"Killer at Large" Journal entry

I believe most of us would agree that most if not all of today's processed foods is food we should not be putting in our bodies on a regular basis. With out a doubt people of all ages, especially teens, are eating these foods at an alarming rate. What I took away most from this video was the relationship between the food companies and congress. This is nothing new to me however, the stranglehold that these lobbyist have on our political system is disgusting. Money is king in this country and this video proves it with its insightful look into how our agricultural and health agencies are run and their logic behind its processes. The general public is being grossly manipulated by not only the food companies but to a large degree the government, thanks to congressman who are in the pockets of these companies and their lobbyist. The media will share some of this blame as well, as they choose to suppress information on exactly what is in the foods we eat. They'll be quick to talk about how gas prices are on the rise or how much money a blockbuster film is grossing but try finding consistent national coverage on this topic. Some might even argue that's its capitalism that is the root of the evil but I argue rather that its corporatism that is the problem; Killer at Large did a nice job of exposing that. George Carlin said it best, "this country was bought and paid for a long time ago, folks." I see it even clearer now. A great example of the rapid change of how we eat can be linked directly to Earl Butz who was appointed by President Richard Nixon in 1971 as the head of the Department of Agriculture. His mantra to farmers was, "get big or get out" This saw a huge decline in the small, family farmer and increase in mega agribusiness corporations. I am all for less government and more individual freedoms but corporatism as helped create this false illusion that parents are being undermined by having their decisions on what they can or can not feed their children. A perfect example is in the case of vending machines in schools, which I personally this is an absolute joke. Governor Schwarzenegger does what he feels was his duty as a publicly elected official and signed a bill that banned vending machines in public schools in his state. And not all vending machines were banned but the contents were replaced by healthier options. What these lobbyist will then do is create a panic targeted at parents that make them think the government is telling them what to do and how to raise their kids. As we saw in the video some parents even handed out "banned" junk foods to their kids at school. All in all this was an interesting and thought provoking video which only reassured my complete lack of faith in our current system. But I'd like to remain somewhat optimistic, we can change it. Its just going to take a lot of effort and a lot more awareness.