How will this angel of mercy extend a healing touch?  First, they’ll use stimulus funds (aka our tax dollars) to label menus and advertisements with the danger of calories, and perils of sodium, sugar, and fats.  Recently Massachusetts was awarded over $12 million in stimulus funds to do just that.  Secondly, the government vilifies and demonizes the food industry from Kraft to Crispy-Creme, to big Macs, Frito-Lay to Outback threatening to levy taxes on the cost of their ads unless they place warnings on unhealthy foods.   You’ve seen the warning disclosures currently required by the FDA on TV for pharmaceutical ads that run for 3 minutes listing every risk, every side effect known to mankind, that could ever possibly show up by taking this medication.  Picture it now, a  30 second TV ad for Hellman’s Mayonnaise would run 5 minutes in length; 30 seconds about the great taste and 4 minutes and 30 seconds warning you of diabetes, coronary artery disease, allergic reaction to eggs, rash, hives, diarrhea, glaucoma, nose bleeds, hyper-pigmentation and an erection lasting more than 24 hours. Please see your doctor, NOW!

There’s even an assault by food critics on the portion size that restaurants serve.

Is there anything our government won’t do to make our lives more comfy and safe?

To my knowledge there’s not a shred of evidence that demonstrates our government sponsored patchwork of weight loss, nutrition initiatives, and taxes on food products does anything to directly improve our health.  But we can all feel better knowing that someone in central planning is watching after us.

People’s exercise of free choice lies at the core of this issue.  Is there anyone with an IQ above 100 that does not understand over-indulgence of any product or activity (food, sugar, caffeine, salt, calories, lack of or over exercise) is unhealthy?  That message is out there.  People have knowledge and then make decisions.  The government in this case wants to make those decisions for you. Is it just me, or does it seem a little scary that the government wants to mandate the amount of salt and sugar I can use to season my food?

News cameras spotted our distinguished Mayor of Philadelphia (Nutter Dem.) as he proudly walked the hallowed littered streets of Philly feeling good about the newly passed law requiring restaurants and food establishments to post calories of food for all to see. It warms my soul as well because I’ve always wondered how many calories a Starbucks Vente Caramel Machiato with double cream contained. And thankfully I can also see right away the calories in a Boston Cream Filled Dunkin Doughnut.  No more for me!!  That did it!

This along with the new tax proposal to add 25 cents to the cost of colas for inner city kids is something we can all feel good about.   This is heart warming.  Just think of those kids now refusing to pay an extra quarter for Coca Cola and turning instead to the OJ section of  Florida’s fresh squeeze. And besides we all know that increasing taxes improves diet and health as well as creates jobs.  Right? Right. Behavior modification is just another thing our government has excelled in.

The tax on vendors using plastic bags for groceries will help to eliminate trash on the streets too.

Mayor Blumberg of NYC can also boast about mandating restaurants to stop cooking with saturated fats and too much salt.

This is what I want my government doing for me.  Who needs better roads or decrease in crime when we can have them looking out for our dietary needs.  So today I am thankful for all that my government does for me and my family!!

I’ve been asked “where is this anger coming from?”  So I’m trying to think through this question.  Why are people angry at our politicians?  Why are we angry with each other?  Is there in fact increased anger today or is it more in plain sight because of increased visibility created by the blogosphere, the internet, success of talk radio, and of course FB?

I am very concerned anytime government expands and creates a larger dependent population.  I don’t  ”hate” anyone but I do hate high taxes.  It robs me of my  hard earned money and ultimately the more taxes I pay, the less I have to spend on manufactured goods, home improvements, travel, entertainment, and savings. Increased taxes results in less job creation. And where do the taxes go?  I posted a comment earlier this week asking if anyone could name a single entitlement managed by the government, funded by tax payers that was doing a good job.  There is none.  Why would anyone believe this entitlement is any different?  I’m angry because this is not the hope and change promised.  Obama never crossed the isle as a senator (for a full 18 months) and he has shown so far the same partisan politics. We were promised by Obama that “all this will be seen on C Span,” which was a lie.  This bill was passed with sleaze, deals, and largely behind closed doors. Is this the political transparency Obama promised?  Have you heard Obama speak lately?  Can any objective listener say that he doesn’t sound divisive and angry?

I’m angry that people apparently don’t understand what debt is and at citizens who have little concept of “pay as you go.”  It’s a simple concept, balance your checkbook.  Someone has to pay for government services but we hear little about how things will be paid for.

The liberals I’ve spoken with are still mad at Bush/Cheney.  They refuse to place any blame for problems of the past year on Obama or the Democratic leadership (Reid and Pelosi) who, by the way have been in power for several years now.

Yes there is anger.  Political and Religious beliefs go deep into the heart and soul of people. Individuals dig into their beliefs and refuse to listen and learn from each other.  When this happens, pride slips in and prevents us from seeing the “big picture.”  In this case, I believe the “big picture” is the growth, protection, and success of The United States of America, the greatest nation on earth.

Adopted in conference at Sharon, Connecticut, on 11 September 1960.

I believe there are three things that keep American people up at night; the economy, jobs and unemployment, and national security.

