A Sickly Economy is Caused by Sickly People

A great contributing factor to a sluggish economy is sluggish people. In his book "Thrive Fitness" Brendan Brazier highlights this simple cause that has the potential for great devastation.

It is becoming more and more clear that the U.S. is less competitive in the global market. This is greatly due to the American people being in a poorer state of health. In his book Brendan outlines how the economy declines as the health of the people declines. To start, sickly people are not at productive in their day to day work. Also, as more people become sick, there is a burden on the taxpayer healthcare system. This causes taxes to increase and a decrease in spending. There are other contributing factors, such as the shady mortgages that people were being sold, but the bottom line is that sluggish people lead to a sluggish economy.

Some very successful companies understand this. One of these companies is Google. Googleplex in Santa Clara, California has incredible amenities for its employees. Recreation facilities equal to those of a high end resort: swimming pools, gym's, beach volleyball courts and more. Most importantly they have incredible culinary options.There are multiple cafeterias with a vast varies of food, including vegan plant based options, raw foods and smoothies. In addition to all of this employees can order whatever they want, even if it's not on the menu.

Google isn't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They understand the return on investment, and that the bottom line has been great since they implemented this in 2003.

Each individual, whether they realize or not, is contributing to the health of this nations economy; whether we are helping to improve it or make it more sickly. Its our responsibility to be aware of this and in our own lives do what we can to bring about improvements. One person can not do it alone, but collectively a difference can be made.

Gary Johnson for President

Gary Johnson is a third party candidate for the 2012 Presidential election. He is running under the libertarian party. Many people have not heard of him because he is excluded from debates and main stream media.

During college he started a one man handy man business, which then grew into one of New Mexico's largest construction businesses. He later became governor of New Mexico. When he entered office the economic situation in New Mexico was very bad, and when he left after his second term he left the state with a large surplus budget.

The main attributer to this is his record breaking use of the veto. He said with every bill he looked at the cost-benefit ration, and if it was not beneficial he would slash it. He decreased the size of the New Mexico government and did not raise taxes.

He is running for President on the libertarian idea that a smaller government allows the people the freedom to prosper.

As a voter, I feel that if he can make drastic improvements as the governor of a state, then he could do the same as the president of our country.

Unlike the other candidates for presidency, he has demonstrated the principles he is campaigning on, and has shown that they are effective.

With that said, my vote is for Gary Johnson in 2012.

Arsenic in the Rice

Recent analysis of brown rice, grown in the United States, is showing to contain an unsafe amount of arsenic. One of the main causes of this is the bodies that have been embalmed and buried underground for years and years. The arsenic from the embalming process is seeping up into the soil and making its way into the rice that we eat.

The FDA, as well as independent Consumer Reporters, are collecting data and testing the rice to see how much inorganic arsenic is contained within the rice. Both agencies found that some of the rice has more arsenic in one serving then what the Environmental Protection Agency states is safe for an entire quart of drinking water.

The FDA declined to name specific brands while they conduct more extensive research over the next few months. On the other hand, Consumer Reports released the name of the rice agencies that contained the highest amount of arsenic. They include Martin Long Grain Brown rice, Della Basmati Brown, Caroline Whole Grain Brown, Jazzmen Louisiana Aromatic Brown and Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Long Gran Brown rice.

Although the FDA advises consumers to not change eating habits, every individual needs to make that decision for them-self. In addition to avoiding rice itself, there are also rice cakes, cereal, cereal bars, rice drinks and even some juices that contain high levels of this arsenic rice.

It is essential that as consumers we are aware of what we are feeding both our families and ourselves.

Harvard Advocates a Plant Based Diet

Though Harvard School of Public Health has not taken the leap in advocating a plant based vegan diet, they have very clearly stated that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains is the most beneficial to our health. They even acknowledge that milk is not the best source of calcium, and to limit our consumption of it. In place of pushing the consumption on milk, they are advocating drinking water to quench our thirst and hydrate throughout the day.

Harvard School of Public Health has released a "Healthy Eating Plate" which diagrams how much of the above foods should be consumed. This new nutritional guide is leaps and strides more accurate than the Food Pyramid many of us grew up with. Now we just need to get this information out to the nation at large, and people of to make an informed decision about every piece of food they put in their mouths.

