Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Candidate Gingrich's Oil Pipeline Roundup

Presidential Candidate Gingrich recently mentioned his concern for rising gasoline prices.  He reasoned that the marketplace has increased the price of gasoline because of the principles of 'Supply and Demand': Price has increased because the supply has dwindled.  

Yet, in reality we are exporting more gasoline and the demand has dwindled over the past few years here.  The marketplace is decreasing the supply locally which helps to raise prices.  But I'm not condemning them for conducting business.  Instead I'd just like to share my opinions, of-course.

An effective method to decrease the price of gasoline would indeed be to increase the supply of gasoline here.  Hold off on some of those gasoline exports to increase that supply here, perhaps.  But that's not reasonable since these refineries want to make as much profit as possible, and the public doesn't value hindering a business opportunity even if it might possible be in the public's own interest.  And so I expect that they will continue to export as much as possible and/or sell it locally, whichever recipe nets the highest profits at the end of the day.  

We could increase Supply through other measures such as Gingrich's approach of building a pipeline to send more oil to refineries here, then refiners could possibly produce enough gasoline to saturate the local and export markets, until the public-at-large starts buying ever larger vehicles and living farther away from work as a result.  If you think I'm painting a pretty picture from increased fuel consumption then read on.

Let's not forget that the public will be paying the billions of dollars necessary to design and build this pipeline, as well as to purchase right-of-ways from private lands.  That's just more needless consumption.  Consumers could instead spend money on products they really want, for instance the next generation of smartphone or e-reader tablet, a safer car, better insurance, more and time for dinners and better restaurants, more cloths for the kids, and have more timing for fitness, school, church, vacation, or God-Forbid-- less work..  One's imagination is the only limiting factor for what to spend the money and time on that you don't have, because your spending that money on pipelines and extra time driving to and fro.  The consumption that consumers really desire is what increases the quality of life the most, else its a form of 'tax' on our economy.

If the goal is to decrease the price of gasoline as much as possible then we need to do more than simply increase supply.  We need to both increase supply and decrease demand.  And so it's proposed by others that a two pronged approach of increasing supply while decreasing demand would be best for prices.  However, since gasoline businesses want to make as much profit as possible, it obviously wouldn't be desirable to an oil business or their politicians. As such, they finance scientific analysis which is likely to undermine or question the science that is good for their business.  If the science they fund doesn't produce results that are profitable to their business, they lay it off.  Who are we to complain?  It's only business and who are we to hinder the prosperity of business?  

But I do believe Candidate Gingrich's true concern is falling consumption of oil and other greenhouse gas producing fuels, because that's bad for the businesses that support his political campaigns.  These are the corporations you and I own through our mutual funds and retirements, but our political opinions are leveraged by their board of directors.  

It's convenient for Gingrich to say that he wants to lower prices.  It's just a convenient economic principle that if big oil business gets their way and gets to take more oil from public lands, pipe it over and refine it into gasoline for their profit, then the increased supply would indeed drop the price of gasoline.  Still, at the end of the day the net profit goes up on the basis of market principle of Quantity verses Quality sells.  

What he hasn't mentioned, and I imagine most consider it a given truth, is that he wants to create additional demand for gasoline in the process.  

Gingrich's many business constituents hope we would become more dependent on less efficient use of gasoline, for example by driving larger vehicles and living ever farther away from employment.  The oil companies get a larger slice of our paycheck (and time resources while driving) each week.  Market principle: That's good for industry growth, but at the decline of other industries consumers judge then deem "less affordable now".

But consumption in driving and cars and the like is fully in-line with the hopes and dreams of many people, and so for them, even though they are already aware of Gingrich's true intentions, they are happy with their outcome.  They enjoy their leisure driving to and fro and sleeping in a big house for short nights rests.  Just think of the tranquility of larger homes, bigger cars and living way out in beautiful rural subdivisions far away from the big city they work in (overtime of course). 

