^ n r t l a n b ffib s e ru e r
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May 6.2009
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Free to Make our Own Choices
Leave out the
menu calories
by J ames T erry
Ever ordered a Big Mac, large
fries, and a milkshake while look­
ing for a low -cal m eal? How
a b o u t a B lo o m in ’ O n io n ,
M e lb o u rn e s te a k , a n d 22-
ounce beer at O utback w hile
sh a p in g up fo r th e su m m er
sw im suit season?
Sound ridiculous? T hat’s be­
cause it is. M ost o f us order
meals like that when w e’re in­
dulging. Not when w e’re trying
to lose weight. Som e Oregon
lawmakers, however, don’t want
us making these choices.
A proposed bill w ould force
chain restaurants to print calo­
rie counts on their menus. This
effort w ould im pose m assive
costs on restaurants and likely
result in the disappearance of
scores o f jobs. And it isn’t even
likely to change O regonians'
eating habits, but it w ould take
away some o f the joy associ­
ated w ith a trip to the drive-
thru.
Proponents o f the legislation,
w hich is currently w orking its
way through the Oregon House
o f R e p re se n ta tiv e s, claim it
w ould low er the health costs
associated w ith obesity. This
sounds plausible, but such ef­
forts haven't w orked in the past.
In 1992, for example, the fed­
eral governm ent m andated that
all kinds o f nutritional inform a­
tion be p o ste d on p ack ag ed
food. Now adays, we rarely buy
anything — w hether it's salad
dressing o r cereal -- w ithout
first flipping over the packag­
ing to scope out the "Nutrition
F acts.”
Unfortunately, know ing the
in g re d ie n ts o f o u r fa v o rite
foods hasn't made us thinner.
In fact, O regon's obesity rate
has doubled since 1992. More
than one in four state citizens
are now obese, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
If we aren't w illing to count
calories when buying groceries,
then we sure won't count them
when we're ordering at Burger
King.
A peer-review ed study pub­
lished last year confirm s this.
Researchers at the U niversity
o f M innesota presented survey
participants w ith one o f four
menus, each of which displayed
varying am ounts o f nutritional
inform ation. The menu co n d i­
tions produced "no significant
differences" in consum ption.
So, w hat effect will these la­
bels have? For one, they'll turn
fast food restaurants into th e­
aters o f public shaming. Diners
will no longer be able to enjoy
co m fo rt food w ith o u t fellow
patrons know ing exactly how
many calories they're consum ­
ing.
Do you really w ant your co ­
worker — or even w orse, your
lunch date - rem em bering you
for your 4,000-calorie m eal?
If you don't think this is a 3 0 0 c a lo r ie s in c o n d im e n ts
problem , ju st look at what hap­ alone.
In other words, any govern­
pened at H arvard U niversity.
C afeterias there used to display m ent-m andated calorie count is
nutritional information. But not really ju st an educated guess.
O f course, com ing up with
anym ore. It turns out that even
th
o
se
e d u c a te d
g u esses
o u r n atio n 's b rig h te st young
m inds couldn't handle the em o­ w ouldn't be cheap. R estaurants
tional pressure o f fully disclos­ would be forced to pay for ex ­
ing their caloric intake. 1 don't pensive nutritional analyses o f
all the item s on th eir m enus.
blame them.
Even if m enu labels could Then they'd have to print and
guilt us into eating healthier, d is tr ib u te n ew m e n u s. So
obtaining accurate inform ation O regon's restaurants w ould be
fo r resta u ran t food is nearly looking at tens o f thousands o f
im p o ssib le . M ost re sta u ra n t dollars in new costs.
These costs w ould be passed
dishes are made-to-order. So the
calo rie count, as w ell as the on to consum ers. Rising prices
am ount o f fat, carbohydrates, would lead to falling sales, and
and sodium, is different for each eventually restaurants would be
forced to pare their workforces.
patron.
