To Matthew Jolly,
I would like to thank you for a great semester! I really did enjoy your class! I would really like to know what you thing of the final things that we did in class. The evaluation of ourselves, our presentation, and the sonnets. Your opinion in valued and I think that we all look forward to your comments! Thanks for the great semester. It was very enlightening!Hope you and anyone reading this as a wonderful Holiday season! God bless!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
GMO’s Friend or Foe
Hunger! It is everywhere! There is not a country that doesn’t have people in it’s population that are not feeling the pangs of it. It is a Global issue that desperately needs to be addressed. The price of global wheat rose 77% in 2007. The price of rice increased by 16% but has risen much faster in 2008, 141% in the months from January-April alone. The World Food Bank estimates the total to be 83% over the past 3 yrs.. An AP photo was taken by Ariana Cubillos at Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on January 25, 2008 that depicts vendors selling cookies made of dirt, salt, and vegetable shortening. These were being sold to the poor Haitians so that they could stave off hunger. There are riots occurring all over the world. In the above mentioned country of Haiti six people were killed in food riots in April of this year. In Egypt, schools and businesses were burned because of this problem. At least 23 other countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico, the Philippines, Senegal and Yemen have all seen major protests (The Price of Food). Something needs to be done, but what?
Almost all experts agree that in the short-term the richer developed nations well need to increase their aid to less developed countries. A task force was set up in April 2008 by the U.N. that would aid in soliciting $755 million dollars in food aid and the pursuit of more permanent solutions to this growing problem. There have been many long-term proposals that include: reducing trade barriers on food products, limiting the production of bio-fuels, and improving agricultural productivity through research and aid to developing countries. This would include helping farmers in under-developed countries to get the equipment that they need to get crops planted and harvested efficiently( The Price of Food). I think that we can all agree on the fact that hunger and food shortages are huge issues in this world and we need to figure out a solution before it is too late.
This issue is an on-going problem and is not going to be solved over night by any means. One of the “solutions” that has been proposed by some major seed companies in America are the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) There are many people in this country that have no idea what this technology is much less what the controversies of this topic are. That is why it is imperative to put this issue on the front burner when speaking of the global food crisis. So, what are a GMO’s ? They are defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. They have many names, some call it “modern technology” or “gene technology” some call it “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering” but for this presentation we will simply refer to the abbreviated term GMO. The process involves selecting a gene or genes from one organism and transferring them into another non-related organism(Varzakas).This process allows scientists to manipulate the character of a plant so that it can become more resistant to things like plant diseases caused by insects and viruses and through making the plants more resistant to herbicides. They claim to be developing a product that will be lower in price to produce , be more durable, and have greater nutritional value than other crops. They also claim to be able to increase the yield per acre of land and thereby solving the food shortages(Varzakas). This process sounds good on the surface but there is more to this issue than what meets the eye.
GMO seeds were first developed by an American seed company named Monsanto. Other seed companies have followed suit and also started offering this technology, Syngenta and Dow are two of the main ones. These companies have a vested interest in their products because they obviously want to make a profit on the technology. Monsanto has 60% of their money invested in these bio-tech seeds. Syngenta has about 20% invested and Dow has about10%. The main seeds that are being sold at this time are soybeans, maize(corn), cotton, and potatoes(Varzakas) and there has been a steady rise in the demand for these seeds. More than half of the crops in the U.S., including nearly all of the soybeans and 70% of the corn are genetically modified and within the last 5 yrs. China, Brazil, and India have increased their use of these products(17 million acres in China and India alone).(Hindo) Monsanto and other companies just like them are gaining some ground by “dangling carrots” of greater yields and the use of less chemicals to farmers who are trying to keep their farms afloat and increase their profits. It should be noted at this time that GM crops are proving disastrous for agriculture, as roundup ready resistant superweeds have already emerged and the Bt cottons that has been grown in India has failed disastrously, adding substantially to farmers suicides, while Bt pests have evolved(Mae-Wan). Monsanto may be winning the war on the use of GMO’s by dangling these carrots and not fully disclosing all that they know about their products but that does not mean that this course of action is the right course, or the safest course for the world to follow.
There have been numerous tests and experiments done on the effects of GMO’s and whether they are safe to use in this world. In the realm of agriculture alone there are numerous concerns. Genes from these crops will be able to contaminate non-GMO crops and wild plants, and that, coupled with the new herbicide tolerant plants may seriously threaten bio-diversity in agricultural areas(Varzakas). This could lead to a weakening of the whole ecco-system. In simple terms, the more diversity of plants that there is the more likelihood that if one crop fails because of some disease or pestilence there will be others that will survive and thus guard against total destruction. Another concern is that GM crops that resist pests will also have adverse impact on beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies that pollinate plants. Gm crops that express proteins that are toxic to pests may also be toxic to humans and it is nearly impossible to know what new allergies may develop from their use. Also, antibiotics resistance could easily be passed on to pathogens and lessen the effectiveness of important drugs(Varzakas). Two test areas were studied in Spain to get some idea about the dangers of what is referred to as out crossing of GM crops with conventional crops of corn and the results found that there is indeed a range and a zone that GM crops will crossover and contaminate other crops. It was found that there needed to be a distance of at least 20 meters to maintain a certain amount of security and to keep the pollen of the GM crops from contaminating the conventional crops. This amounts to approximately 0.9% of the area around the borders of the conventional crop.(Messeguer). This may not seem like much to you and I but the risk of cross-contamination could be devastating to the organic farmer. By the summer of 2000, virtually all of the tested organic corn samples from the mid-west showed some degree of GM contamination, said the Director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, Fred Kirchenmann. It was also found that GM contamination destroyed the small but promising Canadian organic canola market. Janet Jacocobson, the president of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agricultural Society, also added that she didn’t know of any organic farmers who could assure the purity of their organically grown corn, soybeans, or canola.(Mother Earth News). This article was written in 2002, imagine what in may be like now in 2008!
There have been various experiments done on animals to determine the safety of ingesting GM foods with interesting results. Female rats that were supplemented with GM Roundup Ready soybeans gave birth to many severely stunted pups, with over ½ of the litter dead by 3 weeks. The surviving pups were sterile! These findings came from the laboratory of Irina Ermakova at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. GM soya has been commercialized worldwide for food and feed since 1996.(Mae-Wan) Interestingly enough there has been numerous reports from farmers that they have noticed that, when given a choice animals instinctively refuse to eat GM grains. Bill Lashmet, a farmer, decided to fill one of his troughs with Bt corn and the other with natural shelled corn. He found that every single one of his cows sniffed the Bt corn then went to the natural corn and ate it instead. Steven Sprinkel Yankton wrote an article in an Agricultural magazine, Acres USA, in 1999 that stated that according to numerous Corn Belt farmers, hogs won’t eat their full rations if GM crops are in the trough. It was also reported that the raccoons would raid the organic corn fields and wouldn’t touch the GM corn. He also described one farmer as observing that a herd of forty deer were "mowing down his tofu beans” while there wasn’t even one doe gnawing on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soy crop. It was also found that rats that were forced to eat a brand of tomato called FlavrSavr developed problems. Out of the 40 rats tested several developed stomach lesions, and 7 out of the 40 died within a few weeks. DR Arpad Pusztai, a Hungarian scientist from the Rowett Research Institute in the U.K. did extensive research on GM potatoes with a natural pesticide-a lectin that is found in snowdrops. He fed the lectin to his rats in large doses and they seemed to cause no ill effects. Then he spliced the lectin directly into the DNA of a potato plant and fed that to his rats. He found that this potato caused his rats to develop weakened immune systems, damage to the thymus and spleen, and less developed brains, livers, and testicles. Others had enlarged pancreases and intestines and these symptoms started showing up in a mere 10 days. Another interesting thing that he discovered was that the subsequent plants had about 20% less nutritional value than the parent plant. Dr. Pusztai was reported to have said that after his tests he would never eat GM food again.(Goodall)
So what are the benefits in the use of GMO’s? The initial objective for developing plants based on GM organisms was to improve crop protection through the introduction of seeds resistant to diseases caused by insects or viruses or through increased plant tolerance to herbicides.(GMO’s production, regulation, and marketing).The idea here being that it will take less pesticide and herbicide applications to control pests and weeds. They claim that GM seeds are easier and cheaper to grow(Hindo). They have been touted as being more nutritional (Varzakas) and a solution for world hunger T ( The Price of Food).
