John Mackey's solution to the health care "crisis"

[Magox]

Would we even be talking about health care reform if only a few million people were uninsured?

I would also venture to go out on a limb and say that if the cost of health insurance were to be reduced that there would be a direct correlation with the amount of people being provided coverage.

 

I know, crazy

[DC Tom]

The organic food industry is an unsustainable, high-carbon-footprint leaving load of crap.

 

That promotes world hunger.

 

And is unregulated to the point that the "organic" label is meaningless. I could slap "organic" on a box of rocks, for all it means.

[Gene Frenkle]

That promotes world hunger.

 

And is unregulated to the point that the "organic" label is meaningless. I could slap "organic" on a box of rocks, for all it means.

And people would pay through the nose for your organic box of rocks. I swear, the more I learn about how these "all natural" and "organic" and "herbal" foods/remedies are almost completely unregulated, misrepresented, ineffective and overpriced, the more I'm tempted to start producing Homeopathic cures for all that ails. People are generally retarded when it comes to woo woo.

 

It's too bad my Agnostic conscience and morals get in the way. Faith Healers and the like don't seem to share my dilemma.

[Fingon]

And people would pay through the nose for your organic box of rocks. I swear, the more I learn about how these "all natural" and "organic" and "herbal" foods/remedies are almost completely unregulated, misrepresented, ineffective and overpriced, the more I'm tempted to start producing Homeopathic cures for all that ails. People are generally retarded when it comes to woo woo.

 

It's too bad my Agnostic conscience and morals get in the way. Faith Healers and the like don't seem to share my dilemma.

Yes, organic food is one of the biggest scams out there. There have been numerous studies which show that eating organic food has no affect on life expectancy.

[John Adams]

Yes, organic food is one of the biggest scams out there. There have been numerous studies which show that eating organic food has no affect on life expectancy.

 

And yet Whole Foods produce kicks the everloving crap out of any store around here--or even the Holy Wegmans. Organic or not, they run a better food store AND it's not full of corn syrup.

[Booster4324]

And yet Whole Foods produce kicks the everloving crap out of any store around here--or even the Holy Wegmans. Organic or not, they run a better food store AND it's not full of corn syrup.

 

I still think corn syrup is relatively safe compared to other sugars.

 

http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2006/145.html

 

You just have to pick foods with less sugar, you either have the willpower to avoid it, or don't.

 

[Chef Jim]

Yes, organic food is one of the biggest scams out there. There have been numerous studies which show that eating organic food has no affect on life expectancy.

 

Organic farming is more about the health of the farm not the consumer.

[Fingon]

Organic farming is more about the health of the farm not the consumer.

That's not the way that it's marketed.

[Gene Frenkle]

And yet Whole Foods produce kicks the everloving crap out of any store around here--or even the Holy Wegmans. Organic or not, they run a better food store AND it's not full of corn syrup.

The only real real reasons why a rational person might buy organic food on a regular basis is the taste, shopping experience, etc... If you're banking on the nutritional difference or overall health of organic vs. non-organic, you're only fooling yourself and paying for a misinformed lifestyle. As was pointed out, like many "processed" foods, corn syrup is not necessarily the evil substance that it is made out to be.

 

The one that I really have to laugh at is "GM" foods. Every food we eat today has been genetically modified over many many years by way of artificial human selection. Even the "organic" foods. You probably wouldn't recognize half of the fruits and vegetables at Whole Foods if you saw them in their natural state, say 200 or 300 years ago.

[Wacka]

Potatoes and corn are two great examples.

The original ears of corn were about two inches long.

potatoes looked nothing like they do now. On Dirty Jobs, the potato farm he wsa at is growing purple potatoes. Taste the same, just have a mutation to make the interior purple.

[DC Tom]

That's not the way that it's marketed.

 

Or at least not the way they're bought.

[GG]

And yet Whole Foods produce kicks the everloving crap out of any store around here--or even the Holy Wegmans. Organic or not, they run a better food store AND it's not full of corn syrup.

 

As long as you believe it and it's your paycheck, suit yourself.

[Kelly the Dog]

As long as you believe it and it's your paycheck, suit yourself.

 

At $6.83 per carrot, it better kick ass.

[DC Tom]

At $6.83 per carrot, it better kick ass.

 

Worth more per pound than silver, Dwight...

[billsfan89]

Here is my problem with the whole health care debate. During the 2004 Election of Bush vs Kerry they had debates on health care. Kerry proposed more government intervention but never really got into any specifics about the whole issue (He didn't say he wanted a single payer system but yet he didn't say that he did not want it either) than we had Bush proposing the things that that article said. Yet when Bush got reelected he never did sh-- about it even with 2 years with the house and senate.

 

In fact since the Clinton health care failed the right has kept saying Oh no government is bad all we need to do is fix the system so more people have access to private care. They stuck to things like going from paper to digital for records, pooling purchasing power for small business, reforming malpractice, and doing things like removing state to state restricitions on buying policies. Yet for 8 years Bush did nothing none of those things have yet to happen and some of those things might not work.

 

To me it almost seems like these talking points are the alternative that is never going to happen. Yet the left can't get it straight either. They don't want a single payer system but they want government to be more involved. Obama proposed a post office like public option to keep insurance honest and give everyone an addition choice. Now that the right has struck that down with both illegitimate points (OBAMA IS GOING TO KILL YOUR GRANDMOTHER) and legitimate points (Where is the money going to come from and can it run with out being subsidized) the left can't tell me whats in the Bill.

 

Now Obama is trying to offer Co-Ops as a more feasible public intervention (I in concept like the idea of Co-ops but we will see if that can be executed on a large level) but the biggest thing Obama has failed to do is tell me what is actually in the Bill which leads to dick heads spreading hyperbolic fear like we are going to have death panels. To me we need to sort through all the BS and talking points and see what is going to make our system better.

 

Also I would like to point out that the stimulus package did contain 20 Billion dollars to computerize health records so the stimulus wasn't all BS as some would have you believe (Also put in 11 Billion to make smarter electric grids I read a Wired article about both things honestly some of the stimulus is reinvesting in things we needed to fix but the whole question is can we afford it and some of it is pork).

 

Anyway that is my rant on health care and how both ends of the political spectrum drive me !@#$ing nuts.

[John Adams]

That's not the way that it's marketed.

 

Not true. What much of modern farming does to the earth is abhorrent.

[Gene Frenkle]

At $6.83 per carrot, it better kick ass.

[Gene Frenkle]

Not true. What much of modern farming does to the earth is abhorrent.

Small farms leave a much larger carbon footprint and are a much less efficient use of the land that they take up. Like so many things, it's counter-intuitive but worth doing the research on the actual numbers.

[John Adams]

Small farms leave a much larger carbon footprint and are a much less efficient use of the land that they take up. Like so many things, it's counter-intuitive but worth doing the research on the actual numbers.

 

(Wonders whether it's worth discussing facts and science with you. Decides it is not.)

 

Thanks for steering me straight. I'm going to go buy some petroleum-fertilized produce now. And also get me some corn-fed and chemically-immunized cow meat.

[DC Tom]

(Wonders whether it's worth discussing facts and science with you. Decides it is not.)

 

Thanks for steering me straight. I'm going to go buy some petroleum-fertilized produce now. And also get me some corn-fed and chemically-immunized cow meat.

 

Good for you! Industrial farming techniques = increased yield per acre = less people go hungry.

 

Although if you want to be really responsible, you'd cut out beef entirely.