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.
LOL, Well ..... it's only fair.
No, he is in Canada, but why would he not do the same for me, granted he does take well to training. :-}
The police officer approaches him and asks: "Have you been drinking Sir?"
"Why?" asks Matt, "Was I all over the road?"
"No" replies the officer, "You were driving splendidly. It was the ugly fat chick in the passenger seat who made me suspicious."
Now I see where you're coming from. :-}
But I can usually shut the bitch up with some chocolate.
And the people are going to come out of the woodwork to get some money.
Litigate ourselves into oblivion. This is going to be fun to watch.
Here are some numbers to chew over from the surgeon general's office:
The primary concern of overweight and obesity is one of health and not appearance.
PREMATURE DEATH
An estimated 300,000 deaths per year may be attributable to obesity.
The risk of death rises with increasing weight. Individuals who are obese (BMI > 30)* have a 50 to 100% increased risk of premature death from all causes, compared to individuals with a healthy weight.
HEART DISEASE
The incidence of heart disease (heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or chest pain, and abnormal heart rhythm) is increased in persons who are overweight or obese (BMI > 25).*
High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight. Obesity is associated with elevated triglycerides (blood fat) and decreased HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol").
DIABETES
A weight gain of 11 to 18 pounds increases a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes to twice that of individuals who have not gained weight.
Over 80% of people with diabetes are overweight or obese.
CANCER
Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk for some types of cancer including endometrial (cancer of the lining of the uterus), colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney, and postmenopausal breast cancer.
Women gaining more than 20 pounds from age 18 to midlife double their risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, compared to women whose weight remains stable.
BREATHING PROBLEMS
Sleep apnea (interrupted breathing while sleeping) is more common in obese persons.
Obesity is associated with a higher prevalence of asthma.
ARTHRITIS
For every 2-pound increase in weight, the risk of developing arthritis is increased by 9 to 13%. Symptoms of arthritis can improve with weight loss.
REPRODUCTIVE COMPLICATIONS
Complications of pregnancy
Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of death in both the baby and the mother and increases the risk of maternal high blood pressure by 10 times.
In addition to many other complications, women who are obese during pregnancy are more likely to have gestational diabetes and problems with labor and delivery.
Infants born to women who are obese during pregnancy are more likely to be high birthweight and, therefore, may face a higher rate of Cesarean section delivery and low blood sugar (which can be associated with brain damage and seizures).
Obesity during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of birth defects, particularly neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
ADDITIONAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks of gall bladder disease, incontinence, increased surgical risk, and depression.
Obesity can affect the quality of life through limited mobility and decreased physical endurance as well as through social, academic, and job discrimination.
CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, occur with increased frequency in overweight children and adolescents compared to those with a healthy weight.
Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. Overweight and obesity are closely linked to type 2 diabetes.
Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese.
The most immediate consequence of overweight, as perceived by children themselves, is social discrimination.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_consequences.htm
Economic Costs Related to Overweight and Obesity
As the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased in the United States, so have related health care costs--both direct and indirect.
Direct health care costs refer to preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services (for example, physician visits, medications, and hospital and nursing home care).
Indirect costs are the value of wages lost by people unable to work because of illness or disability, as well as the value of future earnings lost by premature death.
Q: What is the cost of overweight and obesity?
A: Total cost: $99.2 billion
Direct cost: $51.6 billion (5.7 percent of the U.S. health expenditure)
Indirect cost: $47.6 billion (comparable to the economic costs of cigarette smoking)
What is the cost of heart disease related to overweight and obesity?
A: Direct cost related to overweight and obesity: $6.99 billion (17 percent of the $40.4 billion total direct cost of heart disease, independent of stroke)
Q: What is the cost of type 2 diabetes related to overweight and obesity?
A: Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $63.14 billion (more than 60 percent of the total cost of type 2 diabetes)
Direct cost: $32.4 billion Indirect cost: $30.74 billion
Q: What is the cost of osteoarthritis related to overweight and obesity?
A: Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $17.2 billion
Direct cost: $4.3 billion Indirect cost: $12.9 billion
Q: What is the cost of hypertension (high blood pressure) related to overweight and obesity?
A: Direct cost related to overweight and obesity: $3.23 billion (17 percent of the total cost of hypertension)
Q: What is the cost of cancer related to overweight and obesity?
A: Post-menopausal breast cancer
Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $2.32 billion Direct cost: $840 million Indirect cost: $1.48 billion Endometrial cancer Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $790 million Direct cost: $286 million Indirect cost: $504 million
Colon cancer
Total cost related to overweight and obesity: $2.78 billion Direct cost: $1 billion Indirect cost: $1.78 billion
Q: What is the cost of lost productivity related to obesity?
A: The cost of lost productivity related to obesity (BMI 30) among Americans ages 17-64 is $3.93 billion. This value considers the following annual numbers (for 1994):
Workdays lost related to obesity: 39.3 million Physician office visits related to obesity: 62.7 million Restricted activity days related to obesity: 239.0 million Bed-days related to obesity: 89.5 million
That makes two of us. :-}
That is very interesting, but not too suprising, now that I think about it.
Man, what a racket. I expect there were a few judges waiting with their hand out.
Discrimination. 8<)
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