The risks involved with the use of GM products are varied and many. There is an extreme risk to the environment with the institution of GM crops. Not only are there risks of cross-contamination of conventional and organic crops there has also been evidence presented that shows that there is a danger to the beneficial insects as well as the pests. It was stated by Chuck Benbrook the Director of the Northwest Science and Policy Center in Sandpoint, Idaho that “every family of chemicals has about a decade before the targeted pests become immune” (Mother Earth News).This ultimately means that they will build up a resistance to the process and new and more potent products would have to be developed. This same phenomenon also happens with weeds. Scientists have documented that canola plants in Alberta, Canada have become resistant to 3 different herbicides after the plants incorporated pollen from 3 corresponding herbicide-tolerant transgenic varieties growing nearby. This has forced the farmers to go back to using older and more toxic weed killers such has 2,4-D(Mother Earth News). This being said, in regards to the environment; When there are reasonable grounds for concern, even without complete scientific documentation, countries should be reluctant to introduce GMO until more knowledge is available (Issues of Debate risks and benefits of GMO’s).
Many may be wondering, are GMO’s safe to eat? The promoters of GM food claim that they have been thoroughly tested and are safe to consume. But I do well to inform you that the FDA does not require safety tests for transgenic foods before they go to market. There is also cause for concern that GM foods will introduce new and possibly dangerous allergens into society. The proof of this capability was demonstrated when transgenic soybean that contained a gene from a brazil nut, a life threatening allergen to some people, did cause allergic reactions, and the product was never commercialized. Richard Lacey, a British medical doctor and microbiologist who specializes in food safety stated that even continuous testing of Transgenic food could offer only limited assurance of the products safety (Mother Earth News). There has been no labeling of GM foods in the U.S. were GM food and feed are most available so it is hard to trace the possible side-effects from these substances. Although, research at the Center for Disease Control suggests that food-related illnesses went up 2-10 fold in 1999 compared with a survey done just before GM products were commercially released in 1994. GM food and feed may be linked to chronic illness such as autoimmune disease from bacterial DNA ,or any novel transgenic DNA, slow viruses or cancer, which may be difficult to detect (Mae-Wan). It is interesting to note that an opinion poll was published by the European Commission in 2001 that found that 94.6% EU citizens wanted the right to choose, 85.9% wanted to know more before eating GMO’s, and 70.9% simply do not want GM food (Varzakas). Also of interest is a comment made in the review article GM food nightmare unfolding in regulatory sham. There was a statement made by the scientists that collaborated on the paper that said” By now, the evidence against the safety of GM food and feed has accumulated to such an extent that regulators should be answering a charge to criminal negligence at the very least in the continuing campaign of denial and misrepresentation, while failing to impose a ban in further releases of all GM crops until and unless they have been proven safe by thorough independent investigations(Mae-Wan).
The goal of this presentation was to inform this audience about the issues surrounding the use of GMO’s. In this day and age we need to keep up on the issues that affect our lives, our health, and our environment. We can not afford to be uninformed about something as basic as our sustenance. None of us would be here today without the bounty that our Earth supplies and we need to take care of the things that sustain us. The world is in crisis in relation to the food shortages and we do need to solve this problem. But there are many ways to do that. There are many ideas to investigate but it behooves us to pick the best of these ideas not just the easiest.
I truly feel that the technology of GMO’s needs to be more fully investigated as to it’s safety to our environment and to our health and my proposal is rather simple. Refuse to eat GMO’s! As Paul McCartney was reported to have said “say no to GMO!” and Prince Charles who wrote an editorial arguing that genetic engineering takes “ mankind to realms that belong to God and God alone!”(Hindo) There is a number of ways to say no, the first being, as much as possible , avoid the top three GM crops: Soy, corn, and canola unless they are organic. Be aware that that GMO’s from these crops are used in 70% of the processed food in the U.S. Many fast foods also contain hidden GMO’s since the industry relies on corn syrup for it’s sweeteners and soy for it’s oils and fillers. Focus on your grocer. Tell them that you do not want hidden GMO’s in there store brand products. These products account for about 40% of their supermarket sales. In the U.K. activists filled their carts up with packaged foods and when they got to the check-out they refused to buy any of the products until the grocer could give them a personal guarantee that all the items were GM free. In the U.S. consumer pressure convinced Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to stop putting any genetically altered foods in their store brand products. Lastly, we all need to pressure our government representatives to create legislation to demand labeling of all GMO products. The U.S. is one of the only industrial nations that does not demand that GMO’s be labeled. The corporations are vehemently opposed to the idea of labeling because they are aware that many people are wary of using these products and they are trying to protect their interests.(Goodall) But do we want to leave the health of our families in the hands of some Seed Companies that are more concerned about their profit margins then the well-being of us and the future generations to come. We need to stand up and make our voices heard if we are to protect our food supplies and our earth from this potentially dangerous new technology. We were able to get labeling on our organic products by continuing to make our wishes known. We can do the same with this issue!
The feasibility of this proposal is very attainable The industry-wide rejection of GMO’s can be achieved by a “tipping point,” in which a sufficient number of consumers in the U.S. avoid GM ingredients forcing the major food companies to stop using them. Europe reached it’s tipping point in April 1999 and within a single week, virtually all major manufacturers public ally committed to stop using GMO’s in their European brands(Smith). If this can be achieved it will no longer be profitable for the Producers of GMO products or the farmers that grow their products thus they will stop making them. It will cost each person relatively little to help. Become informed! You can do this by simply googling “GMO” or any of the other names that were stated in the beginning of this paper. Write your congressman, tell him your concerns, that is what he is there for. If they get enough letters from concerned citizens they will listen. While you are at it demand labeling not only from your congressman but from the manager of your grocery store. Refuse to buy any processed foods that may contain hidden GMO’s and tell your grocer why you are doing it. Don’t let a few seed companies take away your right to have safe and healthful food on your table.
Do we really want a world full of super bugs and super weeds. A world where our very food is unsafe for us to eat. A world where we allow decisions of such great importance to be made by a few companies that want to make a profit because we are to busy going on with our day-to-day lives to care. The rest of the world is paying attention. In November of 2007 an article was printed in the New York Times that stated, In a decision concerning the seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer, [Stavros Dimas] calls “potential damage on the environment irreversible.” In the decision to ban Syngenta corn, he says that “ the level of risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the environment is unacceptable.” An Article by the same newspaper in March of 2008 reported that opponents of gene-altered crops won a victory in France Wednesday when the top court withheld, at least for the time being, a ban on a corn variety produced by the seed company Monsanto(Kanter). As I stated earlier, the shortage of food in this world is a devastating problem but there are many good ideas on the table to try to solve them but GMO’s doesn’t happen to be one of them! Just say NO!
“The Price of Food (Research Feature).” World News Digest. June 2008. Facts on File News Services. 5 Nov. 2008.
