Sweet Sweet Death. You only live once, so be a good consumer while you're alive, Big Biz is counting on your money

As a youth growing up in the fifties, it seemed as though we were living this carefree existence that was not unlike the lives of those we watched on the old black and white TV every evening.  Uncle Milty dressed up in a dress, (I had a lot of neighbors in Austin that did the same thing) the Cleaver boys got sent to their rooms after doing bad things, and Huntley and Brinkley made moms everywhere sigh dreamily.  Other than those pesky Ruskies causing the incredibly stupid duck and cover drills in every school in America, life was pretty idyllic.  Number one cause of death back then, heart disease.  Not surprising, I, like most everyone else, enjoyed the meat eaters diet along with the best the Western World could provide.  White bread, white rice, minute rice, canned vegetables and a huge artery clogging array of meat products.  Yeah, people got cancer, but just like the crazy uncle that smelled bad and took his clothes off and sat on his porch talking to a tree, nobody talked about it.
Since 1950, the overall cancer rate in the population of the United States has risen 44%.  The incidence of breast cancer and male colon cancer by about 60%; testis, prostate and kidney by 100%; and other cancers, such as malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma and some lymphomas, by over 100%. (1)

America has the highest rate of cancer in the world.  As of today, the estimate is that 1 out of 2 American men and 1 out of 3 American women are expected to develop cancer.  Quite a change from when I was growing up.  Now 1 out of 8 women get breast cancer, and of those women, 1 out of 10 who get breast cancer, it can be linked to genetic causes.  That leaves 9 out of 10 attributed to environmental factors.  (2)

What happened?

The FDA happened, that's what.  The FDA was created to shepherd the food supply of Americans and to prevent contamination and adulteration of fresh and processed foods.  I think that most Americans truly believe that the FDA exists to protect us from dangerous additives, farming practices and poorly processed food products.  Well, it isn't true.  That may have been the original directive, but today, the FDA is overworked, understaffed, and concerned more with taking payoffs and positioning themselves with future jobs in private industry than they are with the concerns of the people whose livelihood they are mandated to protect.  I know that sounds harsh, but their track record speaks for itself.  The numbers of questionable additives to our foods, and into livestock is the highest in the world.  The FDA has taken the philosophy that differs from the rest of the world.  Most other countries look at additives and do not approve them unless they are proven completely safe.  The FDA instead approves new additives on the basis that at that time they have applied for approval, the manufacturer hasn't filed any testing that proves them dangerous.   And even then, if the additive makes tons of money for the manufacturer, then forget about getting rid of it.  Case in point--

Aspartame.  " Dr. Woodrow Monte, who authored the journal article “Aspartame, Methanol and the Public Health” wrote: "...think twice about taking it with your breakfast cereal. Aspartame or Equal, the controversial sweetener virtually forced down the throats of the American FDA by the notorious former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (the president of the company that produced it), turns into Formaldehyde inside your children's bodies. It is well known aspartame or Equal (E951/951) turns into wood alcohol when it is consumed, however, few people realize this wood alcohol morphs into formaldehyde in the cells of the human body. Formaldehyde is a Class 1 causing agent (the world class of carcinogens) and is responsible for everything from sick house syndrome to birth defects."  And   " toxicologist Dr. Adrian Gross told Congress at least one of Searle's studies "has established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals and that this predisposition of it is of extremely high significance."  (3)

I could go on and on about how the FDA is making people sick, and in truth, I have.  (see most of my entries on this blog)  But what good will it do.  It won't change the FDA.  What I hope will happen is that you will begin to look at the ingredient list on everything you buy.  Then look up those additives on the internet.  Bread doesn't need potassium bromate in it!  The stuff is poisonous.  the US is the only country in the world to allow it to be consumed.  Look at everything you buy.  And then tell your friends.  If we, as informed consumers stop purchasing the crap that is presented to us as healthy foods, then perhaps they will stop making it and start making the foods that they are capable of making.  Ones that truly are nutritious, promoting health and vitality.  It is possible, the rest of the world does it.  The Ruskies no longer are a threat, we ourselves are our biggest threat to our health and livelihoods.  Shopping at your local farmers market is something that we all can do and it will not only benefit the economy, scare the crap out of Wall Street do-nothings and corporate big wigs, but it will lead to an improved health and vitality for you and your family.  We all need to be locavores, promoting healthy sustainable agriculture and an improved economic situation with economic growth of small businesses as opposed to the rich getting richer from the multitudes that don't know any better and just shop at the local megamart that sends hundreds of millions in profits to a small family in Arkansas.  Sadly, Arizona, (and Texas) don't have the locavore attitude.  That's something we can all change, here, you can see how we really need to get out of the black.

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