.

Remember kids: eat your fruits and vegetables! I leave you with Mr. Jon Stewart's take on this:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Food, the Bad and the Ugly
www.thedailyshow.com

1 comment:

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