Varzakas, Theodoros H., Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis, and Haralambos Baltas. “The Politics and the Science Behind GMO Acceptance.” Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition 47.4 (June 2007): 335-361.Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 5 Nov.2008
.
Hindo, Brain and Joshua Schneyer. “Monsanto: Winning the Ground War. (Cover story).”Business Week (17 Dec. 2007): 034-041. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College/ Phoenix, AZ. 5 Nov. 2008.
Mae-Wan Ho, Joe Cummins, &Peter Saunders.” GM food nightmare unfolding in the regulatory sham.” Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. 16 Mar. 2007; 19: 66-77.
Good all, Jane, Gary McIvor, and Gail Hudson.” How We Lost Common Sense Farming” and “Seeds of Discontent.” Harvest of Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating. New York: Time Warner Book Group, 2005.
Genetically Modified Organisms Production, Regulation, and Marketing.” International Debates 4.3 (Mar. 2006): 66-69. Academic Search Premier.EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 3 Nov. 2008.
Issues for Debate Risks and Benefits of the Genetically Modified Organisms.” International Debates 4.3 ( Mar. 2006): 73-75. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, Az..3 Nov. 2008.
Smith, Jeffrey M. “The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America.” Total Health 29.2 (May 2007): 38-40. Academic Search Premier.EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 3 Nov
Kanter, James “Proposed Ban on Genetically Modified Corn in Europe.” New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: 23 Nov 2007. pg. C3
Kanter, James “French Court Says Ban on Gene-Altered Corn Seed Will Remain, Pending Study; [ Business/Financial Desk].” New York Times(Late edition(East Coast)).New York, N.Y.20 mar 2008 C4.
Messeguer, Joaquima, et al. “pollen-mediated gene flow in maize in real situations of co-existence.” Plant Biotechnology Journal 4.6 (nov.2006): 633-645. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 5 Nov. 2008
Charman, Karen “Genetically EngineeredFood: Promises & Perils.” Mother Earth News Oct./Nov. 2002: 74+
Hunger! It is everywhere! There is not a country that doesn’t have people in it’s population that are not feeling the pangs of it. It is a Global issue that desperately needs to be addressed. The price of global wheat rose 77% in 2007. The price of rice increased by 16% but has risen much faster in 2008, 141% in the months from January-April alone. The World Food Bank estimates the total to be 83% over the past 3 yrs.. An AP photo was taken by Ariana Cubillos at Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on January 25, 2008 that depicts vendors selling cookies made of dirt, salt, and vegetable shortening. These were being sold to the poor Haitians so that they could stave off hunger. There are riots occurring all over the world. In the above mentioned country of Haiti six people were killed in food riots in April of this year. In Egypt, schools and businesses were burned because of this problem. At least 23 other countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico, the Philippines, Senegal and Yemen have all seen major protests (The Price of Food). Something needs to be done, but what?
Almost all experts agree that in the short-term the richer developed nations well need to increase their aid to less developed countries. A task force was set up in April 2008 by the U.N. that would aid in soliciting $755 million dollars in food aid and the pursuit of more permanent solutions to this growing problem. There have been many long-term proposals that include: reducing trade barriers on food products, limiting the production of bio-fuels, and improving agricultural productivity through research and aid to developing countries. This would include helping farmers in under-developed countries to get the equipment that they need to get crops planted and harvested efficiently( The Price of Food). I think that we can all agree on the fact that hunger and food shortages are huge issues in this world and we need to figure out a solution before it is too late.
This issue is an on-going problem and is not going to be solved over night by any means. One of the “solutions” that has been proposed by some major seed companies in America are the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) There are many people in this country that have no idea what this technology is much less what the controversies of this topic are. That is why it is imperative to put this issue on the front burner when speaking of the global food crisis. So, what are a GMO’s ? They are defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. They have many names, some call it “modern technology” or “gene technology” some call it “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering” but for this presentation we will simply refer to the abbreviated term GMO. The process involves selecting a gene or genes from one organism and transferring them into another non-related organism(Varzakas).This process allows scientists to manipulate the character of a plant so that it can become more resistant to things like plant diseases caused by insects and viruses and through making the plants more resistant to herbicides. They claim to be developing a product that will be lower in price to produce , be more durable, and have greater nutritional value than other crops. They also claim to be able to increase the yield per acre of land and thereby solving the food shortages(Varzakas). This process sounds good on the surface but there is more to this issue than what meets the eye.
GMO seeds were first developed by an American seed company named Monsanto. Other seed companies have followed suit and also started offering this technology, Syngenta and Dow are two of the main ones. These companies have a vested interest in their products because they obviously want to make a profit on the technology. Monsanto has 60% of their money invested in these bio-tech seeds. Syngenta has about 20% invested and Dow has about10%. The main seeds that are being sold at this time are soybeans, maize(corn), cotton, and potatoes(Varzakas) and there has been a steady rise in the demand for these seeds. More than half of the crops in the U.S., including nearly all of the soybeans and 70% of the corn are genetically modified and within the last 5 yrs. China, Brazil, and India have increased their use of these products(17 million acres in China and India alone).(Hindo) Monsanto and other companies just like them are gaining some ground by “dangling carrots” of greater yields and the use of less chemicals to farmers who are trying to keep their farms afloat and increase their profits. It should be noted at this time that GM crops are proving disastrous for agriculture, as roundup ready resistant superweeds have already emerged and the Bt cottons that has been grown in India has failed disastrously, adding substantially to farmers suicides, while Bt pests have evolved(Mae-Wan). Monsanto may be winning the war on the use of GMO’s by dangling these carrots and not fully disclosing all that they know about their products but that does not mean that this course of action is the right course, or the safest course for the world to follow.
There have been numerous tests and experiments done on the effects of GMO’s and whether they are safe to use in this world. In the realm of agriculture alone there are numerous concerns. Genes from these crops will be able to contaminate non-GMO crops and wild plants, and that, coupled with the new herbicide tolerant plants may seriously threaten bio-diversity in agricultural areas(Varzakas). This could lead to a weakening of the whole ecco-system. In simple terms, the more diversity of plants that there is the more likelihood that if one crop fails because of some disease or pestilence there will be others that will survive and thus guard against total destruction. Another concern is that GM crops that resist pests will also have adverse impact on beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies that pollinate plants. Gm crops that express proteins that are toxic to pests may also be toxic to humans and it is nearly impossible to know what new allergies may develop from their use. Also, antibiotics resistance could easily be passed on to pathogens and lessen the effectiveness of important drugs(Varzakas). Two test areas were studied in Spain to get some idea about the dangers of what is referred to as out crossing of GM crops with conventional crops of corn and the results found that there is indeed a range and a zone that GM crops will crossover and contaminate other crops. It was found that there needed to be a distance of at least 20 meters to maintain a certain amount of security and to keep the pollen of the GM crops from contaminating the conventional crops. This amounts to approximately 0.9% of the area around the borders of the conventional crop.(Messeguer). This may not seem like much to you and I but the risk of cross-contamination could be devastating to the organic farmer. By the summer of 2000, virtually all of the tested organic corn samples from the mid-west showed some degree of GM contamination, said the Director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, Fred Kirchenmann. It was also found that GM contamination destroyed the small but promising Canadian organic canola market. Janet Jacocobson, the president of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agricultural Society, also added that she didn’t know of any organic farmers who could assure the purity of their organically grown corn, soybeans, or canola.(Mother Earth News). This article was written in 2002, imagine what in may be like now in 2008!
