Several months back, the Ministry of Information (formerly the Main Stream Media), began running "news" articles about links between obesity and sugar in soda. More recently, pieces of "information" were subsequently released linking sugared soda to cancer. It is little surprise, therefore, that Big Brother would now be championing additional taxes on this insidious threat to our well being. Now that Big Brother has taken over the reigns of the health of his citizenry, what other causes might be on the horizon?
Well, look no further than breast feeding. Yes, the Ministry of Information has recently been stressing both the economic and health benefits of breast feeding. Will this amount to additional taxes on baby formula, or will we see Rita the Riveter stressing the patriotism of lactation? One can be sure that the creativity of our betters will be evident when the potential of this new revenue stream is fully realized.
Tanstaafl.
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5 comments:
"Yes, the Ministry of Information has recently been stressing both the economic and health benefits of breast feeding." If it is the the Ministry of Information's duty to inform, then it has fulfilled its purpose. Does the media initiate taxes or does it reflect current discussions from government? Research indicates that "not only does phosphoric acid leach calcium from our bones, it also prohibits hydrochloric acid from helping to restore it". Since hcr is heading in the direction of single payer, it would seem a good idea to discourage choices that will lead to long term damage. Btw, references to 1984 have jumped the shark.
The media's job, ostensibly, is to report news, not provide a vehicle to justify the political agenda of one party or the other. Oh, and thanks for letting me know how out of date I am. I guess the constitution isn't the only thing so out of date in this country.
"The media's job, ostensibly, is to report news" I agree with you but I am at a loss to perceive which party is promoting breast-feeding. It is better and has been advocated as such through several administrations. Sorry for the jump the shark remark. I should have added ;-) or a least explained that I have read it more times than I could count. I'll keep reading and nice tie-in with libertarian thought on the HCR vs. the constitution.
I think most people would agree that the mainstream media (e.g. the three major networks, their subsidiaries and CNN along with nearly all major newspapers) lean left. The few who lean right are just as biased in my opinion and no less an issue when conservatives rule the roost. While I understand that objective news is rarely sexy enough to keep the masses tuned it, I don’t support the use of these outlets to present news in support of an agenda.
As you can tell, I don't condone a single payer system, so I don't support anything that makes such a system seem more palatable and/or sustainable. The need to reform our health care system did not require the addition of more of the bureaucracy that has placed us in the position we are in. In my opinion, less regulation would have solved much of the issues. For the remainder, specifically coverage of those who are uncovered by circumstances out of their control, expansion of existing programs should have sufficed until a more permanent solution could be implemented. The argument that these programs (e.g. Medicaid) couldn’t handle the additional coverage is further indication that a government solution is not viable.
Concerning breast feeding, there is little doubt that it is a more natural and beneficial method for feeding the newborn. My concern, however, is when we hear things like "saving billions" by people who supported the health care reform bill. I'm all for saving billions, but I expect that this portends additional tax vehicles and/or new regulations around feeding newborns. As I already feel that the tax system is corrupt, I don’t condone implementing new burdens. This is further complicated by the fact that such new taxes, if proposed, would be used to apply social change. If liberals are smart enough to understand that we can’t legislate morality vis-à-vis abortion, why does this escape them when they attempt to do the same for other social issues?
My wife was unable to successfully breast feed. However, we encountered quite a bit of brow beating following the birth of each of our children because we surrendered to the inevitable: formula. I also have met a few women who suffered emotional stress because of the guilt associated with the act (i.e. they did it because they felt compelled to). My expectation is that getting the government involved will make this situation worse. However, I think that is the case nearly every time the government gets involved.
BTW: thanks for reading and engaging.
You're welcome. I will keep reading your interesting blog. Oh, and tell your wife, if you don't feel guilty when parenting, you probably aren't doing a good job.
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