Poor, Helpless Julia

If I was a woman, I would really be offended by the new Obama campaign slide show titled "The Life of Julia." This presentation follows a fictional female named Julia through her life, nearly from womb to tomb, showing how Obama's policies make it possible for her to accomplish great things in her life without a care. No worries about anything—education, healthcare, pregnancy, starting a business, retirement—it's all a piece of cake under Father Obama's (my words) generous provision. And, in every case, none of it would be possible under the stingy Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's policies.

How insulting—or revolting is a better word. How did women in America prior to 2008 ever accomplish anything? And this is coming from the same party that brought us the (failed) ERA? Where is the outrage from the feminists over being portrayed as helpless without Big Brother there to shepherd them through life and ensure their success?

It's obvious who this presentation is targeting: women who have been taught by Obama's party over the years that they need big government. And that they are entitled to have their needs met through the tax revenues of those who actually earn money and pay taxes in this country.

The only thing good about this presentation is that it reveals, more clearly than ever, exactly what Obama's agenda really is: to teach Americans—women, in this case—that they can't be successful or fulfilled in life without government making it happen for them. Every time Obama opens his mouth or his campaign makes a decision, the choices about America's future become easier to see.

David, Goliath, and King Kong

I have written about the battle being waged by Chick-fil-A against a T-shirt maker in Vermont named Bo who sells T-shirts that say "Eat More Kale." CFA is afraid that Bo's T-shirts are going to detract from their trademarked slogan, "Eat Mor Chickin.'" (At least Bo can spell.) This is a classic David and Goliath story, and Bo-David is not backing down. He raised enough money on Kickstarter.com to fund a documentary about his struggle against CFA and has done a brilliant job of mounting a grassroots campaign through social media.

But the Feds have already indicated they are likely to side with CFA in their "cease and desist" order against Bo. CFA has already shut down the efforts of 40+ other entrepreneurs and businesses who tried to use "Eat more . . . ." in their advertising—and they're likely to win against Bo, given the way things work.

But a new player has just entered the fray: King Kong, aka Mars, Incorporated—the $30 billion dollar (revenue, 2010) maker of M&M's and most of America's favorite chocolate bars and other snacks. (Mars also own Seeds of Change, one of the oldest and best sellers of organic seeds and veggie food items.) Mars just came out with the ad above—"Eat more broccoli"—encouraging their customers to include lots of healthy foods in their diet along with their M&M's. Kudos for that.

Now it gets interesting. Chick-fil-A is a $5 billion revenue company that doesn't think twice about pushing T-shirt makers and other small businesses around—companies that don't have the resources to fight them in court. But is Chick-fil-A going to try the same stunt with a company six times its size? I can't wait to see!

Mars is the fifth largest PRIVATELY HELD company in America. They have no stockholders to tell them what to do. They are filthy rich and can do whatever they want—to include telling Chick-fil-A to back off if they hear a trademark chirp out of them in the form of a "cease and desist" letter.

Here's what I wonder: The Mars ad has just come out. This has to be more than coincidental. Because Bo's "Eat More Kale" campaign has garnered national attention, there's no way the folks at Mars created their "Eat More Broccoli" ad in a media vacuum. I relish the possibility that the Mars folks created their ad just to tweak Chick-fil-A; to see how tough the chicken-sellers are when they come up against somebody bigger than Bo.

I may be wrong. It could be a coincidence. But the world is watching—okay, I'm watching—to see what Chick-fil-A says to Mars, Incorporated—if anything. If CFA is telling Bo he can't say "Eat More Kale," then they should tell Mars they can't say "Eat More Broccoli." Better—CFA should tend to its chicken and leave the kale and broccoli to Bo and Mars and whoever else.

Nutella Isn't Healthy? Do-tella!