There have been various experiments done on animals to determine the safety of ingesting GM foods with interesting results. Female rats that were supplemented with GM Roundup Ready soybeans gave birth to many severely stunted pups, with over ½ of the litter dead by 3 weeks. The surviving pups were sterile! These findings came from the laboratory of Irina Ermakova at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. GM soya has been commercialized worldwide for food and feed since 1996.(Mae-Wan) Interestingly enough there has been numerous reports from farmers that they have noticed that, when given a choice animals instinctively refuse to eat GM grains. Bill Lashmet, a farmer, decided to fill one of his troughs with Bt corn and the other with natural shelled corn. He found that every single one of his cows sniffed the Bt corn then went to the natural corn and ate it instead. Steven Sprinkel Yankton wrote an article in an Agricultural magazine, Acres USA, in 1999 that stated that according to numerous Corn Belt farmers, hogs won’t eat their full rations if GM crops are in the trough. It was also reported that the raccoons would raid the organic corn fields and wouldn’t touch the GM corn. He also described one farmer as observing that a herd of forty deer were "mowing down his tofu beans” while there wasn’t even one doe gnawing on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soy crop. It was also found that rats that were forced to eat a brand of tomato called FlavrSavr developed problems. Out of the 40 rats tested several developed stomach lesions, and 7 out of the 40 died within a few weeks. DR Arpad Pusztai, a Hungarian scientist from the Rowett Research Institute in the U.K. did extensive research on GM potatoes with a natural pesticide-a lectin that is found in snowdrops. He fed the lectin to his rats in large doses and they seemed to cause no ill effects. Then he spliced the lectin directly into the DNA of a potato plant and fed that to his rats. He found that this potato caused his rats to develop weakened immune systems, damage to the thymus and spleen, and less developed brains, livers, and testicles. Others had enlarged pancreases and intestines and these symptoms started showing up in a mere 10 days. Another interesting thing that he discovered was that the subsequent plants had about 20% less nutritional value than the parent plant. Dr. Pusztai was reported to have said that after his tests he would never eat GM food again.(Goodall)
So what are the benefits in the use of GMO’s? The initial objective for developing plants based on GM organisms was to improve crop protection through the introduction of seeds resistant to diseases caused by insects or viruses or through increased plant tolerance to herbicides.(GMO’s production, regulation, and marketing).The idea here being that it will take less pesticide and herbicide applications to control pests and weeds. They claim that GM seeds are easier and cheaper to grow(Hindo). They have been touted as being more nutritional (Varzakas) and a solution for world hunger T ( The Price of Food).
The risks involved with the use of GM products are varied and many. There is an extreme risk to the environment with the institution of GM crops. Not only are there risks of cross-contamination of conventional and organic crops there has also been evidence presented that shows that there is a danger to the beneficial insects as well as the pests. It was stated by Chuck Benbrook the Director of the Northwest Science and Policy Center in Sandpoint, Idaho that “every family of chemicals has about a decade before the targeted pests become immune” (Mother Earth News).This ultimately means that they will build up a resistance to the process and new and more potent products would have to be developed. This same phenomenon also happens with weeds. Scientists have documented that canola plants in Alberta, Canada have become resistant to 3 different herbicides after the plants incorporated pollen from 3 corresponding herbicide-tolerant transgenic varieties growing nearby. This has forced the farmers to go back to using older and more toxic weed killers such has 2,4-D(Mother Earth News). This being said, in regards to the environment; When there are reasonable grounds for concern, even without complete scientific documentation, countries should be reluctant to introduce GMO until more knowledge is available (Issues of Debate risks and benefits of GMO’s).
Many may be wondering, are GMO’s safe to eat? The promoters of GM food claim that they have been thoroughly tested and are safe to consume. But I do well to inform you that the FDA does not require safety tests for transgenic foods before they go to market. There is also cause for concern that GM foods will introduce new and possibly dangerous allergens into society. The proof of this capability was demonstrated when transgenic soybean that contained a gene from a brazil nut, a life threatening allergen to some people, did cause allergic reactions, and the product was never commercialized. Richard Lacey, a British medical doctor and microbiologist who specializes in food safety stated that even continuous testing of Transgenic food could offer only limited assurance of the products safety (Mother Earth News). There has been no labeling of GM foods in the U.S. were GM food and feed are most available so it is hard to trace the possible side-effects from these substances. Although, research at the Center for Disease Control suggests that food-related illnesses went up 2-10 fold in 1999 compared with a survey done just before GM products were commercially released in 1994. GM food and feed may be linked to chronic illness such as autoimmune disease from bacterial DNA ,or any novel transgenic DNA, slow viruses or cancer, which may be difficult to detect (Mae-Wan). It is interesting to note that an opinion poll was published by the European Commission in 2001 that found that 94.6% EU citizens wanted the right to choose, 85.9% wanted to know more before eating GMO’s, and 70.9% simply do not want GM food (Varzakas). Also of interest is a comment made in the review article GM food nightmare unfolding in regulatory sham. There was a statement made by the scientists that collaborated on the paper that said” By now, the evidence against the safety of GM food and feed has accumulated to such an extent that regulators should be answering a charge to criminal negligence at the very least in the continuing campaign of denial and misrepresentation, while failing to impose a ban in further releases of all GM crops until and unless they have been proven safe by thorough independent investigations(Mae-Wan).
The goal of this presentation was to inform this audience about the issues surrounding the use of GMO’s. In this day and age we need to keep up on the issues that affect our lives, our health, and our environment. We can not afford to be uninformed about something as basic as our sustenance. None of us would be here today without the bounty that our Earth supplies and we need to take care of the things that sustain us. The world is in crisis in relation to the food shortages and we do need to solve this problem. But there are many ways to do that. There are many ideas to investigate but it behooves us to pick the best of these ideas not just the easiest.
I truly feel that the technology of GMO’s needs to be more fully investigated as to it’s safety to our environment and to our health and my proposal is rather simple. Refuse to eat GMO’s! As Paul McCartney was reported to have said “say no to GMO!” and Prince Charles who wrote an editorial arguing that genetic engineering takes “ mankind to realms that belong to God and God alone!”(Hindo) There is a number of ways to say no, the first being, as much as possible , avoid the top three GM crops: Soy, corn, and canola unless they are organic. Be aware that that GMO’s from these crops are used in 70% of the processed food in the U.S. Many fast foods also contain hidden GMO’s since the industry relies on corn syrup for it’s sweeteners and soy for it’s oils and fillers. Focus on your grocer. Tell them that you do not want hidden GMO’s in there store brand products. These products account for about 40% of their supermarket sales. In the U.K. activists filled their carts up with packaged foods and when they got to the check-out they refused to buy any of the products until the grocer could give them a personal guarantee that all the items were GM free. In the U.S. consumer pressure convinced Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to stop putting any genetically altered foods in their store brand products. Lastly, we all need to pressure our government representatives to create legislation to demand labeling of all GMO products. The U.S. is one of the only industrial nations that does not demand that GMO’s be labeled. The corporations are vehemently opposed to the idea of labeling because they are aware that many people are wary of using these products and they are trying to protect their interests.(Goodall) But do we want to leave the health of our families in the hands of some Seed Companies that are more concerned about their profit margins then the well-being of us and the future generations to come. We need to stand up and make our voices heard if we are to protect our food supplies and our earth from this potentially dangerous new technology. We were able to get labeling on our organic products by continuing to make our wishes known. We can do the same with this issue!
