Senator Tom Coburn is hazardous to our health
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Kate Lansing comments on Sen. Tom Coburn's single-handed hold-up of food safety reform.
If the first rule of physicians is “to do no harm,” then that should apply to politicians, too, who have the power of life, death and our general health in their hands. In this case, it's Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, a doctor, who is holding up passage of a bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration more power to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. Coburn’s feeble excuses: 1. The FDA is a troubled agency and its power will be expanded with this new law. If the FDA is a “troubled agency,” why doesn’t Coburn work to “untrouble” it? 2. The law would increase the deficit. Where was Coburn when the government spent untold billions on an illegal war in Iraq that killed thousands of Americans, an unknown number of Iraqis (best estimate is more than a million) and increased the deficit? The bill has been stalled in the Senate for more than a year and Coburn’s office said he won’t budge unless Congress finds a way to pay for it. It would be reasonable to call this a matter of national security. Why bother with all governmental warnings and advice on how to keep fit-and-trim, lose weight and eat well if one man can block this legislation? The bill will give the FDA more power to recall tainted products; authorize it to require more inspections of food processing plants; and would require stricter standards for safe food production. Public health is a major governmental concern except when it comes to spending money. Governements constantly tell us what to do, what and how much of what to eat, how to treat our bodies, but won’t put their (actually our) money where their mouths are. It's one thing to feed from the public trough, which is safe for them, but they expect us to eat from a too-often poisoned food tray. Perhaps, as a trough-feeder, Coburn should consider where the food he and his family eats comes from. If one if his children were to be sickened by e-coli- or salmonella-tainted food he’d be among the first to scream bloody blue murder that this is an attack on the American people that’s as bad or worse as any terrorist attack. An ounce of prevention to insure that spinach isn’t tainted with e-coli is worth far more than a pound of cure.
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There are some extremely negative parts to it, which would impose impossible regulations on small farmers and organic farmers, and would put many of them out of business.
Is this a good thing for America?
Surely there can be a bill which would regulate the large food manufacturers and allow our small local farms to continue to produce wholesome foods.
I believe all of the tainted foods have come from the large manufacturers, so in my opinion, these are the companies which need to be regulated.
I have heard there is another companion bill which could impose penalties, including jail time, to those who do not meet the proposed regulations in Senate Bill S.510.
This is a scary thought, that a person could be thrown into jail for growing wholesome food.
If passed, it would impose impossible regulations on our small farmers and force most of them out of business.
Is this good for America?
We must fight for our right to grow and consume wholesome foods in America!
The Senate bill S510 and it sister bill S3767 are exactley that.
They lower the potency stadards of Vitamins to nothing
Make illegal to grow a garden and sell organic food and to do holistic practises.
If you want more of your Freedom taken away this is the way to do it.
I thank Dr Coburn for standing up to the Democrates for what they really are
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