Preventing Progress

By Jeff Simpson

As a cancer survivor, I found this article in th NY Times very interesting!

The newest cancer report, which came out in mid-December, put the best possible face on things. If one accounts for the advancing age of the population — with the graying of the baby boomers, death itself is on the rise — cancer mortality has actually been decreasing bit by bit in recent decades. But the decline has been modest compared with other threats. 

A graph from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells the story. There are two lines representing the age-adjusted mortality rate from heart disease and from cancer. In 1958 when the diagram begins, the line for heart disease is decisively on top. But it plunges by 68 percent while cancer declines so slowly — by only about 10 percent — that the slope appears far less significant.

The political observer in me found this part of the article the most interesting:

OVER all, the most encouraging gains are coming from prevention. Worldwide, some 15 to 20 percent of cancers are believed to be caused by infectious agents. With improvements in refrigeration and public sanitation, stomach cancer, which is linked to Helicobacter pylori bacteria, has been significantly reduced, especially in more developed parts of the world. Vaccines against human papilloma virus have the potential of nearly eliminating cervical cancer. 

Where antismoking campaigns are successful, lung cancer, which has accounted for almost 30 percent of cancer deaths in the United States, is steadily diminishing. More progress can be made with improvements in screening and by reducing the incidence of obesity, a metabolic imbalance that, along with diabetes, gives cancer an edge.

Let's see improvements in prevention have significantly lowered cancer, yet our friends on the right(especially the tea party) have seriously and recently, fought every single one of these preventions!  From

*   People having refrigeration;

*  The human papilloma virus vaccine;

*  The public Smoking ban;

*  The efforts to curb obesity in America, especially childhood obesity. 

So technically it is true that the republicans would oppose President Obama if he came up with a cure for cancer!  

Tell me why people vote republican again?

How Do We Judge Thee?

By Jeff Simpson

Let me count the ways! 

We discussed this morning the fact that the republicans, with some help from some very misguided democrats, have decided to change the FoodShare program. 

The big government republicans, are now deciding what foods almost a million Wisconsinites can and can not purchase.  

They of course came upon their conclusions using no science or knowledge of nutrition whatsoever.   We pointed out, correctly, that this bill was not about hoping the poor in WI get better food choices, but it was simply about piling on the poor and judging them as unworthy.   It really however, goes even deeper than that.  

It falls on the back of an elitist group of people in our country judging those whom they feel are too fat.  

We have seen numerous examples of it, from when Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner let the world know he felt Michelle Obama's butt was too big,  to viewers writing Jennifer Livingston in La Crosse to tell her she was too heavy, to the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch making it clear he does not want fat girls wearing his product!     Republican speaker Robin Vos even expressed fake outrage that he once saw poor people use food stamps to buy WEDDING CAKE(although to be fair, we are not sure if Vos was more disgusted that poor people were eating cake or the institution of marriage). 

Now they are judging people some more by assuming that all poor people are fat because they are buying junk at the store (with 'our' money).   Well Robin Vos, with the help of 13 democrats, were able to make sure that no one in the lower earnings scale will ever buy wedding cake again!  

Unfortunately, we know that no matter what we do, people that are perceived as overweight, especially women, will continue to be judged. 

Luckily, we have people like Jennifer Livingston and Brittany Gibbons to help balance this!  

So now we know that this bill is a kick in the face to the million people on FoodShare program and a nice way to judge 'those people'  who Robin Vos feels should lose weight! 

Is there anyone but judgemental old white men from Waukesha County that sees the merit of this bill?  

Besides , of course,  Peter Barca who is desperately trying to permanently establish a democratic minority in WI.