8 replies to this topic

[Luminosity]

USA

Jonathan Emord, constitutional lawyer and activist, went on Coast to Coast AM radio on July 3rd, 2013 to sound the alarm about legislation intended to restrict your access to supplements. He said that Senator Dick Durbin intended to re-introduce legislation giving the FDA a pretext to restrict access to supplements. The regulations would be impossible to follow. The FDA which is captive to the drug companies would use them to shut down supplement companies. Monkeying with the regulation process is the drug companies preferred method of trying to get rid of their competition lately. If we can find out which drug company is most responsible, we can boycott them. They need some consequences.

To stop this bad legislation, contract your representatives in Congress and the President. This bill was called Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2011, S. 1310 before. It was defeated. Apparently Senator Durbin is reintroducing it, according to both Mr. Emord and the site below NaturalHealth365. I don't doubt it.

More on this bill and what's wrong with it: http://www.naturalhe...ement_bill.html

More on the general problem of regulatory overreach here: http://www.anh-usa.o...ment-backfired/

How they intend to take your supplements away: http://www.anh-usa.o...nd-supplements/

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
TTY/TTD Comments: 202-456-6213
email: http://www.whitehous...ns-and-comments

When contacting your elected representatives, a snail mail letter or a phone call has more impact than an email. They get so many emails that it isn't clear that they even read them anymore.

To find out who your two Senators are and their contact info go to: http://www.senate.go...enators_cfm.cfm
If you know his or her name you could also write them at:
United States Senate
Washington D.C. 20510

To find your Representative in the House and their contact info go to: https://writerep.hou...p/welcome.shtml
If you know his or her name you could also write them at:
United States House of Representatives
Washington DC 20515

To see more political commentary by me, go to:

http://www.longecity.org/forum/blog/blog-92/cat-7-commentary

Edited by Luminosity, 07 July 2013 - 06:50 AM.

[Logic]

People should be aware of the fact that with enough signatures on a petition (amount varies with position held) you can get public servants like this fired!

Also be aware that sites like Avaaz have over 23 000 000 members in their Email database and that its very easy for aqnyone to start a petition on this site!
There are 3 or 4 others, similar sites too.

Don't expect much help here: People seem to be intent on flying under the radar due to a fear of becoming marked men and there seem to be a number of 'members' actively down voting and poo-poo'ing this sort of post.
My feeling is that if you want to 'mark' 23 000 000 plus people you going to start shitting yourself as one of the unmarked minority...

The 'plan' seems to be to outlaw supps slowly, one at a time to avoid an outcry.
Now no-one plans on a timescale longer than a lifetime...
So one cant help wondering if we aren't trying to re-invent a wheel that has been kept secret here..?
(Takes crazy hat off again. )

[Logic]

All supps, vits, minerals to be declared illegal!?
http://www.longecity...434#entry598434

opinion on gmo
http://www.longecity...mo/page__st__30

Avaaz. Oops sorry; there are 24 000 000 marked men now!!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/

[hav]

Here's Senator Durbin's latest (from his own web site):

http://www.durbin.se...7f-3660d480545a

It seems to be basically an effort to bolster his belief that adverse reactions to dietary supplement are under reported by combining incidents reported to the Poison Control Center with those reported to the FDA. While presumably removing duplications of the same incident reported to booth. Which sounds reasonable, on the face of it. The part I find entertaining is that the roadblock appears to be that the Poison Control Center wants to charge the FDA the "discount price" of $800,000 (down from $76 million) for the data and the FDA is only willing to pay $400,000. Makes me wonder what government agencies charge for Senate hearings.

Howard

Edited by hav, 09 July 2013 - 05:56 PM.

[micro2000]

It's a common meme in alt health communities that pharmaceutical companies "control" the FDA. The reality is totally opposite. Anyone who has ever worked for a medical device or pharmaceutical company can tell you that the FDA can walk in and shut down any such company. Because of this belief, any legislation regarding supplements are deemed to be devised by Big Pharma as a way to eliminate supplements as drug competition. Yet I'm not aware of any evidence linking a specific company to such legislation. And no such conspiracy is required, for in the mind of the public, regulation = protection/safety (regardless of reality). Politicians latch onto the boogeyman of the day and promise laws to "protect the children" and the public knod in agreement.

