I am working towards a doctorate in clinical psychology. I plan to specialize in child psychology due to my experiences teaching in the New York City and Miami-Dade Public School Systems.
Today I had to present to my Health Psychology class on childhood obesity.
And that's where I found this buried treasure...
Read below the fold to see if 'X' truly marks the spot...
A little background first - the rate of childhood obesity in the U.S. has more than TRIPLED since 1980. There were the usual culprits: increased cable channels and more hours in front of the boob tube, more families with both parents working, socioeconomic factors, certain ethnic factors, lack of physical activity, yada yada yada.
So I tried to figure out if there were any other variables from the early 80s that could have resulted in such a negative trend for our society. And then it hit me: Ronald Reagan was elected.
After a bit of searching I learned of Reagan's disdain for the FDA. He called it a "job killer". His buddy, Newt Gingrich also used the same terminology at the time(this wingnut talking point stuff has deep roots).
It seems that the chemical sweetener Asparteme was discovered by pharm colossus Searle. The vast preponderance of evidence (besides in-house Searle studies of course) demonstrated that asparteme was harmful and could cause a host of chronic problems in humans. It had been decisively banned for 16 years for use in food and drink. The FDA was doing its job.
During Reagan's initial campaign, Searle CEO Donald Rumsfeld - YES, THAT DONALD RUMSFELD - was on Reagan's transition team. Reagan appointed a Dr. Arthur Hayes Jr. as head of the FDA. The day after Reagan was inagurated, Searle reapplied to have asparteme approved by the FDA.
Despite Ronnie's mandate and obvious political power, the FDA commission of scientists ruled 3-2 to UPHOLD the ban. So Dr. Hayes simply added another member to the council, and the vote became 3-3, leaving Dr. Hayes as the deciding vote.
Imagine that!!!!
Asparteme was approved for use. Hayes left the FDA a short time later as he was caught taking rides on the corporate jets of General Foods - here's a shocker - Searle's biggest client!!!
Next, Dr. Hayes accepts a cushy position at Burston-Marsteller, Searle and Monsanto's (another awesome company) PR firm!!!!
Coincidentally, in the 70s, the FDA had a public approval rating of 80% and was one of the most respected agencies in the country. Reagan cut the staff by 30% initially and reduced funding. The approval rating under Bush finally reached 36% for the FDA.
This is what republicans do - they bitch and moan about the ineffectiveness of government, and when they get into office they gut government agencies so when they fail, they can step back and say, 'I told you so'
The FDA estimates it inspects food producers once per decade. It is underfunded. It is the gatekeeper that is supposed to read and interpret those tiny, condensed strings of letters that form chemicals most of us cannot pronounce without some practice. It has a history of being bought by big corporations.
I'm not saying that asparteme is the cause of childhood obesity, but it's interesting that a pharmaceutical company would want to place a toxin into tons of edible products. A toxin that wouldn't kill you outright, but it might make you chronically ill. And if you're chronically ill, you need the medicines and healthcare available. But don't get too sick, or they'll drop you from coverage. But at that point, you have no consumer value anymore.
Someone help me here. I'm trying to say clear of the tin foil, but connecting the dots is sometimes painful.