Take mayonnaise. Each serv­ O regon's restaurants currently
ing contains 10 grams o f fat and employ about 120,000 state resi­
nearly 100 calories. Slap it on dents. Any bill that puts these
each side o f a ham burger bun jo b s at risk in the m iddle o f a
and you're looking at an addi­ recessio n sh o u ld be rejected
tional 200 calories. Throw some outright.
T h e bill also sets a d a n g e r­
ketchup and m ustard on there
and you're consum ing nearly ous p rec ed en t. If w h at w e eat
is the g o v ern m e n t's b u sin ess,
w hat w ill p o litician s do once
m enu-labeling fails to m ake us
slim m er? Will milk shakes and
c h e e s e f r ie s b e c o m e an
adults-only luxury, sold in d is­
c r e e t p a p e r b a g s in s e e d y
d iv e s?
A dvocates o f the bill claim
that m enu-labeling is popular
am ong state residents. But if
that w ere the case, legislative
action w ouldn't be necessary —
a sm art restaurateur w ould in­
clude nutrition inform ation on
his m enu to get a leg up on his
com petitors.
N o one denies that the grow ­
ing prevalence o f obesity is a
serious problem . But m andat­
ing calorie counts on m enus is
not an effective way o f shrink­
in g o u r b u lg in g w a is tlin e s .
A m erican consum ers should be
free to make their own choices -
- good or bad.
James Terry is chief public-
advocate o f the Consumers
Rights League.
The First 100 Days - Then and Now
Valid com parisons to FDR
by D avid B i W oolner
A fter 100 days in office, the
co m p ariso n s b etw een P re si­
dent O bam a and Franklin D.
Roosevelt seem as valid as ever.
Both leaders have had to cope
with an unprecedented global fi­
nancial crisis, a deteriorating
economy, high unemployment,
and an electorate steeped in fear
and apprehension about the fu­
ture.
Both men have also had to
contend with a worldwide se­
curity crisis; inspired in FD R ’s
case by the pernicious ideology
o f fascism , and in P resident
O bam a’s by the rise o f a deadly
form o f international terrorism
driven by religious extremists.
Both men have also had to
sh a re the b le s s in g — o r b u r­
den— o f high expectations, not
only am ong the A m erican pub­
lic, but am ong people the world
over, where their assum ption of
office has been widely heralded
as the beginning o f a new day.
B ut in sp ite o f th e se and
other similarities, there are some
striking d iffe ren ce s betw een
their first 100 days that may pro­
vide the current President and
his colleagues in Congress with
some food for thought.
O ne clear distinction is the
reaction o f the Republican C on­
g ressio n al le a d e rsh ip to the
P re sid en t’s initial leg islativ e
agenda. In F D R ’s day, many
R e p u b lic a n s n o t o n ly r e ­
sp o n d e d p o s itiv e ly to th e
President’s call for bi-partisan-
ship, they also lent their sup­
port to som e o f the m ost sig­
nificant m easures to com e out
W. James Singleton
Attorney at Law
If you or a loved one have sustained serious Injury or
death you may have a cause of action:
1) . Rapttva - used to treat Psoriasis but can cause rare brain
in fe ction known as PML (P ro g re s sive M ultifoca l
Leukoencephalopathy), various m alignancies, Viral
Meningitis, Invasive Fungal Disease, Anemia and Bacterial
Sepsis
2) . Gadolinium - injected into bloodstream to enhance MRI/
MRA screenings but can cause NSF(Nephrogenic Systemic
Fibrosis) which can lead to kidney or renal failure. Symptoms
may include swelling, hardening and tightening of the skin,
reddened or darkened patches of skin, burning and itching
of skin, yellow raised spots on the whites of eyes and
stiffening of joints.
3) . Reglan used to treat heart burn and gastroesophagel or
acid reflux but can cause temporary/permanent involuntary
movement (tardive dyskinesia) which can effect the face,
and other parts of the body. It has also been known to
cause Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome which symptoms
include high fever, sweating, unstable blood pressure, stupor,
muscular rigidity and autonomic dysfunction.
o f the 1(X) days, including the
Federal Em ergency R elief A ct
and the estab lish m en t o f the
Tennessee Valley A uthority or
TVA— our nation’s first electric
public utility.