Obama’s answer to fix these problems has been government takeover of banks, bailouts, complete overhaul of healthcare, take over of General Motors, “stimulus” packages, more entitlements, plans to tax the “rich,” carbon taxes on businesses, Copenhagen silliness, apologies to other countries for American greed and arrogance, releasing Gitmo detainees, relocating the camp of war criminals onto American soil, and providing lawyers to Khalid Sheik Mohammad (KSM) for a show trial in New York City.

If Washington elites like Pelosi, Reid and our Supreme Leader don’t have the mental and political acumen to understand what happened last night, then their demise and political fall will be sooner, harder than expected and good riddance. Have you noticed lately, we’re over taxed, overspending, broke, and Al Qaeda is trying to kill us while fools in Washington try to decipher whether Bill Clinton and Harry Reid’s comments “negro dialect” and some “boy serving us coffee”  were racist or not (and yes there is a double standard here but I’ll save that for another blog.) Congressional leaders are engaged in serial bribery by paying off senators Nelson from Nebraska and Landrieu from Louisiana to vote for a health care bill that no one wants, no one’s read. Closed door politics is a way of life in Washington even though our Supreme Leader promised in at least 8 campaign speeches that he would allow C Span to broadcast the health care negotiations. The people of Massachusetts demanded change from the current path of government “over-reach,” closed door deal-making that we’re witnessing, and inability of the Obama administration to prioritize and fix our critical lack of security from those who want to harm us. You remember, “the system worked.” ?

Seven Senate seats now held by Democrats are considered toss-ups in November — Nevada, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. Four Republican seats are in the same situation — Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and New Hampshire.

If a relatively unknown republican state legislator with a truck, in the heart of liberal, big government, Kennedyland, can win an election that’s been held by the democrat political machine for over 5 decades, WARNING, democrats and  RINO’s (republicans in name only) alike better be on the lookout. You’re at risk for losing your seat.  The American people are coming to take this country back from socialists, tax and spend politicians, American apologists, and Islamic extremist sympathizers, regardless of your party affiliation.

Why are democrats and BO in trouble?  Is it because of race?  Is it because of Nancy or Harry?  Has ACORN tarnished the angel from above?  It’s probably a combination of all things related to government takeover.  But take a moment and read this insightful article that pretty much explains; it’s a trust issue.

Oh well.  So much for promises from a politician.  In my short 49 years, (OK, 56 short years), I’ve never seen or heard of so much name calling, charges of incivility, racism, and division in our great land.  Of course all of this was predicted by my friend and mentor Rush L.  He said during the election that if BO was elected, racism and division would increase dramatically.  Once again, he was right.  Why is it that when the Republicans or conservatives disagree with Team Obama they are labeled as racist, Nazi’s, and protests at town-hall meetings as originating from  “astro turf;” not “grass roots”.

I have some first hand knowledge of a friend who recently joined in the Tea Party protest held on the mall in Washington.  My thanks to Kate D. for taking the time to show her loyalties to our country and constitution.  I’m planning on doing the same the next opportunity I have.  I know her personally, and I know her kind.  She’s not racist, not a bigot, not a kook, not part of any “astro turf” movement sponsored by an insurance company or hateful drug company.  She’s not a Nazi.  She is a concerned citizen that doesn’t want to see the government run everything from banks, to cars, to hospitals.  She sees and hears, as I do the contradictions spewed from Team Obama 24/7.   George Will described it this way:

He says America’s health-care system is going to wrack and ruin and requires root-and-branch reform—but that if you like your health care (as a large majority of Americans do), nothing will change for you. His slippery new formulation is that nothing in his plan will “require” anyone to change coverage. He used to say, “If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period.” He had to stop saying that because various disinterested analysts agree that his plan will give many employers incentives to stop providing coverage for employees.

He deplores “scare tactics” but says that unless he gets his way, people will die. He praises temperate discourse but says many of his opponents are liars. He says Medicare is an exemplary program that validates government’s prowess at running health systems. But he also says Medicare is unsustainable and going broke, and that he will pay for much of his reforms by eliminating the hundreds of billions of dollars of waste and fraud in this paragon of a program, and in Medicaid. He says Congress will cut Medicare (it will not) by $500 billion—without affecting benefits.

He says the nation’s economic health depends on controlling health-care costs. Yet so important is the trial bar in financing the Democratic Party, he says not a syllable in significant and specific support of tort reforms that could save hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing “defensive medicine” intended to protect not patients from illnesses but doctors from lawyers. He has said he will not add a dime to the deficit when bringing 47 million people into government-guaranteed health care. But Wednesday night, 17 million went missing: “There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage.” Almost 10 million of the uninsured are not citizens, and most of them are illegal immigrants. Presumably the other 7 million could get insurance but chose not to. Democrats propose fines to eliminate that choice. He suggests health-insurance companies are making excessive profits. But since 1996, profits of the six such companies in the S&P 500 have been below the 500’s average. He says a “public option”—a government insurance program—would not be subsidized to enable it to compete unfairly with private insurers. (The post office and the government’s transportation -”public option,” Amtrak, devour subsidies.) He says the public option is vital for keeping health insurers “honest”—but that it is only a wee “sliver” of reform. About that, Nancy Pelosi -disagrees.

The protests aren’t about one specific issue whether it be health care reform, taxes, banks, jobs.  This isn’t about the color of some-one’s skin.  Can we disagree and not be called a racist?  It’s about keeping government small.  It’s what our founding fathers had in mind.