I first noticed Nutella on the training tables in pictures of professional cycling teams during the Tour de France. When I checked it out I was shocked at the ingredients. I guess if you're burning 6,000 calories a day during the Tour you can afford to eat something with five teaspoons of sugar in a single serving. (Not really—nobody needs that much sugar.) Not surprisingly, Nutella just settled a class-action lawsuit filed against its claim of being a health food. If you eat Nutella, you might want to read this.

Born for Trouble

A man who is the chairman of the board of one of the largest Christian publishing houses writes a blog I read several times a week. In today's post he talks about choices and circumstances in life and recounts his own history of challenging experiences:

• I have been fired (more than once).
• I have gone through a business failure.
• I have felt stuck in a job I hated.
• I have gone through a protracted and expensive IRS audit.
• I had to have emergency surgery when my gall bladder ruptured.
• I have had a child in rebellion and on drugs.
• I have had two daughters with chronic illnesses.
• I have lost money on three out of four houses I’ve owned.

First, I appreciated his vulnerability in reciting his history of less-than-ideal circumstances. Second, it reminded me of Job 5:7: "For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward."

Sometimes we look at other people and think their lives are less difficult than ours. The truth is, we just haven't heard their whole story. There is no escaping the challenges of life in a fallen world for any of us. (Michael Hyatt's post is available to read here.)

Not As Smart As We Think

What's wrong with this picture? America is supposedly the most advanced nation in human history, but the following facts belie that assumption (from this article):

Life Expectancy: United States life expectancy is 42nd in the world.

Infant Mortality: In 1960, the U.S. had the 12^th lowest infant mortality rate in the world. By 1990 it had dropped to 23^rdplace, and the most recent study in 2008 estimated that the U.S. is now in 34^th place.

Effectiveness of the U.S. Health Care System : We spend more on health care than any other nation in the world ($6,714 per person in 2006) but get less, according to the World Health Organization, which ranked our health care system as 37th in overall performance, and 72nd by overall level of health.

I was amazed to read a current editorial by Fortune senior editor-at-large Geoffrey Colvin that touches this subject—that America's healthcare (sickcare, actually) crisis is fundamentally a problem of how people choose to behave. I read this kind of opinion from alternative and plant-based docs and authors all the time, but rarely from a mainstream, non-medical professional. Colvin's editorial calls to mind the stunning moment in a 2008 presidential debate between Obama and McCain when the moderator asked the two candidates whether they considered healthcare a right or a responsibility.

Obama: "A right"

McCain: "A responsibility."

No one should be surprised that Obama wants to dedicate one-sixth of the U.S. economy to supporting a rights/entitlement system that has proven to be an utter failure at elevating the health of the American people. The government can't legislate health any more than it can legislate morality. Both are responsibilities.

Colvin's entire editorial is great, this being the heart:

At the beginning of the 20th century, the top causes of death in the U.S. were communicable diseases -- flu, tuberculosis, curses that could strike any of us. Today the top causes of death are noncommunicable diseases that result mostly from the way we live --coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, some cancers. Medical researchers call them lifestyle diseases.

What's important from a policy perspective is not just that these diseases cause the most deaths, but also that they cause the most spending. The great majority of America's staggering $2.6 trillion health care tab (as of 2010) was spent treating lifestyle diseases. While we rightly worry about health care costs rising 8% or 9% a year, we spend well over 50% of our costs on diseases caused mostly by the way we choose to behave.

If Americans behaved just a little differently, our health care costs could settle down to a sustainable growth rate that matches the economy's growth, or could even fall further. We don't need a nation of triathletes. If we would smoke and drink a little less, walk a little more, eat a few more vegetables and fruits, and lose some weight, the effect would be far more dramatic than most people suspect. "More than 90% of type 2 diabetes, 80% of coronary artery disease, 70% of stroke, and 70% of colon cancer are potentially preventable" by that combination of moderate behavior changes, reports Harvard epidemiologist Walter C. Willett. In other words, by making realistic changes that are entirely within our own control, we could end the crisis of unsustainably rising U.S. health care costs. Which brings us to that simple question: Why don't we?