Therefore it become convenient to believe that global warming scientist are merely trying to spoil all the fun for political rather than environmental purposes.  Environmentalists have a difficult row to hoe in convincing the public how they will be better off with smaller homes, cars and living closer to work.  The solution is to mention the economic facts, a principle that what isn't spent on oil pipelines and automobiles gets diverted elsewhere into the economy.  And it isn't a zero-sum gain.  How about more gadgets, faster internet, better movies and more public broadcasting?  How about better health insurance and nicer lengthier vacations. How about finally getting a chance to read that book? I feel richer just thinking about the prospects of spending less on fuel.

And then there is also the question of responsibility.

Considering that the oil is derived from public lands, the public should feel responsible that the oil is to be used in a way that benefits their public.  We allow private companies to profit from the public's oil not because the private companies exclusively own the oil they drill out of public lands, but rather private companies have demonstrated efficiency carrying out their initiatives and represent a core value of the public. That value is the opportunity for a business enterprise to create vast wealth that the business and it's shareholders may then solely own and prosper from.  To the public this value of unregulated business prosperity represents the future potential for each individually to benefit from a highly successful company, as an employee or shareholder.  It also represents the possibility that individuals have the potential for unlimited and unregulated success, and there is no upper limit to such success, including possibly one day owning everything.  But then we might call that Feudalism.

Capitalism is comforting to a great many.  But unregulated capitalism scares some who believe in a form of a bit more socially restrained capitalism that can propel life's great success stories while still restricting the profiting from harm to our neighbors.  Nearly all fear economic risks that balloon out of proportion as net-gains rise slower just as risks escalate faster and faster. That's precisely what caused the Great Recession crisis on Wall Street in 2008 as mortgage risks were gambled against, then dropped.  The leveraged market's assets swelled until finally the balloon popped as the calculated risks outstripped their market valuation potential.  Once that margin was crossed, the loans were termed "toxic" and no investor wanted them.

And so we are stuck with two primary political sides that I'm imagining this moment: those that want unlimited consumption and the very best chance to get rich as quickly as possible, and those that want smarter consumption, safety nets and insurance, lasting growth and opportunities with responsibilities to our neighbors and the public-at-large.
I fall with the later.  If we care about future generations then the public should consider the smarter path and tighten their consumption of fossil fuels.  Let's all decrease the demand for gasoline while asking that the supply of it be increased, because that's just what a good consumer would want.  OpenMW 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Dear Mississippi Legislature and Senate

At first glance it appears that budget cuts always save money. Everyone knows we should cut pork rather than muscle. Cuts to broadcasting that develop a stronger Mississippi will increase future expenses more so than the budget is slashed. I believe MPB is the muscle you may have mistakenly judged. Medicare, Medicaid and even private Industries will suffer as a consequence.


I depend on MPB daily because I depend of the information it provides that no one else produces, information that is commercially irreplaceable. Without it, I'd be dropping out from participating in the sharing of what's relevant to daily life. Imagine this “dropping-out” effect: an unfortunate high-school student has spent too much money and needs cash now. Times are though; He drops-out to get a job and shows the money to his friends who then envy him. Eventually he comes to understand from the ones that persevered that his future had actually been weakened by dropping-out.

Imagine this parallel: Mississippi can't provide for the budget. The state cuts what it thinks was wasteful. The budget looks better. Later on other goals continue to slip. Medicare, Medicaid and Education need continually increased attention. Industries fail to thrive unless they hire talent from abroad rather than locally. The state argues it's budget would be better off if only its citizenry would become more responsible. The undereducated are blamed first, then their parents, and then theirs. More money will be spent just on political ads explaining why it made “the right budget cuts” than we saved on those budget cuts. Mississippians won't understand.

At MPB folks like me Drop-In everyday, and depend upon it. With commercial media when one station drops-out other stations drop-in to fill the gap with even more popular media. Who will fill the gap for “Marketplace”, “Southern Remedies”,Relatively Speaking”,Money Talks”, “Mississippi Edition”, “Gestalt Gardener”, “Creature Comforts” or mpbonline.org? And then consider all the local news and weather alerts. This is Mississippi that MPB has invested in. Listen to the programming and imagine why others like me could find no other equivalent media anywhere. Now imagine the dropping-out effect.