In s h o rt, th is “ u n p r e c ­
edented national em erg en cy ’’
Both Obama and Roosevelt
had to share the blessing—or
burden—o f high expectations.
m et w ith u n p rec ed en ted n a ­
tio n a l c o o p e r a tio n , a m o n g
dem ocrats and republicans, and
am ong the executive and legis­
lative branches o f governm ent.
A second clear d istin ctio n
in v o lv es A m eric a’s stan d in g
overseas. A lthough FD R did
not attend, he sent a high level
delegation (led by his Secretary
Medical Devices:
6) . Mentor 0B Tape - vaginal mesh sling used to treat bladder
incontinence in women but can cause severe infection,
extreme vaginal pain, vaginal extrusion and urinary tract
erosion.
7) . Duragesic Pain Patch - used to treat pain but patch may
leak and cause inadequate treatment or a fatal fentanyl/
morphine overdose
The Singleton Law Firm
8 7 7 6 3 1 -5 2 0 0
www.slngletonlaw.com
Unnwra a t
the Slnglaton L a * Firm a n admitted to practice l a * In Loulalana
and Taaaa. In other /urladlctlont. are work with local countol
bal econom ic crisis, FD R fa­
m ously “torpedoed" the co n ­
ference by rejecting a tem po­
ra ry c u r r e n c y s ta b iliz a tio n
agreem ent that was negotiated
in London and seen as critical
to the ability of the conference
to continue its work. His deci­
sion to do so— particularly af­
ter the term s o f the tem porary
agreem ent had been secured—
greatly disappointed the B rit­
ish, French and other d elega­
tions. A s a result, his interna­
tional reputation suffered for a
tim e an d th e re w ere fears—
w h ich s u b s e q u e n tly p ro v e d
unfounded— that FDR was an
econom ic nationalist.
By c o n tra s t. P re s id e n t
O bam a’s perform ance at the re­
cent G-20 meeting in London has
been a 10-strike. The President
m ay n o t h av e g o tte n all he
wanted in London, but his will­
ingness to listen to and work with
the leaders o f the w orld’s lead­
ing industrialized nations, along
with his ensuing visits to France
and Turkey, have restored the
international com m unity’s faith
in American leadership and sig­
nificantly enhanced the confi­
dence o f people the world over
that together we will get through
this crisis.
This last point brings us back
to the m ost significant sim ilar­
ity between the two m en— their
ability to inspire hope in m o­
m ents o f despair and their w ill­
ingness to act.
FDR, like President Obam a,
never lost faith in the ability of
the A m erican people to restore
the nation to prosperity. But he
u n d ersto o d that gov ern m en t,
w hich he w isely called “o u r­
selves and not an alien pow er
over us," had a vital role to play
in this process.
B y re sto rin g the p e o p le ’s
faith in governm ent, then, FDR
in essence restored their faith
in themselves. President Obama
and our leadership in Congress
w ould be w ise to do the same.
David B. Woolner is senior
vice president o f the Franklin
and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.
High Schoolers Left Behind
Time to teach
‘outside the box’
by J udge G reg
M athis
Signed am id controversy in
2001, the N o Child Left Behind
law shook up
th e n a tio n ’s
p u b lic e d u c a ­
tio n sy s te m .
S ch o o ls w ere
no w h eld a c ­
c o u n ta b le for
stu d en t ac h ie v em e n t; if stu ­
dents continually failed to meet
m inim um test scores, schools
w e re p la c e d o n p r o b a tio n .
Classroom instruction m ethods
w ere ch an g ed , too, w ith in-
creased focus placed on ‘teach­
ing to the te s t', tak in g aw ay
from more in-depth instruction.
Several years have now gone
by, giving analysts enough time
to assess how the law, if at all,
im pacts student perform ance.
