Staff writer
I heard on the news the other day that sugar was the biggest good thing to be bad for the human body. It seems sugar now ranks right up there with alcohol and drugs as an addictive substance, and too much of it has led to the demise of the American public.
We are overweight and out-of-shape in this country because we like too much of the good stuff. And come to think of it, sugar is not the only thing lately to leave a funny taste in my mouth.
Take Monsanto, for instance. This is a multinational company trying to gloss over the concerned eyes of health-conscious persons by throwing money into the heart of the American public — our rural communities and schools.
For a long time Monsanto promoted itself as an agricultural company out to help American farmers feed the world, but a quick check online reveals that many worldwide entities are actually banning the use of Monsanto’s genetically-modified seeds because of health concerns. These seeds, such as Roundup Ready Soybeans, have become the boon of American agriculture, making it possible to produce more grain from fewer acres, and hence, feed more people. Unfortunately, Monsanto has an ugly history of ruthless legal battles against small farmers who just want to grow their own heritage seeds, and leaves a murky trail of toxic contamination.
It certainly is a good ploy on their part to upgrade their public image by supporting agriculture education and giving away money to schools. We all want free money, but will too much of a good thing bring about tainted results? Will our schoolchildren be brainwashed by their education so they do not look into the motive behind the money?
Likely they will not, it is just the rest of us that get to the ‘I don’t really care stage’ and just want to enjoy the good life, or the sugar side of things. I think some junior high students who recently gave persuasive speeches as part of a freshmen English class should publish their thoughts. Their topics covered many ideas, but one that interested me was the idea that television should undergo more censorship.
I agree! Regular programming is really getting disgusting these days. I know, there is always an off button to push, but really, why does this stuff have to come into our living rooms anyway.
I guess the television has been on in our house a lot lately because of March Madness. I have no complaints about that programming. Who doesn’t love a good basketball game between great teams?
What I do have a problem with is some of the commercials playing incessantly over and over. Ironically, I have the biggest problem with one of the nicest commercials on locally. It is from Via Christi. Oh, isn’t that such a nice place, where, according to the current commercial, every specialist is there for only one purpose and that is to serve each individual’s needs. Gag me with a spoon of sugar!
We all know it is about money, really. Try going there with no insurance. Try working with the collection department to reduce an unfair charge. Take a look at the civil section in newspaper docket pages and see which companies sue the American public the most — places like Via Christi! Let’s sugar coat the medical industry and pretend like we are all happy with the current state of medical care, cost efficiency, and the fact that local hospitals continue to get swallowed up by conglomerates who promise to care for us just as well as those that used to know us by name.
The Via Christi commercial, like many things in this day and age, is just too full of sugar. Reality does not taste as good, but a good dose of it is better for some in the long run. It is all a balancing act.