Thomas Jefferson on the FDA

[CuteOldGuy]

"If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."
-Thomas Jefferson

I agree with Jefferson.

[Guest123018-4]

Yep

[joe bloe]

Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy

"If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."
-Thomas Jefferson

I agree with Jefferson.

If drug companies weren't required to pass FDA requirements to prove the (relative) safety and effectiveness of new drugs we would be exposed to more dangerous drugs. I'm not sure the Libertarians have a defensible position on this issue. I'm a big fan of market economies and more or less laissez-faire capitalism, but this is one area where the government has to have a role.

America was largely spared from the tragedy of severe birth defects caused by Thalidomide back in the sixties because the drug never got past FDA hurdles.

[Iaintliein]

Agreed. FDA is a bureaucratic mess, it's 90% nonsensical paperwork, 10% science (yes, I deal with it in my business). For every "dangerous" drug it "protects" us from, how many useful ones are denied? There is zero Constitutional basis for it's existence other than settling disputes between states vis a vie interstate commerce.

To think otherwise would beg the question of why it wasn't established when the Constitution was implemented.

[I B Hankering]

Purportedly, while at breakfast, President Theodore Roosevelt read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle; it sickened him. If you have yet to avail yourself of its story about the U.S. meatpacking industry, do so soon.


@ http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140

[Iaintliein]

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

Purportedly, while at breakfast, President Theodore Roosevelt read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle; it sickened him. If you have yet to avail yourself of its story about the U.S. meatpacking industry, do so soon.


@ http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140

Many would point to Wilson as the first "progressive" in the white house. I think a case could be made for both Lincoln and TR instead. While national parks are undeniably very nice, where does the Constitution give the federal government the right to establish them?

[joe bloe]

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

Purportedly, while at breakfast, President Theodore Roosevelt read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle; it sickened him. If you have yet to avail yourself of its story about the U.S. meatpacking industry, do so soon.


@ http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140

So, does this mean you're pro FDA? You know you're jeopardizing your right wing credentials. We may be forced to take away your decoder ring and clubhouse privileges.

[I B Hankering]

Originally Posted by joe bloe

So, does this mean you're pro FDA? You know you're jeopardizing your right wing credentials. We may be forced to take away your decoder ring and clubhouse privileges.

Yep! Pro-FDA, but COG is correct about the FDA being too enthusiastic in in its suppression of Amish dairy farmers.

Many, over a certain age, on this board drank unpasteurized milk as kids. Seriously though, if you have not read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, you need to do so.

[joe bloe]

Originally Posted by Iaintliein

Many would point to Wilson as the first "progressive" in the white house. I think a case could be made for both Lincoln and TR instead. While national parks are undeniably very nice, where does the Constitution give the federal government the right to establish them?

I think there are necessary functions of the federal government that aren't constitutional. We should amend the constitution before any agency is opened that the constitution does not allow. FDR should have been forced to go through the required amendment process before implementing the New Deal. If this had been required, odds are the social welfare system never would have gotten started. Abiding by the requirement to amend the constitution would slow the growth of the federal government while still allowing for adapting to change. We should start closing agencies that are currently outside the constitution and keep the ones that are supported by constitutional amendments.

I'm guessing we could transition most of what the federal government does to the states if the constitution had to be amended to continue the federal government's actions.

[I B Hankering]

Originally Posted by Iaintliein

Many would point to Wilson as the first "progressive" in the white house. I think a case could be made for both Lincoln and TR instead. While national parks are undeniably very nice, where does the Constitution give the federal government the right to establish them?

TR, Taft and Wilson, yes. You'll need to provide examples for Lincoln.

[joe bloe]

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

Yep! Pro-FDA, but COG is correct about the FDA being too enthusiastic in in its suppression of Amish dairy farmers.

Many, over a certain age, on this board drank unpasteurized milk as kids. Seriously though, if you have not read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, you need to do so.

First, they came for the Amish....

[Iaintliein]

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

TR, Taft and Wilson, yes. You'll need to provide examples for Lincoln.

The first income tax (made "progressive" by exempting those under $800).

[cptjohnstone]

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

Purportedly, while at breakfast, President Theodore Roosevelt read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle; it sickened him. If you have yet to avail yourself of its story about the U.S. meatpacking industry, do so soon.


@ http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140

that was 100 years ago, and what does the FDA have to with it, meat packers are under the USDA

[I B Hankering]

Originally Posted by cptjohnstone

that was 100 years ago, and what does the FDA have to with it, meat packers are under the USDA

You are more expert in this matter. My confusion stems from "the Pure Food and Drug Act of June 30, 1906, is a United States federal law that provided the federal inspection of meat products and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of poisonous patent medicines. The Act arose due to public education and exposés from Muckrackers such as Upton Sinclair and his book 'The Jungle' [wiki]."

"The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 (FMIA) is a United States Congress Act that works to prevent adulterated or misbranded meat and meat products from being sold as food and to ensure that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions. These requirements also apply to imported meat products, which must be inspected under equivalent foreign standards. USDA inspection of poultry was added by the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957. The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act authorizes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide inspection services for all livestock and poultry species not listed in the FMIA or PPIA, including venison and buffalo" [wiki].

These Acts helped changed the way food was processed and sold in the U.S.

Originally Posted by Iaintliein

The first income tax (made "progressive" by exempting those under $800).

Okay.