Posted on 09/14/2002 9:39:44 AM PDT by forest
Back in the early 1970s, the hippie culture chanted "down with the establishment." Today, they are the adults -- teachers, reporters, lawyers, judges, legislators, and they make up the membership of dozens of foundations and non-government organizations -- affecting the establishment. And still, each group, in its own way, seems to be working to dismantle our American establishment.
As far as the average American citizen is concerned, our judicial system has become lethargic, cumbersome and ineffective at protecting our rights. Often, the judicial system appears little more then the playground for corrupt lawyers and their partners, the judges.
One case in point was the fiasco of the tobacco lawsuits. The attorneys involved became instant multimillionaires. Judges completely trashed the rights of American corporations and consumers. Unscrupulous tax and spend legislators allowed the foolishness to go forward because it gave them permission to levy yet another heavy tax. Everyone won. Except the average American consumer, that is. Consumers got the bill in the form of yet another hidden tax.
Of course, we are supposed to forget those billions of dollars changing hands at our expense. The published excuse was that the nanny state was protecting the public health. Never mind that everyone involved, except the consumer, had a vested interest.
As we warned back then, that foolishness was just a test case by those unscrupulous lawyers. The corrupters of the courts wanted to see if unprincipled judges would allow the frivolous cases, and they did. Well, the sharks still smell blood -- easy money. So, here come the fat police. Their first scam worked. Now they plan to go after many successful major American corporations under the guise of public health. Even the liberal concerns, like Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, are targets.
They're getting plenty of help, too. In between crying about global hunger, the World Health Organization declares obesity a global epidemic. Reports state that, in the United States, 61 percent of adults aged 20 to 74 are considered overweight or obese. About a quarter of American youth are overweight or obese.
Obesity is determined by body mass index (BMI). That calculation takes into account a person's height, weight and age. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's guidelines for adults 20 years or older, a six-foot tall adult 20 years or older with a weight of 140 to 180 lbs. would be considered healthy, 190 to 210 pounds overweight and 200 pounds or more obese.
The lawsuits have already started. A lawsuit was filed in the New York Supreme Court on behalf of a New York City man who says he has been eating fast food since the 1950s. He has sued the country's four leading fast-food chains, blaming their food's fatty content for his health problems.
The 5-foot-10-inch, 272-pound maintenance worker said he had heart attacks in 1996 and 1999 and has diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The suit asserts that it was the fast food chains that made him and others overweight. "They said '100 percent beef.' I thought that meant it was good for you," the plaintiff told reporters. "I thought the food was OK. Those people in the advertisements don't really tell you what's in the food. It's all fat, fat and more fat. Now I'm obese."
"There is direct deception when someone omits telling people food digested is detrimental to their health," his attorney said.
Three teenagers in New York City, aged between 13 and 19, have also filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald's Corp., saying their fast food caused them to gain as much as 200 pounds and develop serious health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. The lawsuit seeks undetermined compensatory damages.
It appears that lawyers went hunting for these clients. The teenagers' parents are reported to be either unemployed or on disability. One question that cries to be asked is, if these parents do not have much money, how could these kids afford to eat so much at the fast food joints? Also, who fed the parents?
In another test suit, McDonald's and Burger King are being sued by a group that claims the fast food corporations have exposed customers to a cancer-causing substance in their french fries since 1990. This West Coast food police group asserts that the burger corporations' fries contain acrylamide, which they say is listed by California as a known carcinogen. The lawsuit argues that McDonald's and Burger King have sold millions of orders of fries, each containing "100 times more acrylamide than the maximum level permitted by the World Health Organization for drinking water."
Negligence can be described as the failure to exercise the degree of care considered reasonable under the circumstances, resulting in an unintended injury to another party. Is it negligent of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream to not
tell customers that, although their product is a food, it is not to be used as their complete diet? If not, then why should that be a requirement of any of the fast food chains?
With self determination comes responsibility for what you put in your mouth. If we allow these lawsuits to proceed, that is a direct signal that we Americans are willing to let government make most of our personal decisions for us. And, as with cigarettes, we can also expect huge taxes to be levied on anything bureaucrats wish to label potentially harmful.
If we are going to allow lawsuits "for the children," we should sue government schools. Not only do schools serve junk food to the children, most schools cut out recesses and even gym classes. Instead of letting kids burn off excess energy the natural way, the trend is to drug them into behaving. Clearly, that is detrimental to health.
Bringing this a little closer to home: As one who imbibed in a poor meat and potatoes and high refined carbohydrate diet -- made worse by the consumption of an excessive amount of adult beverages -- for way too long, I can attest firsthand to the resultant health difficulties. So, who do I blame? Was it those who sold me the foodstuffs for the poor diet or the producers of beer, vodka and bourbon?
Unlike those who call for the nanny state, I know damn well who is to blame: the one staring back at me in the mirror every morning. No person ever force-fed me anything. Nor has any person or concern ever tricked me into eating or drinking anything that was bad for me. I, as an adult, did it all myself. The problem, therefore, is mine to correct.
So, it is interesting that I could now add my name to a class action lawsuit and get paid for my own personal abuse. Appalling, actually! Excuse me if I fail to believe that is how our law is supposed to work.
It is time voters instruct their representatives in government to insure these legal actions do not go forward. The lawsuits are an insult to the liberty of a free people.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?
The article saying that a 6' tall man is considered obese at 200 lbs. caught my attention, too. My husband is 6', 200 lbs. (though maybe down to 195 now) and he is definitely not obese. When he weighed 170 lbs. a few years ago, he looked too thin. Now, he's built thicker, but with weightlifting, running, etc. he's still in good shape. Those weight charts are ridiculous sometimes.
Ben & Jerry's!? Those dioxin purveyors?
("The study shows that the level of dioxin in a sample serving of one variety of Ben & Jerry's brand ice cream is about 2,200 times greater than the level of dioxin allowed in wastewater discharged into San Francisco Bay from the Tosco oil refinery." study)
Good thing we are not gloaters...... we're not going to say, "We told you so." :-}
Well, don't try and sue me, I never said anything! :)
Why is it they call their job a "practice"? If you're still "practicing", you're not worth $75 for 10 minutes of your office time.
I'm glad you mentioned this. What's also important is that they changed the rules a couple of years ago. What used to be acceptable BMI is now marginal or even "obese". My BMI is borderline obese under the new rules as well, despite my having a slightly better than average body-fat %. I'm not Arnold but I stay in shape.
I agree with Bubba.
My doctor always asks me if I've quit, I always reply that I'll quit when she can guarantee that I'll live to be 118 if I do.
That ends the converation.
Eliminate punative damages. If its bad enough to be punished, then pass a law through the legislative process. Judicial legislation for the enrichment of lawyers must be stopped. Its destroying the very freedoms that make this country great.
"And one day, too late, your principles, if you were ever sensible of them, all rush in upon you."
For want of a nail, a shoe was lost...
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