The Blame Game;

This post is in regards to a fellow colleague’s blog about the politics of obesity. To view this blog in its entirety please see: http://usopencircuit.blogspot.com/2008/04/politics-of-obesity.html

I agree with you completely that it is overdue that the government steps in and forces food companies to be clearer in their labeling of products. Although, unfortunate as it may be, I feel as though this will have little to no effect on most Americans. I think in this day and age most people are aware of why they are overweight or obese, whether they admit it or not. In my opinion you could put a skull & crossbones on junk food and people would still eat it. I don’t feel as though the problem is that Americans don’t know what their eating, I think the problem is people like the way unhealthy food tastes and don’t have the willpower to change. It’s sad but I think the average American would rather be overweight and die early than give up the foods they like to eat. I am afraid the only real answer is to educate our children on the importance of a healthy diet and hope for the best. It’s easy to blame the government or the food industry for our obesity problems but I believe the true blame lies with us. America has produced a large population of lazy individuals who like to blame everyone else for their problems rather than accept responsibility for their own actions and work hard to fix them. I believe this is as much a problem with the American mindset as it is with the government or food industry.

Jason Lundin

High Time For Change

I think it is way over due that the federal government decriminalizes marijuana. It is utterly ridiculous that you can walk into a liquor store buy a fifth of hard alcohol and a pack of cigarettes, swing by the pharmacy pick up a slew of prescription drugs for every ailment you could ever imagine, and then have to illegally purchase a joint. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. The effects of alcohol are much worse than marijuana and I highly doubt any one would even argue that. I don’t even want to get into the stats let’s just say there is a lot. It could be federally taxed and monitored and ultimately safer. With all the crime in this country and overcrowding of jails doesn’t it make sense to free up a little bit of manpower and real-estate? I mean what would the police force do with all that extra time? My guess would be, apprehend more bad guys and less pot heads. I have children and I absolutely don’t want my kids to grow up to be pot heads, nor do I want them to be alcoholics. At least if it were legal I wouldn’t have to worry about them interacting with some drug dealer so they could experiment with some pot. In addition it would probably reduce the chance that they would smoke something that was laced with who knows what. From my high school days it was much easier to find pot (illegal) than it was to get alcohol (legal). Hmmm so what would happen if pot were legal????? I’m guessing the drug dealers would go out of business because you would be able to get it on every corner and since I’m guessing the legal age would be 21 (like alcohol) it would probably become more difficult for kids to obtain. Every year there are stories of college kids who die of alcohol poisoning. How often do you see a headline of someone overdosing on THC? I don’t know about you, but I’ve personally never seen that headline. Currently when my child turns eighteen if he so chooses he can start the process of giving himself lung cancer ,emphysema, heart problems, liver disease, etc., etc. but if he wants to get stoned and devour a bag of chips he could end up in jail. I don’t know what else I can say other than it just DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

Jason Lundin

Effects of Terrorism;

This Blog is in response to one of my colleagues blogs in regards to the effects of terrorism on the Constitution.
This Blog can be viewed at:
http://loseyourdelusions.blogspot.com/2008/03/terrorism-is-killing-constitution-and.html

I don’t enjoy going through airport security any more than anyone else does. Unfortunately this is the day and age we live in. I would rather be inconvenienced or embarrassed at the airport than ever see another American plane plunged into the side of a building. Now I’m not saying that the nipple ring incident or any other incident is right or wrong but with any system that is controlled by people there will be mistakes made, but at the end of the day it’s all in the name of safety and the fear of making a mistake that causes another 911. As far as Constitution goes, I think times have changed a little since it was written. I doubt when it was written, airport security against terrorists aiming to turn jetliners into missiles was a major concern. I don’t feel the administration is trying to turn TSA agents into gods. I feel as though they are confronted with a very difficult job and the government wants to ensure they are given the tools necessary to accomplish that job. So for myself when I am at the airport and I am frustrated I try and put myself in their shoes. It is not a responsibility I would want to bear. Unfortunately, what’s starting to happen now, is that a considerable amount of time has gone by since 911 and people want to start seeing the rules relaxed. In my opinion that is just what the terrorist are waiting for. I personally applaud TSA for doing a good job on a very difficult task.