The feasibility of this proposal is very attainable The industry-wide rejection of GMO’s can be achieved by a “tipping point,” in which a sufficient number of consumers in the U.S. avoid GM ingredients forcing the major food companies to stop using them. Europe reached it’s tipping point in April 1999 and within a single week, virtually all major manufacturers public ally committed to stop using GMO’s in their European brands(Smith). If this can be achieved it will no longer be profitable for the Producers of GMO products or the farmers that grow their products thus they will stop making them. It will cost each person relatively little to help. Become informed! You can do this by simply googling “GMO” or any of the other names that were stated in the beginning of this paper. Write your congressman, tell him your concerns, that is what he is there for. If they get enough letters from concerned citizens they will listen. While you are at it demand labeling not only from your congressman but from the manager of your grocery store. Refuse to buy any processed foods that may contain hidden GMO’s and tell your grocer why you are doing it. Don’t let a few seed companies take away your right to have safe and healthful food on your table.
Do we really want a world full of super bugs and super weeds. A world where our very food is unsafe for us to eat. A world where we allow decisions of such great importance to be made by a few companies that want to make a profit because we are to busy going on with our day-to-day lives to care. The rest of the world is paying attention. In November of 2007 an article was printed in the New York Times that stated, In a decision concerning the seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer, [Stavros Dimas] calls “potential damage on the environment irreversible.” In the decision to ban Syngenta corn, he says that “ the level of risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the environment is unacceptable.” An Article by the same newspaper in March of 2008 reported that opponents of gene-altered crops won a victory in France Wednesday when the top court withheld, at least for the time being, a ban on a corn variety produced by the seed company Monsanto(Kanter). As I stated earlier, the shortage of food in this world is a devastating problem but there are many good ideas on the table to try to solve them but GMO’s doesn’t happen to be one of them! Just say NO!
“The Price of Food (Research Feature).” World News Digest. June 2008. Facts on File News Services. 5 Nov. 2008
Varzakas, Theodoros H., Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis, and Haralambos Baltas. “The Politics and the Science Behind GMO Acceptance.” Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition 47.4 (June 2007): 335-361.Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 5 Nov.2008
Hindo, Brain and Joshua Schneyer. “Monsanto: Winning the Ground War. (Cover story).”Business Week (17 Dec. 2007): 034-041. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College/ Phoenix, AZ. 5 Nov. 2008
Mae-Wan Ho, Joe Cummins, &Peter Saunders.” GM food nightmare unfolding in the regulatory sham.” Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. 16 Mar. 2007; 19: 66-77.
Good all, Jane, Gary McIvor, and Gail Hudson.” How We Lost Common Sense Farming” and “Seeds of Discontent.” Harvest of Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating. New York: Time Warner Book Group, 2005.
Genetically Modified Organisms Production, Regulation, and Marketing.” International Debates 4.3 (Mar. 2006): 66-69. Academic Search Premier.EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 3 Nov. 2008
Issues for Debate Risks and Benefits of the Genetically Modified Organisms.” International Debates 4.3 ( Mar. 2006): 73-75. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, Az..3 Nov. 2008
Smith, Jeffrey M. “The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America.” Total Health 29.2 (May 2007): 38-40. Academic Search Premier.EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 3 Nov
Kanter, James “Proposed Ban on Genetically Modified Corn in Europe.” New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: 23 Nov 2007. pg. C3
Kanter, James “French Court Says Ban on Gene-Altered Corn Seed Will Remain, Pending Study; [ Business/Financial Desk].” New York Times(Late edition(East Coast)).New York, N.Y.20 mar 2008 C4.
Messeguer, Joaquima, et al. “pollen-mediated gene flow in maize in real situations of co-existence.” Plant Biotechnology Journal 4.6 (nov.2006): 633-645. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 5 Nov. 2008
Charman, Karen “Genetically EngineeredFood: Promises & Perils.” Mother Earth News Oct./Nov. 2002: 74+
Seek and You Shall Find
I sought throughout the world for a bit of love
To guide me through the twists and turns of life.
I never imagined finding all of the answers
But I never dreamed of finding so much strife.
I never imagined all of the proverty and hunger,
Never invisioned all of the hatred and crime.
Never thought I’d be lifting my eyes to Heaven
Crying, pleading and begging God for one little sign.
One sign of love, of compassion, or of care.
One sign that He hears, that He sees, that He’s there.
One sign of hope of faith, or of healing.
One sign that He truly knows how we’re feeling.
As I finally dropped to my knees where I was
God answered and said look to my Son there’s your love.
I sought throughout the world for a bit of love
To guide me through the twists and turns of life.
I never imagined finding all of the answers
But I never dreamed of finding so much strife.
I never imagined all of the proverty and hunger,
Never invisioned all of the hatred and crime.
Never thought I’d be lifting my eyes to Heaven
Crying, pleading and begging God for one little sign.
One sign of love, of compassion, or of care.
One sign that He hears, that He sees, that He’s there.
One sign of hope of faith, or of healing.
One sign that He truly knows how we’re feeling.
As I finally dropped to my knees where I was
God answered and said look to my Son there’s your love.
If
If I were a tree, I would be a cherry
with delicate pink blossoms that bud in the spring.
If I were a flower I would be a violet
that merrily dances in fields fresh and green.
If I were water I would be a brook
that babbles along merrily around bends and crooks.
If I were a bird I’d be colorful and bright
with an iridescence that would that would glow in the night.
I’d flitter and hum around every colorful flower
and be filled with sweet nectar from hour to hour.
If I were the firmament I would be the night sky.
My stars and my planets how they’d twinkle and shine.
Alas, though I dream, I am none of these things.
But I thank God every day for the joy these things bring.
If I were a tree, I would be a cherry
with delicate pink blossoms that bud in the spring.
If I were a flower I would be a violet
that merrily dances in fields fresh and green.
If I were water I would be a brook
that babbles along merrily around bends and crooks.
If I were a bird I’d be colorful and bright
with an iridescence that would that would glow in the night.
I’d flitter and hum around every colorful flower
and be filled with sweet nectar from hour to hour.
If I were the firmament I would be the night sky.
My stars and my planets how they’d twinkle and shine.
Alas, though I dream, I am none of these things.
But I thank God every day for the joy these things bring.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Propostion 101
Proposition 101
Proposition 101 is basically an initiative to protect the freedom of choice to pick your own health care plan regardless of any new reforms that may be initiated in the future. It would like to add section 36 to article II of the Arizona Constitution stating that “no law shall be passed that restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private health care systems or private plans of any type and that no law shall interfere with a person’s or entities right to pay directly for lawful medical services, nor shall an law impose a fine, of any type, for choosing to obtain or decline health care coverage or for participation in any particular health care system”(Arizona 2008 Ballot Propositions).
There are many and varied arguments for and against this proposition that need to be addressed an analyzed. One of the concerns of the people that are in agreement with this amendment to the constitution is that our freedom to choose our own health care options needs to be protected. They feel that in this current health care crisis when so many are without health care coverage that reforms may be instituted that will entail more government involvement, less freedom of choice to the consumer, and less quality of care as a whole. They are questioning that if our rights to choice aren’t protected and reforms are made we may see a decline in our options as to what type of treatment we would be able to participate in. Will there be room for alternative medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric treatment and dental care? What about new innovations in medicine? Will they, in the future, be deemed unnecessary or too expensive for the masses to afford so therefore not be allowed to anyone? These are all very relevant questions to ponder(Arizona 2008 Ballots and Propositions).
