Bloomburg is trying to make NY more healthy – I kind of love him

Mayor Bloomberg Declares War On … Salt

Hizzoner Calls On U.S. Manufacturers To Reduce Salt Content Until It Results In A 50 Percent Cut In 10 Years

Citizens Revolt, Claim NYC Is Turning Into Nanny State

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Singer Jimmy Buffett will never find his “lost shaker of salt” in New York City or any other place in the country if Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way. The mayor is waging a war on salt and he wants food manufacturers and restaurants to join his army … or else.

It’s ironic that the war on salt began on the very day the city was spreading tons of it on the streets to fight a snow storm, but in Bloomberg’s view there is good salt … and bad salt.

City officials said that people don’t realize the salt content of the things they buy in the supermarket. For example, potato chips you would think are the saltiest thing in the store but they have only 180 milligrams per serving. Turkey meatballs, on the other hand, have 660 milligrams per serving. Marble cake has 300 per serving and chicken noodle soup has nearly 1,400 milligrams of salt per serving.

The city’s plan is to get food manufacturers in the United States to agree to gradually start reducing salt content until it reaches a 50 percent cut in 10 years.

“Salt, when its high in the diet, increases the blood pressure and high blood pressure is a major factor for heart disease and stroke,” said Dr. Sonia Angell of NYC’s Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program.

This is just Mayor Bloomberg’s latest health initiative, following on the heels of a smoking ban, a ban on trans fats and forcing restaurants to post the calorie contents.

But many New Yorkers peppered the mayor with boos for his latest idea.

“I don’t think they should do that,” a woman in Manhattan named “Nora” told CBS 2 HD. “Because I like salt in my food.”

“I don’t think it’s that big a deal to look on the label, check the packaging and make the decision for yourself rather than have Bloomberg or whoever mandate what it is people should or shouldn’t eat,” said Paul Hope of Upper West Side.

“Nanny state. We don’t need any more nanny state people can take care of themselves. We don’t need the government to take care of us,” said Patrick Keenan of Hell’s Kitchen.

The city says it doesn’t want to eliminate salt in food, just go back to the levels found during the 1970s.

Thomas Frieden, the city’s health commissioner, said he wants manufacturers and restaurants to join the war on salt voluntarily. If they don’t, the city could pass legislation making it the law.

Love it! I LOVE New York City mayors, they always do such great things! First reducing graffiti and turnstyle jumpers to decrease crime, now making the city healthier.

I think it’s obnoxious that people are “revolting.” I fully support Mayor Bloomberg in this effort, there is far too much salt on food today and people say they “like” it when they wouldn’t even notice if it wasn’t there – most of it is there for preservative purposes. My favorite quote:

“I don’t think they should do that,” a woman in Manhattan named “Nora” told CBS 2 HD. “Because I like salt in my food.”

Really? Who is this woman, Nora? Does she have an education? Does she weigh 300 lbs? Does she cook at home? Does she know that most of the time one cannot taste the salt? I love the people news channels choose to interview.

I also think it’s amazing that in the interview someone says to let people decide for themselves. I recognize this is a free country and all, but something has got to be done about the rising number of diabetes cases in this country, the number of obese children (who incidentally are the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents), the number of high blood pressure and heart attacks, etc. People are so uneducated about health, despite efforts that (I feel) they aren’t qualified to make a decision for themselves here. Our government is put in place to look out for our well being and represent us – I feel that this is what Mayor Bloomburg is doing and I applaud it.

I support Mayor Bloomburg in his efforts to reduce the population’s sodium intake and would gladly tell him he has my support!

Stimulus Package through the House

It’s totally crazy to me that the stimulus package can make its way through the House and move on to Congress when not a single member of an entire party voted for it. So much for all the “bipartisan” talk. I mean, doesn’t it say something that the entire Repulican population of the House was against it?

I will totally grant that the Repulican party is pretty unpopular right now, and therefore in the minority, but it is still quite a large chunk of the population that these people are representing.

It really bothers me that the Stimulus package can make it through scot free without a compromise from both sides so that there is more agreement. I completely understand that you’re never going to appease everyone – that is a given, but really, not a single Republican.

Stimulating the economy with condoms now?

$335,000,000 FOR STD PREVENTION IN ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL
Wed Jan 28 2009 09:58:30 ET

Democrats may have eliminated provisions on birth control and sod for the National Mall in the “job stimulus” — but buried on page 147 of the bill is stimulation for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases!

The House Democrats’ bill includes $335 million for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

In the past, the CDC has used STD education funding for programs that many Members of Congress find objectionable and arguably unrelated to a mission of economic stimulus [such as funding events called 'Booty Call' and 'Great Sex' put on by an organization that received $698,000 in government funds.]

“Whether this funding has merit is not the question; the point is it has no business in an economic plan supposedly focused on job creation,” says a stimulated Hill source.

Alright, so I can atleast understand (while I wildly disagree with) the argument to fund abortions through the stimulous package, but what is the argument here? The abortion thing didn’t work, so instead this is their work around and they’re going to try to hand out millions of dollars worth of condoms?

I honestly can’t see how this is economically stimulating. It doesn’t seem to be creating jobs, or putting money back into the economy. It’s like congress has a friend who they are just handing over $335M to. I mean, STD education? Really?

While I’m all for a healthy American people, I really just don’t see the stimulous here.

Escalators

So if you’ve ever ridden an escalator in New York you probably know you stand on the right and you walk on the left.