A Mississippi that understands how to stay healthy consumes fewer state health and private insurance dollars, driving down premiums and tax burdens for everyone. Hypertension, heart disease, diseases caused by cigarettes and obesity, and injuries caused by an undereducated public are all partially avoidable costs.

MPB strengthens our state. Weakness strains the state's budget in the future. It's a viscous snowball effect leading to an avalanche of decline that MPB stands as a bulwark against.

We see and hear an amazing number of commercial messages that advise us to eat junk-food or develop weakening habits that teach us to be poorer decision makers. The ratio of strengthening messaging to weakening messages is frightening in commercial media. But I imagine that my conservative friends explain that all the strengthening type messages are available on commercial media. The thought would be: “We just need to listen closely. Eventually a gem emerges that at-least the above-average can recognize. They should simply hold it to heart as the years go by. “

Mississippi's plight rises and falls corresponding to the success of typical folks, not the exceptions, the few that are good enough or fortunate enough to rise above it all. Most understand that strengthening messages need to be heard more than once or twice, but on a regularly recurring basis. For instance, many go to Church every week, not because they feel they are average or below average, but because its commonly recognized that human nature has a need for steadfast reinforcement. One momentous experience is not enough for all time. Everyone including advertisers seem to understand that repetition is a necessity.

Many have the mistaken understanding, as if it were a scientific principle, that commercial media allows the “best” media to rise to the top just as cream rises to the surface of natural milk. Supposedly, commercial broadcasters compete and the winners produce the most popular media. Advertisers will then gladly pay large sums to sponsor this media. It is thought to correspond to the prime candidates from the competing fields. For example, commercial radio stations typically play the music of a select few musicians that pass the muster of our marketplace's competitive analysis.

Recent and past stars like Snoop Dogg, Black Sabbath, Public Enemy, 2Pac, Poison and Busta Rymes have long held the commercial standard for newer talents to aim their ambitions of success at, on commercial media. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky failed to meet those standards for success. But they can still be enjoyed while listening to MPB's locally hosted “Midday Classical Music”. Anyone inclined to try to find them on commercial radio would be hard pressed. Without MPB gifted persons that are naturally suited to shine amongst the classics might instead only find a world filled with Rap, and then dedicate a less successful life in pursuit of the familiar forms of music that they can't quite master. With MPB, if an individual drops-out in pursuit of enjoyment from commercial media then there is a brand new world waiting to strengthen them. Stronger Mississippians make a stronger state. I believe many wards of the state could have become strong Mississippians had they been encouraged to listen to MPB during their youth.

If the public drops-out and fails to fund publicly broadcasted media, or if it becomes a hollow shell of its former self, then commercial media increasingly becomes the sole definer of not only what music is familiar, but every media that is familiar. This is key, because what is familiar to us becomes our environment. We define ourselves within the midst of this familiarity and in turn we (as a whole) define our communities and state.

Newborns today are growing into an increasingly unique situation. They are hearing their first words from commercial media. They are learning to speak and learning to “want” based on commercial media. For the first time ever this messaging isn't being revised by parents telling them something equivalent to, “but that's just a commercial, you need to think about what you really need to do, not what they need you to do.” As young children absorb these messages their reality of purpose is defined by them.

In general, Great-grandparents perhaps had heard similar commercial messages growing up, but they had been cuddled in the wisdom of others who grew from a less commercial environment. As more generations slip away it becomes more likely such pearls of wisdom won't be passed down to the current generation. I believe for the first time ever, we can now expect typical generations to be born and raised without questioning commercial media's message, because their parents had only seen what commercial media sheds it's light upon, and only with slight revision. Never-the-less, MPB's media is watched by many who have risen above it all. And their children grow in the desire of learning. Many more could benefit if this message were to get promoted by the media.

MPB broadcasts messages that focus on “thinking” rather than “wanting”. But without both types we don't get a balanced media diet. If commercial media were to think of MPB as the vegetables on their consumer's plate (that commercial media can't afford to grow) then they can understand how a healthy consumer could then purchase more of their products over the long haul, because healthy consumers are more productive. If wiser consumers understand better products to purchase then there is a larger market for the products our communities actually need and a smaller market for the products that weaken us, for example tobacco. Free enterprise and the marketplace are strengthened as a result, that is if we don't drop-out.