As stated in the beginning of the previous paragraph there are also many proponents to this ammendment who also have many compelling arguments. They say that it will limit future legislation and that we don’t know what laws may be needed to improve the healthcare of all Arizonian’s. They will also say that this amendment is unnecessary because it is not fixing anything. Opponents will contend that the United States health care system is flawed and in need of reform. That there are too many people without heath care and that people are dieing and being maimed for life because of this lack. Other arguments are that the amendment is just trying to protect big insurance companies that want to deny people their insurance because of pre-existing conditions, age, or inability to pay. This amendment, it is argued, will restrict the ability to initiate any reform that would make it possible to address change in health care and the problems that this country faces with the lack of insuranced citizens and the sky-rocketing health care costs that we face right now(Arizona 2008 Ballots and Propositions).
Before I address any of these arguments I would like to review health care reform attempts that have been recorded in the history of this country. In 1915 the American Association for labor legislation had an idea to make it compulsory for health care to be given to all U.S. workers. This proposal was rejected by the American Federation of Labor President Samuel Grompers because it was touted has little more than a “so called nanny-state” proposal. In 1930 President Roosevelt formed a committee to reform health care and meet the needs of a depressed economy. It was a universal health care plan that received so much bad press from agencies such as the AMA(American Medical Association) that it was completely taken out of the Social Security Act of 1935. President Truman supported a National Medical Insurance program called the Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill that would draw money from the Social Security payroll taxes. It failed do to the bad press it received when the AMA warned the public of the socialized nature of the bill. A bill was signed and put into effect in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson that created our Medicare and Medicaid programs. In 1993 Bill Clinton introduced a health care bill that was widely criticized by Conservative and Liberal alike. Conservatives derided the plan as government-run health care and liberals argued that it made too many concessions to private insurance industries. Both sides agreed that it was too complex and confusing. In 2001 President Bush passed the Medicare prescription Drug Modernization Act which opened up the market for Senior Citizens to be able to have more choices in their prescription drug purchases. Also instituted was the Medicare Modernization Act which created what was called a health savings account(HAS’s) where American’s can set aside pre-tax income into their own HAS’s which can later be used for health care costs(Universal Health Care).
Some current facts and figures on this subject are that The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world that doesn’t have a tax-supported Universal Health Care Plan although it doesn’t take into account that people 65 and greater have a plan called Medicare and low income families have a program called Medicaid. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid reports that there are 44.7 million Americans without any form of health insurance. It is also estimated that there are 16 million insured Americans that lack the money to pay their medical bills. Last but not least the World Health Organization estimates that Americans spent an average of $5,267 in the year 2003 (for health care) but ranks 29th in the world in life expectancy and 37th in child mortality rates(Universal Health Care).
Lets take a moment to critique the state of Universal Health Care systems elsewhere in the world. Canada has a single-tier universal system of health care that has been esteemed by the backers of universal health care systems in this country but it is found that more and more of it’s citizens are unsatisfied with what they are being handed. Survey officers from the Frasier Institute in Vancouver found that the Canadian system “produces inferior age-adjusted access to physicians and technology, produce longer waiting times, is less successful in preventing deaths from preventable causes and cost more than any other systems that have comparable objectives.” A alternative health care system called Medisys Health group has started operating in Canada. In order to use this new system you have to pay up front out of your own pocket. More and more are turning to this group for their medical needs. All government officials have the option to use this system. Workman’s Compensation boards are also among the ranks of users of this private health care organization. To add to this list of users would be the Canadian Mounted Police and the prisoners in the Canadian jails. You may be wondering why these have all chosen not to use the government health care plan. The answer to that million dollar question lies in the fact that the demand for healthcare services is not being met by the government program and the government doesn’t pay for non-essential or preventative medicine. People sent to private clinics also seem to be taken care of quicker and more efficiently than those using the government program. It is also of some interest to note that as of June 8th it is illegal to secure care or buy private insurance in Canada(Mary Anastasia O’Grady).
There are many and varied ideas out there for healthcare reforms. Rudy Giuliani(former NewYork mayor and former presidential candidate) proposed tax relief’s, reformed tort laws, keeping patients more informed on price quality and options available, and allowing consumers to shop around for their health care needs, even if that means going out of state(Giuliani). Researchers at the Heritage Foundation suggest that the answer to our health care needs are an individual mandate, an end to employment based coverage, and major changes in the tax treatment of health insurance benefits. They suggest that the Federal Employee Health Benefit program is a perfect model and individuals could buy into this as a replacement to employee coverage. Presidential candidate Barrack O’Bama does not favor a mandate but said in New Hampshire that his first preference was a single-payer system. He just doesn’t think that it could become law(Salisbury). Rep. Tancredo(R-Colo.) champions medical mal-practice reforms and association health plans that would allow small business owners to group together through professional associations to buy health insurance at a negotiated rate, and to look into the impact that immigration is having on America’s health care costs. Sen. Biden(D. Del.) proposes that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program-currently in flux in Congress- Would be expanded to include families with income up to 300% of the current federal poverty level($61,950 for a family of four) and to the young adults up to the age of 21. He also proposes to allow uninsured adults to buy into a universal program that mirrors that of the Employee Health Benefit Program and calls for lowering Medicare eligibility to include those 55-64(DoBias). John McCain states “My reforms are built on the freedom to pursue three goals; Paying only for quality medical care, having insurance choices that are diverse and responsive to individual need, and restoring our sense of personal responsibility(McCain).
So what are the benefits, or lack there of, of a universal health care system any way? The main benefits would be medical coverage for everyone, and universal coverage would be less expensive and more cost efficient than the current system of commercial medicine. Draw-backs? Take a deep look into the current state of affairs in regards to universal coverage in other countries that have it and you will find a plethora of complaints on everything from quality of care , things that aren’t covered because they are not cost effective, and astronomical wait times to see a Dr. for what ails you. Believe me, satisfaction in the arena of universal health care is not ,as they say, guaranteed.
I have many thoughts on the subject of universal health care. I feel that we live in a country that has always stood behind individualism and freedom. I do not want those freedoms taken away or tromped on because as Arnold Relman, the former Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, so eloquently put it “Since Patients usually know little about the technical aspects of medicine and are often sick and frightened, they cannot independently choose their own medical services in the way that consumers choose most services in the usual market.”(Universal Health Care). Excuse me but I happen to believe that there are many intelligent layman out there who are perfectly capable of analyzing their medical condition and choosing what to do about it. I also am a strong proponent of preventative medicine, alternative medicine, and new innovations in medicine and fear that if we are not extremely careful we just may find out that we could lose our rights to seek out alternatives that are right for us. No committee or government agency should be given the right to tell me what to do with something as personal as my own body.
Now, off of my soap box and back to the issues at hand, Proposition 101 and the right to medical choice. You may think after reading this piece that I will tell you all to unequivocally vote “yes’ on this proposition. That at all costs our right to choose must be maintained. After all I think that I have been able to get across to my reading public that I have some issues with the idea of universal health care and single-payer plans. But in summary I would like to say this: I do not have the authority or the power to tell anyone how to vote! I would encourage each and every voter to research the subject for themselves. This is a big problem in our country and it is not going to go away no matter how many times we “click our heels or wave our magic wands.” As for myself I have chosen to vote “no” on this particular proposition. The reasons I have decided to do this are relatively simple. I take exception to the part in the proposal that states “and entities.” This ambiguous term can mean anything. Even though I strongly want to protect the private citizens right to freedom of choice in health care I do not want to close the door on the fact that we have serious issues to address here. The word entities is just to broad a term. Is this a way to protect the insurance companies or employers from having to do some reform of their own? There will be further ideas and proposals in the future, you can count on that, and we need to look at all of the reasons for our current situation. I am not willing to give these entities a way out just to insure my personal freedom of choice. I also don’t understand how putting this into the Constitution of Arizona is going to really protect my rights any. Last I heard the Federal Government takes precedence over any state rule or mandate. If universal health care was voted in on a Federal level I don’t think that they will even take in to consideration that in 2008 Arizonians voted for freedom of choice in medical care. I think we can all agree on many of the issues and problems that we are facing with this particular subject. We can agree that medical costs are astronomical, that we are in desperate need of some answers to our current problems, and that there is far too many people that are not getting adequate health care due to economic status. Might I add that I am talking about the lower middle class to the middle class. These are the ones that feel the brunt of this crisis. They are struggling to make ends meet, many have to choose between health care and paying the bills or putting food on the table. They make too much money to be allowed Medicaid and not enough to adequately be able to afford health insurance. Finally, in this precarious time of economic crisis these problems are going to exponentially multiple not diminish. I will vote a resounding “no” on this proposition because I want it to be heard that this is not enough and I don’t want to close the doors on looking at all of the issues that may play a role in rectifying our current situation.
