posted April 25, 2003 12:02 PM         

One of the bottom lines I always remind myself of is money. Aspartame is very big business, and it is wise to be cautious when trusting big businesses, and government, which is also a very big business. They are generally not benevolent.

If even 25% of what we've read here about aspartame is true, it's stuff that I believe should be avoided. The symptoms and illnesses are so diverse, and as stated by tash, underreported, that it is hard to make a definitive case against aspartame, especially w/o the support of the FDA. Most doctors, who rely not only on the FDA but drug companies themselves, are not likely to link the symptoms, etc., to aspartame without some kind of enlightenment.

It wasn't till women were dying that Phen/Fen was taken off the market. And I'm going back pretty far, but think DDT, Thalydomide, Agent Orange...there are so many things that were declared safe, that just weren't. Now they're telling us it's safe to eat meat that has been pumped with antibiotics...etc., etc., etc....

posted April 25, 2003 12:22 PM         

I don't take it as a personal attack at all. I understand that there are people that will try to make money off of anything. I also think that there are just as many people in our socialistic government institutions that are guilty of the same manipulation of taxpayers money and greed.

I have worked for the government in research institutions as well as in the private sector. I know for a fact that there is a higher number of research projects funded by the government that basically robs the taxpayer. I would love to see some of this bitterness that is geared towards corporate America also be used to fight the fiscal mismanagment that is so rampant in our University and Federal Institutions such as the National Institute of Health, The National Institute of Drug Abuse, The CDC and others. So many of our advances actually come from the competition in big business. If not for these private companies we would not have 99% of the drugs, devices and life-saving techniques on the market.

Many of the studies that do produce usable products and research in the University and Federal sector are funded by money from the private sector.

We do need checks and balances all in the corporate and on the governmental levels as well,but we also need to put things into perspective.

1) Some of the so called "dangerous substances" like one of the drugs recalled by the name of Baycol, was not dangerous in itself. It became dangerous when MD's, that have only 6 weeks of a pharmacology course, perscribed it in conjunction with medication it interacted with. So what do we do? Crucify the pharmaceutical company, but let the MD off with a slap.

2) Stop allowing taxpayer funding to go to useless studies that have either already been done or are just being done to pay of the investigators new BMW bill. In the lab I worked at I watched as proposals were submitted asking for Millions in research funding based on non-existant personnel, invalid theories and the investigators inflated salary. They laughed when they said "Ahh, it's just the government". An invesitgation was launched, but the Attorney General in the state put the lid on it because there was such gross mishandling of the funding it would through the system into chaos and the state Uni's and federal research labs would lose ALL of their funding.

It never ceases to amaze me that some groups of people are so eager to point their fingers at the evil empire called private business, but do nothing about the total abuse of government funding and fiscal mismanagment.

What is the difference between a greedy CEO trying to skim money off the public, a greedy researcher abusing the federal funding, and a healthy person milking welfare or disability?

posted April 25, 2003 02:06 PM         

pidua, you make some wonderful points. Stealing is stealing. But...purposely poisoning people for prophet, if a company or government is doing so with food/drugs...is far more evil, IMO, than a welfare recipient stealing money, benefits, etc. I am not excusing that action, only illustrating something.

Personally, I very much appreciate your opinions, checks and balances ARE very important. I don't believe in absolutes...it's like the guy who wrote "Fast Food Nation" said: If people wanted to eat veggie burgers and sprouts, McDonald's would be happy to sell them. We just prefer greasy junk food. So which is the cause, and which is the effect? Is McDonald's evil for selling us what we want? No...but if they purposely sold us tainted food, or poisoned food so their bottom line wouldn't be compromised...well, that changes things, doesn't it?

What is best about this forum, is that those who seek knowledge are presented with it, can research it, and decide for themselves.

posted April 25, 2003 02:43 PM         

I agree that selling someone something toxic for profit is sick and disgusting. I have looked at the data surrounding Aspartame and personally, I use it and saccharin.

I am more worried about potential problems eating chicken due to the way the birds are raised and the abuse of baytril (the veterinary form of Ciprofloxacin) than I am over the small amount of NutraSweet or Sweet-n-low that I may consume. We have so many antibiotic resistant organisms that it's damn scary.

I also think people or organizations that advocate eating only a vegan diet should also be held accountable for advising a toxic diet as well as those people that only advocate eating a protein diet. Those diets can cause detrimental side effects that can lead to endocrine, protein and other disorders.

When I see that physicians and psychiatrists are over prescribing drugs like Prozac, Ridlin and other personality altering substances, I feel sick to my stomach. Not to mention the liberal perscribing of potent antibiotics for the common cold and flu.AB's are useless against viruses, but can make for some nice resistant bacterial organisms.

Now, as for McDonalds and other fast food companies, well, I do believe that people need to be responsible for what they put into their bodies. Does Taco Bell make me fat or does the fact that I eat 100 tacos at a sitting make me fat?

The alternative would be for the Fat Police / Regulators to be at the door saying "Ah...excuse me chubby, you need to order from the light menu, no gordita today". LOL....sorry, then we would have a discrimination lawsuit in the works.

Everybody is susceptible to greed, from the government lacky to the superintendent of schools. Just last week my mom called me to lament the inflated $400,000 salary of the fire department head in Las Vegas. The guy makes more than any other official, even more than the mayor or chief of police.

Does the CEO manipulate press releases to drive up stock? Some do, and why: shareholder pressure (which I think is totally wrong), but who are the shareholders? Blue collar workers, Union members: they are your everyday people. They also make demands and want everything TODAY. It's really sad that greed is so prevalent.