Back during World War I the Red Cross was freely supplying cigarettes to soldiers in their care packages [1]. At the time cigars were more popular with men and cigarettes with women. But the heroes came back addicted to cigarettes and a younger generation of boys took up this habit. Subsequently each generation has increasingly smoked, until recently. [1]- The History of the American Expedition by Joel R. Moore, Harry H. Mead and Lewis E. Jahns – circa 1920

But the Red Cross could have listened to publicly available knowledge, if only an MPB like station were broadcast back then. What a shame. It's conventional wisdom that no one knew that tobacco was harmful back then. The irony here is that some folks did know, it just wasn't effectively broadcast, and therefore the conception is that “no one knew”. That's only because commercial media controlled what was familiar knowledge. The media back then, the newspapers, could have made that knowledge familiar to many more folks. But it couldn't afford to, it was attempting to earn profits from advertising. It familiarized the public with associations of fashion, popularity, health, virility, and tobacco instead. Staying in business was more important than making the public familiar with a message that could be bad for their clients business. And their clients and their employees had a business to run, which didn't include profits earned through educating the public.

Yes it is true, some understood that tobacco was harmful. In 1898 “Applied Physiology” was first published, it was last revised in 1910. In it Nicotine was described as a poison and cigarettes a medium that weakened anyone that inhaled it's smoke. The book was written by Dr. Frank Overton A.M., M.D. - House Surgeon to the City Hospital, New York. There are some insightful quotes such as: “About 1/30 of each tobacco leaf is a strong poison. This poison is called nicotine.. Men use tobacco for the sake of a poison. ..men give queer reasons for using tobacco.. Boys smoke to make themselves look like men ...and do not care if it harms them.. Tobacco harms others.. No one should use it in the presence of others. ..stains teeth.. When a person is sick from tobacco he is very weak.. The tobacco poisons his muscles ..hinders digestion ..liable to have weak hearts ..cannot work hard with their brains or hands.. Boys and men use a great many cigarettes where they would not touch a cigar This makes the use of cigarettes the most dangerous form of smoking.. [and my favorite..] It cheats men. [circa 1910]

A marketplace that cheats is not very effective in yielding the strengthening results that the public expects. The reason we have free enterprise isn't to allow cheaters a free ride, but rather to allow the best to rise to the top. If public media dropped-in to allow consumers to make intelligent decisions back in 1910 then Mississippi today might have been stronger and budgets and insurance premiums would not be quite so stressed.

If public media had been around back then, then perhaps MPB would be getting a fifteen percent raise based on proven results right now. Marketplaces that hide the truth from consumers cheat the consumers, as Dr. Overton had pointed out.

Thankfully, in 1970 President Richard Nixon dropped-in; he signed into a law rules forbidding the televised advertising of cigarettes and I imagine public media was among the first to advise against smoking. One of the great success stories today for public health around the world is America's amazing reduction is cigarette smoking since then.

But today we're in a budget crisis. Understandably, dropping-out is once again becoming an approach to solving budget problems. I believe it is similar to the high-school student mentioned at beginning of this paper: Times are though; He drops-out to get a job and shows the money to his friends who then envy him. If only he had persevered because later he can't keep up.

In Mississippi if employers can't find the talent they need locally then they look to other states, and then to other nations. Employers are hiring brilliant people from around the world to fill their job requirements because there is a low supply here. Many don't understand why there is a large population but so few qualified. The blame is frequently placed on the individual and then their parents and then theirs. But nowhere down the line were these folks encouraged to listen to the routine and recurring messages that strengthen their desire to learn, for instance from MPB. Instead familiar media usually entertains with an undertone teaching a desire to want.

Where a populace is better qualified there can be found an array of media promulgated to the public, including media that urges a desire of learning. They don't expect commercial media to provide it all and they don't condemn anyone when it fails to do so. Instead their public simply drops-in and provides the balance.

I imagine their public isn't left with a “desire of wanting” monopolizing the entire media field. Those students intrinsically apt to learn can latch on to the media that suits their nature. In places where public media is considered an undesirable threat to the economy, the populace gradually becomes less competitive with the outside world as it subsists on simply wanting more. Commercial media does not provide what it doesn't profit from. It makes us familiar with something only if there exists a business incentive to do so.

Businesses that hire engineers, scientists and other thinkers are not contributing to our media content because they don't profit from advertising to consumers. They are still in business to make a profit, make no mistake, they just don't sell their products to consumers. Therefore these firms don't advertise to the public and in turn don't control the broadcasting of familiar media forms to the public. When MPB drops-in it provides an environment of thought that these businesses like to reside in, because a strong hiring base is being seeded from the businesses' vantage point. This is an example of where a “desire of want” is not as important to business as a “desire of learning”, and ironically its unfulfilled by commercial media.

Companies that sell products and services ultimately design commercial media to create “a desire of want”. Without publicly broadcasted media everyone will only be familiar with this “desire of want”. The “desire of want” is so familiar now that media is frequently judged on the basis that if this primary undertone is lacking from the broadcasted messages, then it is considered poor media. That's my perception.

Think of the irony. Commercial media benefits its own commercial activity and that of their sponsors. But the success of business firms that don't advertise, do not coincide with the messages that are frequently broadcast commercially. It's just the advertised segment of America's businesses that actually benefit. It's only that segment that sells products and services to the public. And so, saying that, “commercial media is good for [all] business” is certainly false if you analyze it. But folks brought up in a “desire of want” might fail to see this light.

And, I believe, that's why the types of industries that have thrived over the years with local employees have been service or product oriented rather than engineering, science or thinking oriented businesses. Even the more successful colleges and universities have become product oriented, selling their educational service and modeling their business as a product of want. Plus consider that many losing their jobs have to go back numerous times as they find they have become day-laborers instead of professionals.

Someone might argue that commercial media left alone and without a publicly broadcasted response cannibalizes the resources that other businesses need for their success. Those resources, of course, are our people. It weakens them and the businesses they are associated with. Creating better consumers is good for businesses that sell products; they are the ones that advertise and make media familiar, but it weakens the businesses that aren't selling products. They need employees that didn't learn from familiar media the common undertone of, “smart people aren't cool; popularity is everything; wanting is a fulfilling virtue; learning is an unfulfilling virtue. A fulfilled life is one with all those many wants I saw advertised finally satisfied”.

Think of a girl or boy naturally endowed with a gift to pursue knowledge. Hypothetically a strong MPB has just dropped-out due to a budget crisis. Perhaps he just turned on the History Channel to satisfy that desire to learn, but instead of actual history, he gets fed the familiar programs on the History Channel, “Ice-Road Truckers” or maybe “Swamp People”. It's extremely entertaining, sells many commercials and is very popular. As a result he grows up understanding what is familiar to him, but it's not his passion of learning something more important to society.

He has just dropped-out of a high-minded career path and instead took another that turned out to be less successful for him. Perhaps he became an Ice Road Trucker or something else he wasn't meant to become. Then he gets fired because of “poor” performance, but only after the business loses money because he wasn't right for the job. This person could have become one of the next great scientists. Instead a business here has to hire someone from far away to fill their need. Commercial media certainly didn't.

What a personal tragedy. It's only a small weakening in the economy if you add up this one particular instance. Judging by the ratio of students here that go into higher thinking fields its not so uncommon. In fact the statistics show this becoming epidemic in nature.

And so the irony within our free economic system is that if you want strong healthy vibrant businesses, including those businesses that don't advertise products to consumers, then you need a strong and healthy publicly financed media. MPB for instance.

Sincerely, MW

Monday, February 20, 2012

Santorum denounces Global Warming Scientists

NPR reported that Candidate Santorum denounced Global Warming Scientists, saying they were pushing politics rather than real science.  He explained that these Scientists were politically motivated and pushing an agenda that was not beneficial, and that the scientific accounts of fellow Conservative Republicans should be heeded instead, else those Scientists could score a political victory that is contrary to the Republican Party's interests.

I'm thinking, "on what grounds does a politician have the right to accuse Scientists of politics".  Has Santorum spent a lifetime studying climatology as many of these scientists have?  Now Santorum is convincing fellow Conservatives that they know more from thirty seconds of political advertisement than scientist have learned during their entire careers and scientific education.   

Politicians and corporations shed $Billions each year on convincing media.  "Convincing" in media is the same as "Might" in politics, and Commercial Media is mightily effective on a subconscious level.  But in the realm of science, might doesn't make right, facts do.  And so the question becomes:  what are Candidate Santorum's credentials regarding Science?   I know of none.  He just wants to usurp Science.

We should leave the science to Scientist and the politics to Politicians.   Candidate Santorum is the later.  He defines a political agenda and then tries to wrap science in support of it in order to convince the public that his political agenda is scientifically sound.  When Science doesn't agree he accuses Scientists of Politics and Quackery.  That's the pot calling the kettle black.  I think others can see through this.

I'm sure there are many Conservatives that do see the light.  Perhaps many are afraid to admit it to their constituents. Perhaps they are electing to wait for the next generation to fix environmental problems because they don't want to make any concessions that translate into political failure for the Republican Party, which they support.    It's a shame, because their avocations could forestall the next generations ability to judge what Science actually recommends.  As a result there might not be enough proponents of Science in the future to muster a political victory that can usher in scientific recommendations that avert a global calamity.   

       Thanks!

PS--  Candidate Santorum has a history of jumping his credentials and renouncing political opponents on Religious grounds.    Recently he repudiated President Obama for not having true Christian values.  It sounded like he was trying to excommunicate the President from the Christian community.  What credentials does this candidate have in order to do so?  Is Candidate Santorum the Pope?  A Cardinal?  A Bishop?  Priest?  A Simple Sunday School Teacher?  

I'm concerned that he is trying to convince voters that if elected, he will judge other's of their Christian worthiness, and then impose his will on everyone.  If so, we should elect a President with better Christian credentials than Candidate Santorum.   He is clearly not qualified to run a Theocracy  ..nor in my opinion a Democracy --  MW  

Thursday, February 16, 2012

"Mississippians should Take Responsibility for their Health" State Reps Say

I listened to a fantastic radio program on MPB Think Radio, "Southern Remedy", a weekly show that anyone caring about their Health and their Care should tune in to religiously, because, as several Representatives pointed out, every Mississippian should take responsibility for their health.  And this program is an excellent first start.  I listen to it every week.  Check it out.
http://mpbonline.org/southernremedy/

DOCTORS ASK REPRESENTATIVES HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE MISSISSIPPI'S HEALTH

That's the kicker title.  No, the Representatives were not asking the Doctors how they can help improve Mississippi's Health.  If that were happening I suppose we'd actually see some real improvements. 
This week, instead of answering call-ins, the hosts (Dr. Rick.. M.D. and Dr. Allyn.. M.D.) were at our State capital interviewing several Representatives, two Republicans and one Democrat.    Mentioning names is not my forte, sorry, and so I'm going to merge their ideas into a single consensus.  Our state House of Representatives is after all a single united body.  

The Doctors and Representatives did a fantastic job addressing their medical points, and their points of view, respectfully and with great clarity.  The program should be regionally syndicated. 

I'm going to address this from the point of view of a non expert in both medicine and politics.  One statistic messaged to us placed Mississippi at, you may have guessed, the very Bottom.   

The Doctors questions to the several Representatives were themed, "Why are Mississippians in generally poorer health than the populace of many other states?"  "What can we do to make Mississippi healthier?" "What's can you [The Representatives] do to help our State get healthier?"

Personal Responsibility was the consensus of the interviewed Representatives as the leading factor to poor health for many Mississippians.   One Representative, I believe he was a Republican, orated forcefully that folks need to start taking personal responsibility for their health and not depend on the government.  Parents need to "Take Responsibility" for their children's health, "It's not the role of government to tell families what to do."  