Brewer, Janice K.,Arizona Secretary of State. Ballot Propositions & Judicial Performance Review Publicity Pamphlet 18 29 (04 Nov. 2008) www.azsos.gov
DoBias, Matthew. "What the other candidates are saying." Modern Healthcare 37.47 (26 Nov. 2007): 25-25. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27871596&site=ehost-live
Giuliani, Rudy. "Let the consumer rule." Modern Healthcare 37.47 (26 Nov. 2007): 16-16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27871587&site=ehost-live
Mary Anastasia O'Grady. "Americas: In Canadian Health Care Some Are More Equal Than Others. " Wall Street Journal [New York, N.Y.] 21 May 2004, Eastern edition: A.11. ProQuest National Newspapers Core. ProQuest. Gateway Community College Library, Phoenix, A.Z. 14 Oct. 2008
McCain, John. "I would solve the real problem." Modern Healthcare 37.47 (26 Nov. 2007): 20-20. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27871591&site=ehost-live
Salisbury, Dallas. "Tough choices ahead." Modern Healthcare 38.4 (28 Jan. 2008): 20-21. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=29972180&site=ehost-live
"Universal Health Care." Issues & Controversies On File 23 Sept. 2005. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services. 14 Oct. 2008.
Proposition 101 is basically an initiative to protect the freedom of choice to pick your own health care plan regardless of any new reforms that may be initiated in the future. It would like to add section 36 to article II of the Arizona Constitution stating that “no law shall be passed that restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private health care systems or private plans of any type and that no law shall interfere with a person’s or entities right to pay directly for lawful medical services, nor shall an law impose a fine, of any type, for choosing to obtain or decline health care coverage or for participation in any particular health care system”(Arizona 2008 Ballot Propositions).
There are many and varied arguments for and against this proposition that need to be addressed an analyzed. One of the concerns of the people that are in agreement with this amendment to the constitution is that our freedom to choose our own health care options needs to be protected. They feel that in this current health care crisis when so many are without health care coverage that reforms may be instituted that will entail more government involvement, less freedom of choice to the consumer, and less quality of care as a whole. They are questioning that if our rights to choice aren’t protected and reforms are made we may see a decline in our options as to what type of treatment we would be able to participate in. Will there be room for alternative medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric treatment and dental care? What about new innovations in medicine? Will they, in the future, be deemed unnecessary or too expensive for the masses to afford so therefore not be allowed to anyone? These are all very relevant questions to ponder(Arizona 2008 Ballots and Propositions).
As stated in the beginning of the previous paragraph there are also many proponents to this ammendment who also have many compelling arguments. They say that it will limit future legislation and that we don’t know what laws may be needed to improve the healthcare of all Arizonian’s. They will also say that this amendment is unnecessary because it is not fixing anything. Opponents will contend that the United States health care system is flawed and in need of reform. That there are too many people without heath care and that people are dieing and being maimed for life because of this lack. Other arguments are that the amendment is just trying to protect big insurance companies that want to deny people their insurance because of pre-existing conditions, age, or inability to pay. This amendment, it is argued, will restrict the ability to initiate any reform that would make it possible to address change in health care and the problems that this country faces with the lack of insuranced citizens and the sky-rocketing health care costs that we face right now(Arizona 2008 Ballots and Propositions).
Before I address any of these arguments I would like to review health care reform attempts that have been recorded in the history of this country. In 1915 the American Association for labor legislation had an idea to make it compulsory for health care to be given to all U.S. workers. This proposal was rejected by the American Federation of Labor President Samuel Grompers because it was touted has little more than a “so called nanny-state” proposal. In 1930 President Roosevelt formed a committee to reform health care and meet the needs of a depressed economy. It was a universal health care plan that received so much bad press from agencies such as the AMA(American Medical Association) that it was completely taken out of the Social Security Act of 1935. President Truman supported a National Medical Insurance program called the Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill that would draw money from the Social Security payroll taxes. It failed do to the bad press it received when the AMA warned the public of the socialized nature of the bill. A bill was signed and put into effect in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson that created our Medicare and Medicaid programs. In 1993 Bill Clinton introduced a health care bill that was widely criticized by Conservative and Liberal alike. Conservatives derided the plan as government-run health care and liberals argued that it made too many concessions to private insurance industries. Both sides agreed that it was too complex and confusing. In 2001 President Bush passed the Medicare prescription Drug Modernization Act which opened up the market for Senior Citizens to be able to have more choices in their prescription drug purchases. Also instituted was the Medicare Modernization Act which created what was called a health savings account(HAS’s) where American’s can set aside pre-tax income into their own HAS’s which can later be used for health care costs(Universal Health Care).
Some current facts and figures on this subject are that The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world that doesn’t have a tax-supported Universal Health Care Plan although it doesn’t take into account that people 65 and greater have a plan called Medicare and low income families have a program called Medicaid. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid reports that there are 44.7 million Americans without any form of health insurance. It is also estimated that there are 16 million insured Americans that lack the money to pay their medical bills. Last but not least the World Health Organization estimates that Americans spent an average of $5,267 in the year 2003 (for health care) but ranks 29th in the world in life expectancy and 37th in child mortality rates(Universal Health Care).
Lets take a moment to critique the state of Universal Health Care systems elsewhere in the world. Canada has a single-tier universal system of health care that has been esteemed by the backers of universal health care systems in this country but it is found that more and more of it’s citizens are unsatisfied with what they are being handed. Survey officers from the Frasier Institute in Vancouver found that the Canadian system “produces inferior age-adjusted access to physicians and technology, produce longer waiting times, is less successful in preventing deaths from preventable causes and cost more than any other systems that have comparable objectives.” A alternative health care system called Medisys Health group has started operating in Canada. In order to use this new system you have to pay up front out of your own pocket. More and more are turning to this group for their medical needs. All government officials have the option to use this system. Workman’s Compensation boards are also among the ranks of users of this private health care organization. To add to this list of users would be the Canadian Mounted Police and the prisoners in the Canadian jails. You may be wondering why these have all chosen not to use the government health care plan. The answer to that million dollar question lies in the fact that the demand for healthcare services is not being met by the government program and the government doesn’t pay for non-essential or preventative medicine. People sent to private clinics also seem to be taken care of quicker and more efficiently than those using the government program. It is also of some interest to note that as of June 8th it is illegal to secure care or buy private insurance in Canada(Mary Anastasia O’Grady).
There are many and varied ideas out there for healthcare reforms. Rudy Giuliani(former NewYork mayor and former presidential candidate) proposed tax relief’s, reformed tort laws, keeping patients more informed on price quality and options available, and allowing consumers to shop around for their health care needs, even if that means going out of state(Giuliani). Researchers at the Heritage Foundation suggest that the answer to our health care needs are an individual mandate, an end to employment based coverage, and major changes in the tax treatment of health insurance benefits. They suggest that the Federal Employee Health Benefit program is a perfect model and individuals could buy into this as a replacement to employee coverage. Presidential candidate Barrack O’Bama does not favor a mandate but said in New Hampshire that his first preference was a single-payer system. He just doesn’t think that it could become law(Salisbury). Rep. Tancredo(R-Colo.) champions medical mal-practice reforms and association health plans that would allow small business owners to group together through professional associations to buy health insurance at a negotiated rate, and to look into the impact that immigration is having on America’s health care costs. Sen. Biden(D. Del.) proposes that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program-currently in flux in Congress- Would be expanded to include families with income up to 300% of the current federal poverty level($61,950 for a family of four) and to the young adults up to the age of 21. He also proposes to allow uninsured adults to buy into a universal program that mirrors that of the Employee Health Benefit Program and calls for lowering Medicare eligibility to include those 55-64(DoBias). John McCain states “My reforms are built on the freedom to pursue three goals; Paying only for quality medical care, having insurance choices that are diverse and responsive to individual need, and restoring our sense of personal responsibility(McCain).
So what are the benefits, or lack there of, of a universal health care system any way? The main benefits would be medical coverage for everyone, and universal coverage would be less expensive and more cost efficient than the current system of commercial medicine. Draw-backs? Take a deep look into the current state of affairs in regards to universal coverage in other countries that have it and you will find a plethora of complaints on everything from quality of care , things that aren’t covered because they are not cost effective, and astronomical wait times to see a Dr. for what ails you. Believe me, satisfaction in the arena of universal health care is not ,as they say, guaranteed.
I have many thoughts on the subject of universal health care. I feel that we live in a country that has always stood behind individualism and freedom. I do not want those freedoms taken away or tromped on because as Arnold Relman, the former Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, so eloquently put it “Since Patients usually know little about the technical aspects of medicine and are often sick and frightened, they cannot independently choose their own medical services in the way that consumers choose most services in the usual market.”(Universal Health Care). Excuse me but I happen to believe that there are many intelligent layman out there who are perfectly capable of analyzing their medical condition and choosing what to do about it. I also am a strong proponent of preventative medicine, alternative medicine, and new innovations in medicine and fear that if we are not extremely careful we just may find out that we could lose our rights to seek out alternatives that are right for us. No committee or government agency should be given the right to tell me what to do with something as personal as my own body.
Now, off of my soap box and back to the issues at hand, Proposition 101 and the right to medical choice. You may think after reading this piece that I will tell you all to unequivocally vote “yes’ on this proposition. That at all costs our right to choose must be maintained. After all I think that I have been able to get across to my reading public that I have some issues with the idea of universal health care and single-payer plans. But in summary I would like to say this: I do not have the authority or the power to tell anyone how to vote! I would encourage each and every voter to research the subject for themselves. This is a big problem in our country and it is not going to go away no matter how many times we “click our heels or wave our magic wands.” As for myself I have chosen to vote “no” on this particular proposition. The reasons I have decided to do this are relatively simple. I take exception to the part in the proposal that states “and entities.” This ambiguous term can mean anything. Even though I strongly want to protect the private citizens right to freedom of choice in health care I do not want to close the door on the fact that we have serious issues to address here. The word entities is just to broad a term. Is this a way to protect the insurance companies or employers from having to do some reform of their own? There will be further ideas and proposals in the future, you can count on that, and we need to look at all of the reasons for our current situation. I am not willing to give these entities a way out just to insure my personal freedom of choice. I also don’t understand how putting this into the Constitution of Arizona is going to really protect my rights any. Last I heard the Federal Government takes precedence over any state rule or mandate. If universal health care was voted in on a Federal level I don’t think that they will even take in to consideration that in 2008 Arizonians voted for freedom of choice in medical care. I think we can all agree on many of the issues and problems that we are facing with this particular subject. We can agree that medical costs are astronomical, that we are in desperate need of some answers to our current problems, and that there is far too many people that are not getting adequate health care due to economic status. Might I add that I am talking about the lower middle class to the middle class. These are the ones that feel the brunt of this crisis. They are struggling to make ends meet, many have to choose between health care and paying the bills or putting food on the table. They make too much money to be allowed Medicaid and not enough to adequately be able to afford health insurance. Finally, in this precarious time of economic crisis these problems are going to exponentially multiple not diminish. I will vote a resounding “no” on this proposition because I want it to be heard that this is not enough and I don’t want to close the doors on looking at all of the issues that may play a role in rectifying our current situation.
Brewer, Janice K.,Arizona Secretary of State. Ballot Propositions & Judicial Performance Review Publicity Pamphlet 18 29 (04 Nov. 2008) www.azsos.gov
DoBias, Matthew. "What the other candidates are saying." Modern Healthcare 37.47 (26 Nov. 2007): 25-25. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27871596&site=ehost-live
Giuliani, Rudy. "Let the consumer rule." Modern Healthcare 37.47 (26 Nov. 2007): 16-16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27871587&site=ehost-live
Mary Anastasia O'Grady. "Americas: In Canadian Health Care Some Are More Equal Than Others. " Wall Street Journal [New York, N.Y.] 21 May 2004, Eastern edition: A.11. ProQuest National Newspapers Core. ProQuest. Gateway Community College Library, Phoenix, A.Z. 14 Oct. 2008
McCain, John. "I would solve the real problem." Modern Healthcare 37.47 (26 Nov. 2007): 20-20. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27871591&site=ehost-live
Salisbury, Dallas. "Tough choices ahead." Modern Healthcare 38.4 (28 Jan. 2008): 20-21. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Gateway Community College, Phoenix, AZ. 8 Oct. 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=29972180&site=ehost-live
"Universal Health Care." Issues & Controversies On File 23 Sept. 2005. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services. 14 Oct. 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
My Third Blog
Yeah!!! I have accomplished the unthinkable. I have, albeit, a little late, started on my third blog. Beleive me when I say that this is a special accomplishment for me. Remember that I am the computer idiot! What to write? I feel that upon this major feat that I should write something extremely profound. But then again I don't know for sure if I have profound in me right now. I decided to read the other student blogs for some inspiration and found that I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. The next thing that I have to figure out is how to respond to these blogs with comments. Some of them very much deserve a comment or two but it will have to what for another day. I would like to say that this is a very interesting class. I like the diversity of people and opinions that we have and look forward to coming each day. I feel that we are really learning skills that we will need in the future and will one day realize why pathos, ethos, and logos are important to know, even if the concepts can be slightly confusing now. Going to college at my age is all just part of my master plan to stave of Alzheimers as long as humanly possible. You may ask if it is working? Some would say yes and some may say no but I say that the jury is still out on the subject and much more research needs to be done. Anyway I am here for the duration and have a plan to spend the next 50 years doing just what I am doing right now; learning, growing, and researching the thesis for my Alzheimers theory. I don't know is living to 100 to much to ask for? I guess I'm going to find out!
I don't know about anyone else but I was hoping that the in-class peer reveiw would have been more helpful to us in our papers. I know that for me it was hard to evaluate someone elses work when I had not read their article. I think maybe it would have been a little eaiser to do if we would have been given a partner at the beginning of the assignment and given a copy of the article that they were responding to so that we had some idea of why they wrote the kind of letter to the editor that they did. In order to be more objective with their style or the reason that they mentioned, or didn't mention alot of detail. I also think that it is hard for some to be critical in their responses because they are afraid that they will hurt someones feelings. Realizing that evaluation skills are something that we will need throughout our lifetimes maybe we just need to have a little more practice and disscussion on the process of evaluation.
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