From 1999 to 2004, elem entary
school younger black students
m ade big gains in their stan­
dardized test scores. In 1999, the
black-w hite gap in math scores
for nine year old students was
28 points. Black students in that
The continued gap between
minority and white high school
students must not be ignored.
A ccording to the Civil Rights
Project, NCLB isn't working. At
le a s t n o t fo r m in o rity h ig h
school students.
The study looked test scores
for three g roups o f students.
age group closed the racial gap
in math scores by nearly 50 per­
cent ju st five years later w hile
black 13 y ear olds increased
their math score 11 points over
the same five year period. Black
_____________THE_____________
SPINACOLUMN
4) . Propylthiouracil - used to treat Grave's (thyroid) disease
in children but can cause severe liver damage or death.
5) . Permax - used to manage tremors and slowness of
movement associated with Parkinson’s Disease or Restless
Leg Syndrome. Can cause damage to the mitral, aortic and
tricuspid heart valves, which includes leakage of these
valves.
o f State, Cordell H ull) to G reat
Britain in June 1933 to attend
the long anticipated “London
M onetary and Econom ic C o n ­
ference.”
A ttended by 66 nations, and
convened to bring about an in­
ternational response to the glo­
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about America's natural healing profession
Dr Billy R, Flowers
Part 18. Chiropractic And Prevention:
Life doesn't have to be a series o f emergencies anymore
: It seems that I am always
sick. I do w hat my doctor
says but if anything my colds
and flu attacks are getting
worse. W hat do you think?
¡Constant colds and influ­
enza indicate that the im ­
m une system (and the body in
general) is highly stressed. Did
you know that recently lead­
ing scientists have discovered
that the entire im m une system
is an out-grow th o f the n er­
vous system ? If you nervous
system is stressed and irri­
tated, the imm une system can-
not work properly either. People y o u 'd be am azed at the energy
w ho have regular Chiropractic you have with preventive C hi­
checkups report that they get ropractic checkups. If y o u ’d
few crcolds and influenza. They like to trade in y o u r co ld s for
keep the stress o ff their nervous a b o u n ce in y o u r step, call us
systems. Keeping irritation off for an ap p o in tm en t today. It
the nervous system also helps co u ld be the h ea lth iest call
you avoid m orning backache you h av e e v e r m ade. Is n ’t
and head-aches and allow s you tim e you step p ed up to C h i­
to cope with stress better. And ro p ra ctic?
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon 97212
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 *5 5 0 4
17 year olds, how ever, only in­
creased their score 2 points.
While the improvements made
by younger students should be
celebrated, the continued gap
between minority and white high
school students must not be ig­
nored. Graduation rates in black
and Latino com munities still lag
behind those o f whites and, in
urban areas, the dropout rates
fo r stu d en ts o f co lo r are as-
toundingly high.
More important than meeting
the standards o f NCLB should
b e p r e p a rin g th e s e h ig h
schools students for life o u t­
side o f the classroom . Individu­
als with a high school diplom a
will eam m ore m oney over their
life tim e than som eone w ithout
one and are less likely to live in
poverty. The jo b m arket is in­
creasin g ly co m p etitiv e; high
school dropouts have few o p ­
tions for em ploym ent.
In stead o f so lely fo cu sin g
on te st sc o re s, th e n a tio n ’s
e d u c a tio n sy ste m n e e d s to
d iv ersify the w ay it helps stu ­
d e n ts le a rn . P ro g ra m s th a t
te a c h “ o u ts id e o f th e b o x ”
m ust be dev elo p ed .
Part o f our jo b as a nation is
to ensure all o f our children re­
ceive the best possible educa­
tio n w e can p ro v id e . S in c e
N C L B sets th e sta n d a rd by
which all schools are measured,
we must work to ensure it takes
into account the learning gap
b etw een m in o rity and w hite
high school and creates a plan
for addressing it.
Judge Greg Mathis is vice
president o f Rainbow PUSH
and a board member o f the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference.