FDA says “You’re Fat and Your Mama Dresses You Funny”

There are times when I wonder how I should label myself regarding my politics. One day I feel like a liberal democrat and the next I find myself agreeing with Cecil. (That’s a reference to being a moderately sensible republican.)

Today I’m feeling like a libertarian/anarchist. Holy crap Batman, the feds are mandating graphic anti-smoking pictures on cigarette packages.

From the FDA website: “Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States.  These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking.”

This has nothing whatsoever to do with where you fall on the smoking issue. It has nothing to do with health. I never thought I’d say “Big Brother”, but it’s just posturing politicians acting as Big Brother while they take the tobacco company’s money.  The FDA is underfunded and understaffed in protecting our food supply so they decide to do something that shows they are really on the ball. They can make a mandate like this and get no resistance because who in their right mind is going to say, “No, let’s not hurt big tobacco.” The tobacco companies won’t put up much of a fight because there is no reason to. It’s not going to stop current smokers, it’s not going to stop teens because they just made it even cooler to be a smoking rebel. It’s not going to cost the tobacco companies and it’s not going to affect overseas markets which are actually larger than the US market.

I am joining with Michelle Obama to combat obesity in America. This is a far bigger problem than smoking. Let’s face it, nobody cares if smokers die. They are doing it to themselves. The old warnings were pretty self-explanatory. If you smoke you are going to get sick from something that festers and you will die a horrible lingering death.

Obesity on the other hand is very sneaky. You don’t have to smoke, right? But you do have to eat. Everybody has got to eat to live. (Please note the previous sentence for those people who say I NEVER get anything right.)

Our true enemy is not Big Tobacco. Our true enemy hides behind happy cartoon characters and snappy jingles. Our true enemy is BIG SNACK.

Unhealthy foods must have large visual warnings showing the results of consuming the product.

So my friends, if you agree with my stance on this subject, then it’s time to call, write, and generally pester the politicians until everything short of breast milk has a graphic label on it showing the results of overuse and abuse of the product.

After all, everybody who knows you knows that you are too stupid to figure this out without a label and a picture.

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