Who Says?

Does the government have the right to tell us what to do?  What to drink?  What to wear?  In Texas, it’s against the law to take more than three sips of beer while standing.  In the crosshairs in New York, but voted down at the end of July, is the sweetened-sodas-larger-than-16-ounces issue.  Diet drinks have not been attacked.  Let’s also not forget the short-lived law in several cities across the country that made it illegal to wear saggy pants, as “exposed underwear poses a threat to the public.”  

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration announced a preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of artificial trans fats in processed foods, are unsafe to eat and should not be allowed in foods in the United States.  Although consumption of trans fats has declined over the last two decades, it is argued that current intake remains a significant public health concern.  Trans fats can be found in processed foods like microwave popcorn, frozen pizza, margarines and certain desserts.

The FDA proposes elimination of these fats from foods in the U.S. by classifying them as unsafe food additives and thus permitting them only in certain cases.  Manufacturers might not be very happy – the initial cost of changes and recipe reformulations could exceed $8 billion.  It is hoped manufacturers will find new ways to make the foods while keeping them as good as the way they are right now.

It’s well known that artificial trans fats are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, and the UnitedHealth Group has just released projections that as many as 50% of Americans could have pre-diabetes or diabetes by 2020, coming with a healthcare price tag of $3.35 trillion over the decade.  On November 12^th, the American Pharmacists Association summarized the guidelines for treating lipid and weight disorders as including stronger recommendations for using statins over other lipid-lowering drugs, and a call for more research into weight-loss medications.  Yes, more weight-loss medications.

The Declaration of Independence clearly states that all endowed have, “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  As sometimes happens over hundreds of years, in this case 237 years, the original meaning of a statement can pale, or perhaps can be interpreted in a different way.  Maybe now it means that all endowed have, “to buy mandatory medical insurance so the U.S. can afford to treat your diabetes and cardiovascular disease." 

Another possibility… ”Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” could also mean “You get cheaper medical insurance if you are not diabetic, are not overweight, have a triglyceride level under 100, wear skinny jeans, drink diet soda – but if standing, two sips or less at one time – and only eat the newly formulated Twinkies that taste like rice cakes stuffed with green seaweed protein.”

Since 1812, the U.S. has been referred to as the ‘land of the free.’  We are also the ‘home of the brave.’  It doesn’t take a whole lot of bravery to follow a bunch of mandatory laws, and if that’s the case, someone should really rethink that 220-year old second Amendment thing.