Durbin is a typical politician: ignorant on most issues, yet arrogant enough to believe his ideas should be enacted into law.

[sthira]

It's a common meme in alt health communities that pharmaceutical companies "control" the FDA. The reality is totally opposite. Anyone who has ever worked for a medical device or pharmaceutical company can tell you that the FDA can walk in and shut down any such company. Because of this belief, any legislation regarding supplements are deemed to be devised by Big Pharma as a way to eliminate supplements as drug competition. Yet I'm not aware of any evidence linking a specific company to such legislation.

Oh gosh. Where to begin...

The pharmaceutical industry spends more each year to lobby and influence DC lawmakers. Drug companies spent more than $2.6 billion on lobbying activities from 1998 through 2012, according to OpenSecrets.org. Drug companies spend more money on lobbying than any other American industry -- more the nation's defense and aerospace companies, more than Big Oil... To get some perspective on just how big $2.6 billion is, consider that oil and gas companies and their trade associations spent $1.4 billion lobbying Congress over the same time period while the defense and aerospace industry spent $662 million, a fourth of these drug company's totals.

That huge sum of money drug makers spend to lobby Congress each year begs the question, what are they seeking in return? Controlling FDA policies and supplement legislation is just part of the puzzle.

[micro2000]

It's a common meme in alt health communities that pharmaceutical companies "control" the FDA. The reality is totally opposite. Anyone who has ever worked for a medical device or pharmaceutical company can tell you that the FDA can walk in and shut down any such company. Because of this belief, any legislation regarding supplements are deemed to be devised by Big Pharma as a way to eliminate supplements as drug competition. Yet I'm not aware of any evidence linking a specific company to such legislation.

Oh gosh. Where to begin...

The pharmaceutical industry spends more each year to lobby and influence DC lawmakers. Drug companies spent more than $2.6 billion on lobbying activities from 1998 through 2012, according to OpenSecrets.org. Drug companies spend more money on lobbying than any other American industry -- more the nation's defense and aerospace companies, more than Big Oil... To get some perspective on just how big $2.6 billion is, consider that oil and gas companies and their trade associations spent $1.4 billion lobbying Congress over the same time period while the defense and aerospace industry spent $662 million, a fourth of these drug company's totals.

That huge sum of money drug makers spend to lobby Congress each year begs the question, what are they seeking in return? Controlling FDA policies and supplement legislation is just part of the puzzle.

Because industries lobby the State for special privileges and protections does not equal "control". It equals "attempt to influence". Because government intervenes into the market, this incentivizes industry to lobby for privileges. While this is true, this does not prove that the pharmaceutical companies are spending such amounts of money to harm supplement companies. IMO pharmaceutical companies couldn't care less about such a relatively small competition. They are concerned with regulations that will impact their business costs as well as hindering competitive pharmaceutical companies.

[sthira]

Because industries lobby the State for special privileges and protections does not equal "control". It equals "attempt to influence".

Well, this is just fun discussion and I agree: attempt to influence does not equal control. By "State" you mean government at the federal, state, and local levels? Yes, drug company's lobby government at many levels. The wider their collective effort, the more chance of success at attempting to influence legislation. My premise is that drug companies seek to influence government policies for financial reasons. They don't care about human health and well-being, or human suffering and dignity.

Because government intervenes into the market, this incentivizes industry to lobby for privileges. While this is true, this does not prove that the pharmaceutical companies are spending such amounts of money to harm supplement companies. IMO pharmaceutical companies couldn't care less about such a relatively small competition.

I agree, and doubt drug companies want to "harm" small supplement companies. But they do want the growing market share, and seek to purchase successful small supplement companies (capitalism: big fish eats little fish) The supplement industry is enormous. And if it's not a direct competitor (and often it is) the vitamin business is still a bit of a wild west.

They are concerned with regulations that will impact their business costs as well as hindering competitive pharmaceutical companies.

:-) I totally agree.

[Luminosity]

micro2000, one day people in Europe, Canada and Australia woke up and their favorite supplements were no longer available. If you don't in fact, work for the drug companies, I would not wait much longer to wake up.

Act while you can, people.