When I get off the train in the am I try to be the first one out the doors so I can be the first one to the escalator, otherwise I end up getting stuck behind someone who just wants to stand there or takes 10 seconds for 2 stairs. This annoyance of mine has led me to a theory. I theorize that these people who stand on the escalator, rather than walk up it (all knee and back problems aside) most likely hate their jobs. I walk up because I want to get to work. They stand because they don’t want to go to work. It’s that much more time before sitting down in front of their computers.

So, I have decided that these people who stand on the escalator either have no where to be or are that much less happy with their lives than myself. I think it sounds like a reasonable take away. If you want to get where you’re going you will show it in the speed with which you try to get there.

I might not have hit the nail head on, but I think it’s food for thought.

I always wanted to teach

When I was little and you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I said a teacher. Sometimes I still want to be a teacher. I can’t handle little kids for very long though. I’ve always wanted to teach high school english. 10th or 11th grade.

I think that if at any time in the soon to near future (I know it’s not likely, but it’s still possible) I somehow end up jobless that I will seriously look into teaching. I know that I would need a teaching certificate, but I’m not sure what else is necessary. I think it’s something I would really enjoy.

2009 Job Cuts

I was reading a Bloody Monday article on CNN Money last night and it’s all so sad. Over 207,000 jobs lost so far. I found this chart that breaks down where cuts have been made – it seems like it’s missing a lot of companies (GM, Ford, all the banks, etc), but I think that is because it’s from 2009 only – nothing before the New Year.

I was reading yesterday that the economy is not expected to get better until at least the end of the year and that it may get worse. It’s so scary to think about how much more job loss there will potentially be – and then to start thinking about who is actually safe? I mean, I guess teachers are. But who else? Even doctors aren’t necessarily safe. Sure, people still get sick, but hospitals are still a business and they can still lose money and lay off or close things down. Travel is down, gas/oil consumption is down, retail numbers are down, the housing market is down, I’m sure restaurant/the service industry numbers are down…

I was talking to my mom last night about the last time the economy was really like this with job loss and all. She said it was the 80’s and at that time, a job and the economy were definitely not on my priority list, so I don’t really remember things being bad. But it is a little comforting to think that I don’t see any lasting effects areound me from the 80’s. When I am around my grandparents, I do see lasting effects on them of the depression. They still wash and reuse plastic bags, plastic dishes that I would throw away, buy only clothes that are on sale, save everything, clip coupons, etc.

I take comfort in the thought that what is happening around me is like the 80’s as opposed to the 30’s and hope things don’t get worse. The idea of another depression is so scary.

Oops, sorry, I didn’t see you there

This morning at the gym I was watching SportsCenter and this video made me gasp. How does that happen?? Really? You really didn’t see his head there??

More from Pelosi

Pelosi: Cutting Poor Babies Accelerates Economic Growth
by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace

(2009-01-25) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News’ George Stephanapolous Sunday that the Democrat’s economic stimulus bill, containing hundreds of millions of dollars for “family planning” services for the poor, will make real cuts in the number of low-income people, thereby saving taxpayer dollars, and increasing average income for everyone.

“Poor people are a luxury we just can’t afford,’ said Rep. Pelosi, “They cost us a lot of money to maintain; what with food stamps, housing and health care. So if we can rapidly reduce the number of poor people through contraception and abortion, that’s a net gain for federal and state budgets, and a fast track to economic recovery. Every poor baby prevented is like money in the bank.”

A spokesman for Planned Parenthood, the world’s leading abortion sales chain, confirmed Mrs. Pelosi’s assertion, noting that “even if the stimulus bill helps harvest only the low-hanging fruit by reducing live births among blacks and hispanics, that would be a major boost, since minorities comprise nearly 50 percent of those on Medicaid.”

Planned Parenthood continues to lobby Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration to include even more funding in the stimulus bill for better marketing efforts to attract minority women who have not yet considered abortion as “a viable lifestyle choice.”

“Despite our best efforts to date,” the source said, “only 1-in-5 pregnancies ends in abortion. We need the marketing money to spur growth in what we call our frequent-flier segment. Blacks make up only about 13 percent of the population, yet they have 40 percent of the abortions. We still think there’s real upside potential there.”

The spokesman added that, “Planned Parenthood, since its inception, has been the Sam’s Club of abortions for minority communities. We keep the product cheap so our customers can buy in large quantities. What we lose in profit per procedure we more than make up for in volume. Of course, our work also helps reduce racial tensions by adhering to time-tested Darwinian principles.”

 

While I may agree with some of those statements I just can’t morally accept funding abortions.  I agree that the fat lady with no job and 4 kids doesn’t need another one, I also agree that parents should take care of their children and that my tax money shouldn’t have to do that.  I just wish someone would come up with a better solution.  While I realize this is the easiest, easy isn’t always best.

Birth Control might have been the answer to keeping Nancy Pelosi out of office

I honestly hate Nancy Pelosi, I think the woman is terrible and I despise that she is the second most powerful person in Congress.  She, in my mind, is the prime example of someone who somehow stumbled up to the top.  This article is currently on Drudge Report:

PELOSI SAYS BIRTH CONTROL WILL HELP ECONOMY
Sun Jan 25 2009 22:13:43 ET

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic “stimulus” package, claiming “contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.”

Pelosi, the mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren, who once said, “Nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom,” seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury.

The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC’s THIS WEEK.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those – one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

Developing…

Wall-E

So I saw Wall E for the first time yesterday.  Oh my gosh, it is SO adorable!  I’m totally in love with Wall E.  I actually really want to watch it again.  I know it sounds stupid because it is an animated movie, but I felt to many emotions for him.  He was so cute and loveable and induced lots of laughter, but at times I felt really, really bad for him.  I was also amazed at how smart and resourceful he is.  Loved that movie!