Jason Lundin

NO Forclosure Bail Out

I do not think the government should consider a massive bail out for homeowners that purchased homes that they could not afford, and are now in jeopardy of forclosure. As a homeowner that has purchased three homes, I can positively say that there are lenders who try and confuse you with the contracts, but that is no excuse. Purchasing a home is the biggest investment you will ever make, and it is your responsibility to read the contract entirely. It is your signature on the loan agreement, and by signing that document, you are approving of the terms listed in the contract. Most of the buyers that are in trouble are the ones who have ARMS (Adjustable Rate Mortgages). Now I don’t know about you, but if the word adjustable is in the title of the loan your about to sign on then shouldn’t that tip you off that at some point it might just do that…. ADJUST. Most individuals that purchased a home using an ARM loan, intended to sell before the ARM expired hoping the home value would go up tremendously, which in turn would make them a significiant amount of money. That was a high risk investment that went bad. Now I’m not saying the banks are free of any wrongdoing, and I do believe the government should step in to review mortage loan procedures, but an individual must be held accountable for their own decisions. If the government bails these people out who is going to pay for it? The taxpayers who didn’t sign on to an ARM loan with a Balloon payment. I purchased my first home when I was 24 and was offered 2 choices. I could buy a more expensive house with and adjustable rate or a house I could afford with a 30 year fixed rate. I chose to buy within my price range. If I could figure it out at 24 then I have very little sympathy for those in trouble now. The reality of the situation is that a lot of Americans play a dangerous game of keeping up with the Jones’, and with the help of credit and ARM loans it is possible to have that facade. The government should not use taxpayers money to bail out people who don't have the common sense to not live beyond their means.

Democrats Fear an Ugly End;

This blog is in reference to an article out of the L.A. Times. This article states that the Democratic Party fears an ugly end to this primary race. In my opinion their fear is a genuine one. With Obama and Clinton being so close neither one appears to be showing any signs of backing down. There has been talk of a joint ticket in which Clinton already feels she deserves the top spot. To me it’s unclear why with her still losing the delegate race. Never the less Obama didn’t rule it out, but feels it is premature to be discussing such plans. I feel the longer this rival continues and the more they campaign against each other, the less likely this dream ticket is to be. The more I see them tear one another down the more I doubt that they would make a good team in the White House. I feel this close race is a media dream. The networks couldn’t be happier as their ratings soar. Another group enjoying this democratic battle is the republicans. While the democratic candidates are likely to spend weeks continuing to duke it out, McCain can turn his sights on November. If in the end the dems don’t join forces, half the democrats (who have demonstrated record voter turnout across the country) will likely have grown so much dislike for the opposing candidate they won’t even vote in support of their party. Of course that is just a speculation, but a risk none the less. I believe by neither candidate stepping down in support of their party they are only hurting themselves. It would have been a much more intelligent strategy to join a dream ticket prior to all these highly publicized debates, in which they have repeatedly tried to discredit each other. If they had followed such a strategy it is likely would have been an unstoppable force. Now, to me at least, if they do join together it will seem like a phony union was formed to avoid public defeat. By waiting so long I fear they have turned their dream ticket into a nightmare.
Jason Lundin
For More Information Please See:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-delegates6mar06,1,505167.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

McCain's Ties to Lobbbyist

This Blog is in reference to an article out of the L.A. Times (reputable newspaper?). This article discusses a possible relationship between Sen. John McCain and a female lobbyist Vicki Isleman that dates back to before 1999. According to the article former aides of McCain urged Isleman to stay away from McCain as so not to ruin his upcoming 2000 presidential-campaign. It also reports that some of McCain’s top advisors had believed that the relationship had become romantic and strongly urged him to discontinue any ties with the lobbyist for it could hinder his chances for president. None of these claims seem to have any legitimate proof, or relevance for that matter. I wonder how much money his former staff members received for selling him out in such a shallow manor. This is another classic example of how ridiculous our media is. Is this really the treatment a Veteran POW with over 24 years of service to our country deserves? The level of integrity that a supposedly reputable newspaper displays is embarrassing. Try as I may I could not find a shred of relevance to the current campaign anywhere in this article. I may as well check the enquirer for my political information. I strongly doubt that the majority of voters care to waste their time with these sort of smear tactics. It’s getting to the point that an upcoming presidential candidate is treated no different than Britney Spears in the media. In this day and age is it too much to expect valid and relevant information from a paper such as the L.A. Times. What is this world coming to?
For More Information See:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mccain21feb21,1,1428245.story?
Jason Lundin

Romney Out

I found this article in Austin American Statesman. It stated that with Romney out it is certain that the next presidency will put focus on climate change. It is believed any one of the remaining candidates will put some sort of cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to Romney bowing out of the race he made accusations toward McCain stating that he plans to tax Americans per gallon for fuel while china and India do nothing. These statements actually carried little merit. McCain has yet to put any concrete figures on a proposed tax, and China and India are ahead of the United States in their efforts to stop global warming. To me this seemed like a last ditch effort to stay in the race in which he has so much of his own money tied up in. It seems a little insulting for him to think by playing to our pocketbooks over our global concerns he would gain some ground. In my opinion no matter what side of the fence your on, the bowing out of Romney was a good thing. Regardless of your stance on global warming I think it can only benefit us as a world to have someone in the oval office that has some concern over the issue. With issues such as these there is no room for guessing. As ridiculous as it may sound I’m of the opinion “better safe than sorry.”

For More Info. See: http://enviromedia.statesmanblogs.com/entry.aspx?q=a0e5012b-2cf4-4206-9a4e-9a3b012ae6a6