March 30, 2016
Page 7
O
PINION
The Right to Know How Our Food in Produced
Shouldn’t have
to eat in the dark
J ill r iChardson
I’m sick of writing
about labeling geneti-
cally engineered foods.
I’m sick of it be-
cause there’s really
one thing to say, and
I’ve said it before:
Americans have a right to know
how their food is produced. Peri-
od.
The fact is that most processed
food in the supermarket is genet-
ically engineered. That means
it includes ingredients that have
genes from other species inserted
in their DNA. Nearly every single
American has eaten genetically
engineered foods, but many of us
don’t know it.
Does it matter? That’s up to
each individual.
Just like it’s up to you wheth-
er you care if your food is kosher,
gluten-free, low-carb, or anything
else. You can decide whether it’s
by
worth it to you to buy cage-free
eggs or not, because the eggs are
labeled. That doesn’t take free-
dom away from someone else who
wishes to make a different
choice than you.
The labeling fight is an
old one. Food companies
don’t want to add any la-
bel that might make you
less likely to buy their
products.
For example, they don’t want
to add easy-to-read “traffic light”
labels that give each product a
health rating of green (“Yes! Eat
this!”), yellow (“Think before
you eat”), or red (“This is really
bad for you”). In studies, con-
sumers find these labels really
easy to use — so naturally busi-
nesses that sell junk food hate
them.
On the flipside, food compa-
nies do want to add labels that
make their products look more
attractive — even if the labels are
misleading. Like the time orange
juice from concentrate was misla-
beled as “fresh.” Or when Chee-
rios promised to lower your cho-
lesterol, even though the claim
was unproven.
Sometimes, food manufactur-
ers even make up voluntary label-
ing systems to show consumers
which of their foods are health-
iest, like the corporate-backed
Smart Choices Program that
labeled sugary Froot Loops a
“smart choice.” When pressed,
they defended the claim by not-
ing that Froot Loops cereal is
healthier than, say, a donut.
The pushback against labeling
genetically engineered foods is
simply an admission by manu-
facturers that we wouldn’t want
to eat their food if we knew what
they were putting in it.
You know what, then? Maybe
don’t put it in the food.
But, they tell us, genetically
engineered ingredients are safe.
OK, fine. Put them in the food
and label it. And if you’re afraid
consumers won’t buy it, make
your case to the American people
why we should eat it. Because
Americans shouldn’t have to eat
in the dark. In the land of the free,
we ought to have the freedom to
decide what to put in our mouths.
Speaking of eating in the dark,
Congress is on the brink of pass-
ing legislation that its critics call
the “DARK” Act. That stands
for Deny Americans the Right
to Know, and that’s exactly what
this kind of law would do.
It’s a common game in food
politics: When individual states
finally do what the federal gov-
ernment won’t — as Vermont
recently did by requiring labels
— industry opponents go to Con-
gress to ban the regulations ev-
erywhere.
The tactic is completely un-
democratic.
Whatever you think about ge-
netically engineered foods, Big
Food is proving again and again
that its politics may be its most
unappetizing product of all.
OtherWords columnist Jill
Richardson is the author of Rec-
ipe for America: Why Our Food
System Is Broken and What We
Can Do to Fix It.
Celebrating Six Years of the Affordable Care Act
Obama Cares
narrows the
disparities gap
M arC h. M orial
On March 23, 2010,
President
Barack
Obama signed the Af-
fordable Health Care
Act into law in the East
Room of the White
House.
Six years later, 20
million people who could not af-
ford health insurance or were de-
prived of life-saving coverage be-
cause of a pre-existing condition,
now have health insurance cover-
age. Today, our nation is actively
narrowing the gap on adverse ra-
cial health care disparities.
Today, under the law simul-
taneously loved and reviled as
“Obamacare,” most insurance
plans fully cover preventative
health care services; young
adults, who might have other-
wise been uninsured, get to stay
on their parents’ health insurance
plans until age 26; and women
are no longer forced to pay more
for health insurance because of
their gender.
And that is why I am adding my
voice to the legion of American
voices congratulating the current
administration on its signature
health care law as well as those
by
calling for the necessary reforms
to fix the law’s shortcomings and
ensure that this generation and fu-
ture generations of Americans ex-
perience health care as a right, not
an exclusive and elusive privilege.
From sea to shining sea,
health insurance coverage
gains have been shared
broadly among Ameri-
can communities. African
Americans have the highest
mortality rate of any racial
and ethnic group for cancer
and Latino communities
also suffer from disproportionate
rates of illness, like cervical can-
cer, according to the Department
of Health and Human Services.
Since the law’s hard-fought in-
ception, the number of uninsureds
among African Americans—and
whites—has dropped by over
50 percent. The Hispanic rate
of uninsured has decreased by a
quarter, with almost four million
Hispanic adults gaining coverage
under the law. Over two million
young adults, who were particu-
larly likely to be uninsured after
losing coverage under their par-
ent’s health insurance, are now
guaranteed insurance under their
parent’s health plans until they are
26 years old.
Despite all of these gains, Re-
publicans have continued to label
the Affordable Care Act a disaster.
How can 20 more million Amer-
icans with access to life-saving
health care ever be described as a
disaster?
Yet, the Republicans have been
engaged in a five-year long effort
to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The GOP has busied itself taking
over 50 votes to roll back the law
and put the health of millions of
Americans at risk, but has never
leveled with the American people
about a GOP alternative to the Af-
fordable Care Act.
Rather than take a position
of slash and burn, we need to
save what works and better what
doesn’t.
The Affordable Care Act is not
the first large-scale government
program to face its share of chal-
lenges or wide-spread criticism.
Obamacare shares company with
the Social Security Act, which was
described by a critic as a “fraud
on the working man,” and Medi-
care was widely seen as a threat
to American freedom. Despite the
heated rhetoric, both programs
are still here serving the needs of
Americans.
The Affordable Care Act is
in its sixth year of infancy—and
while the program is no where
near perfect—it is saving lives and
putting an end to insurance prac-
tices that unfairly deny Americans
insurance coverage. Obamacare
has a long, bumpy road of reforms
to travel, but in year six, it has also
come a long way in providing bet-
ter health choices for the Ameri-
can people.
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer of the
National Urban League.
The Law Offices of
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
Portland:
Hillsoboro:
Facsimile:
Email:
(503) 244-2080
(503) 244-2081
(503) 244-2084
Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
Your Carpet
Best Cleaning
Choice
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949