Christmas party season is upon us; a time to raise a glass and enjoy time with friends and family. Yet, this year, you might want to savor that mug of Christmas grog or rum-spiked eggnog a little more since regulators are adding alcohol to the naughty list.
As sure as the sun rises in the morning, Americans can count on their televisions and newspapers to brim with daily reports of all the dangerous products lurking in their homes. Women in particular are told commonplace items like shampoo, deodorant, plastic food containers, household disinfectants, children’s toys, baby bottles, and garden hoses threaten them and their families. Even living room furniture is now cast as a household killer.
Mayor Bloomberg’s recent decision to outlaw the Big Gulp in New York City in the name of promoting public health made news headlines as well as fodder for some pretty scathing one-liners from the late night comedians. But this is no laughing matter.
The federal government has hardly left America’s collective weight problem “unchecked.” In fact, the federal government has spent years and billions of taxpayer dollars trying to do just what the IoM suggests in its lengthy report—reduce our waistlines. The result of this expensive and decades-long government crusade has been nothing more than billions in wasted tax dollars.
When soft drinks were invented in the late 18th century, they were sold mainly in pharmacies and used for their “medicinal qualities,” which were thought to treat everything from stomach ailments to headaches and even impotence. How times have changed.
The media likes to use the word “epidemic” and “health crisis” to hype problems and draw an audience's attention. When we are talking about the so-called “childhood obesity epidemic,” a little sober analysis would benefit the discussion.
Nearly 80 years after prohibition ended, the temperance movement in the United States continues to thrive in the form of state-run liquor stores which attempt to limit consumption of liquor through price manipulation. Yet while last century's temperance movement sought to protect women and children from “the drink,” those who defend government-controlled liquor sales today aren’t quite so altruistic. Their concern is state tax revenues and government jobs.
"Increasingly Americans seem willing to give up some of their freedoms and are letting government control their choices. Consider government's growing involvement in Americans' food choices."
Parents have many responsibilities. Getting the kids up and ready for school, making sure they do their homework and practice proper manners.
The media is swooning: Republican Governors Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie recently defended First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! campaign.
President Obama touted the health care bill as a jobs creator and a vehicle for economic growth.
Washington continues to focus on health care, but more recently some prominent political figures have narrowed in on the health-care issue of obesity. While it may seem like the topic du jour, obesity has long been a national obsession.
Instead of the typical slow holiday news cycle, the week between Christmas and New Year's featured near non-stop coverage of the Christmas Day terrorist attack on Delta Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam.
Capitalism seems rather out of fashion these days. Whether it’s President Obama’s penchant for taking over private industry, Congress’ uncontrolled spending, or the media’s near-constant attacks on Wall Street, one can safely assume capitalism will be placed in the “out” category on those ubiquitous year-end round-ups of trends that are “in” and “out” of fashion.
The Honduran government was protecting democracy and respecting the rule of law when it ousted President Manual Zelaya, the democratically elected leader who has worked since coming into office to dismantle the very democracy that elected him.
In a recent interview with the BBC, President Obama said “the U.S. cannot impose its values on other nations.”