Ag-Gag Laws- Keeping Factory Farm Conditions Hidden

 

It has been said that if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian. Since they do not, people create these "glass walls" for each other by going into factory farms, filming everyday conditions, and releasing this footage to the public. Nothing exaggerated or extreme, just the every day circumstances in which these animals live ( I use the term "live" lightly).

The release of this information has paved the way for strides to be taken in changing the brutal treatment of these animals. Many people who have seen this footage stop eating animal products altogether, which collectively lessens the demand for this cruelly obtained food. Bills to change this brutality have been pushed to Congress. All as a result of the release of this footage. 

If people do not know what is going on, they do not realize that there is need to change anything. Under the first amendment, everyone deserves to know the truth about what happening in factory farms, in order to make an educated decision on whether or not they want to participate in this system.

Ag-Gag laws are in the process of being passed in states across the country. They have already been passed in five states (Iowa, Utah, North Dakota, Montana and Kansas). These laws make it illegal to release accurate, truthful images from inside of factory farms. This is a violation of the first amendment, so these laws are written in such a way to be legally passed. For example, making it a crime to lie on an application to work in a factory farm. So, if someone says they are not affiliated with an animal activists group on the application, and they really are, they can be incarcerated as a result.

We need more transparency, not less, when it comes to factory farms. We need to look up to see if there are pending Ag-Gag laws in our states; if there are, write to our State Representatives and voice our opposition and why. People are making a lot of money off of this brutal business, and care more about protecting their profit then protecting our rights. Freedom is not a given, we need to actively participate in order to protect it.

-Kelly

 

State Representatives

What is a State Representative? Each state is a little different, but is generally the same in that state representatives are voted for by the people of the state to represent them in the state legislature. This is where laws pertaining the the individual state are made. State Representatives work with State Senators to make laws. Both houses (the Senate and Representatives) work together to make law, and if a bill (that wants to become law) passes it goes on to the governor. The governor either veto's the bill, lets the bill pass into law by not doing anything for 10 days, signs the bill into law, or sends it back to the legislature with recommended changes.

State Representatives each represent a district. It is important to find out what district you are living in, and who is representing you. This way you can look at their voting record and see if they are supporting your interests. If not, then look into different candidates and vote for a different candidate in the next election.

If you live in Massachusetts you can find out what district you live in on this website:

Massachusetts Representative Districts

It is also important to find out when to vote in your state. To find out the election dates for your state, click on the link below:

Election Dates and Deadlines

These individuals are meant to represent the people of their district when working to pass laws. In order for this to work, citizens of those districts need to be active participants. Representatives have the power to make a big difference in the lives of people living in a state, and its important that we do our part, as the general population, to make sure these differences are for the better.

As President John F Kennedy said, "the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all."

Obamacare: the Solution is Simple and Inexpensive

Whether an individual is in support of, or against, Obama's Affordable Care Act, one fact can be agreed on: health care is an extremely expensive issue in this nation. As a nation we spend $2.2 trillion a year on health care, 5 times more than the defense budget. We spend more per person than any industrial country, yet we are sicker than any other. Something is not working. When, as a nation, are we going to see that our "health" system is not healthy, and turn to a solution that actually works.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said, "let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." The solution is literally that simple. As a nation we are caught in an addictive cycle of eating foods that make us sick, then getting medical care that relieves some of the symptoms but keeps us sick. The perfect recipe for being the nation that spends more money on health care, but has the most sickly population.

Instead of perpetuating this cycle, it is time to implement a system that actually works. It is time to start educating people on what foods heal us, rather than make us sick. The healing diet is one free of all animal products (meat, dairy, eggs), refined sugars and processed foods. It is rich in plant based whole foods; fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, etc.

While our government is busy debating how to pay for these alarming health costs, our nation is getting continuously more ill. The real issue at hand is not even being acknowledged. If our health care system will not help us to be healthy, it is our responsibility to educate and heal ourselves. An excellent source to start learning is a documentary called "Forks Over Knives." Below is a link watch it. It costs only $4 to rent, and has the information to change your life and bring real health and vitality.

Watch "Forks Over Knives"

Instead of continuing the debate of whether or not the government should step in with health care costs, it is time to start looking for a solution that has the potential to eradicate both health care costs and the health crisis.