[disclaimer - humorously speaking] Just a reminder, it can be illegal to take too much responsibility.   Only those Licensed to provide Medical Services can legally do so, else one could be breaking a law. It's illegal for such individuals to practice medicine without the proper license.     As such, Mississippians without a medical policy should not go to a wise neighbor, or friend they deeply trust, to seek out an antibiotic prescription for a bad cold, or if they saw a commercial, for the latest drug that will bring them health and vitality (but possibly with side-effects or cardiac arrest ..but only in rare cases).  [end disclaimer]

I get the picture of Responsibility.  And it is Vitally Important.  Families need to make sure they stay fit, eat right, don't smoke and Don't Text and Drive.  Though not an illness, doctors still see the consequences as do our Statistics of early mortality.  

We need to provide the messaging to our families on how to prevent the health crisis that are so prevalent in our State, after all we can hardly expect the next IPad or IPhone commercial to advise us not to feast on too many cupcakes, chips, soda-pop, deep-fried whatever and tobacco.   The Republican message is
"Parents need to take charge-  Take Responsibility Mississippi!"  

It's the number one factor making Mississippians less healthy than their fellow Americans, according to the experts (The Representatives interviewed).  It's the reason we've got so much high-blood pressure, diabetes and early onset mortality, which includes all of the above and more.  And I suppose its the reason why Mississippians are less healthy than in even many other nations, with even less wealth.

"But it's not the role of government".   One of the Republicans mentioned this and said that it's not that government shouldn't be telling folks not to smoke.  But parents should.  I like the "all of the above" approach.  Ideas and knowledge usually have a starting point or "breaking out moment".  The message has to originate from somewhere, broadcast to the public somehow.  Each generation is born in Original Knowledge that "smoking is bad for you".  If you're parents told you that its bad, someone told you're parents first, and someone told them.  Eventually you'd trace the source back to the government.

If you didn't, Obviously you should have listened to the program.  It was a GREAT SHOW.. with GREAT QUESTIONS..

And, I have some more questions..

Realistically, we can't expect government to message the public with beneficial facts, that is if those facts indicate you shouldn't purchase a product (cigarettes for instance), and those products have PACs and Lobbyists and fund drives all working in concert to get officials in government positions. 

The Republicans pointed the finger of Responsibility to the sick populace implying that lack of responsibility was the primary reason illness is more prevalent here in Mississippi than elsewhere.   That was the way it sounded. 

Me, a non expert, is left wondering, "Why can't folks be responsible like they are elsewhere?"  There's not quite as much illness due to lack of responsibility in __. But I thought those folks were generally less responsible.

Mississippi has unhealthier citizens than many other states.  Do those state's have more personally responsible citizens? 

How can you as a State Representative create an environment where the citizens have a greater responsibility in such matters as their health?   

Why, in other states, are folks making better personal choices than in Mississippi, and did their state governments have a role?   If its the role of Government to message its citizens to take responsibility for themselves regarding health then shouldn't they also provide the established facts that promote health, for instance "smoking is bad, please don't smoke".

What is YOUR role as a State Representative beyond promoting commerce for business?   

If the government doesn't have the role to tout messages such as "smoking is bad for you, don't smoke" then who has that role?  Can we expect Apple or Frito-Lay for instance to send health messages in an IPhone or snack food ad?  Why would they?  Who will?

If Parents are supposed to send children this message, then how are they informed that smoking is bad  ..from their parents perhaps (where did they hear that smoking is bad for them?)  ...I doubt from a product ad.   Church perhaps?  Where did the church hear that smoking is bad for folks?     There isn't even a need to wonder if Marlboro would advertise this message.. Unless government gets involved with messaging the facts.  

There is a danger that public knowledge will exist solely in a commercial vacuum leading to solutions that don't generate profits being forgotten about.  Many believe that the fall of the Roman Empire transpired after a period devolution, and the dumbing down of society.  After the Roman Empire collapsed and the dark ages reigned for centuries civilization demonstrated that progress does not always evolve.  Sometimes it devolves.       

I can't understand how we can have a healthy Mississippi if the only messaging folks receive is from commercial messaging and government simply keeps quit.  The knowledge has to be dispersed somehow, else its forgotten. 

So what's the answer?

It appears the Representative's were right all along.  "Take Responsibility!" is key.  Demand that messaging gets broadcast when it's vital to our public knowledge.  Take Responsibility for Government, because health is at stake.   We shouldn't just keep quite we know the facts.  Government shouldn't keep quite either.   It doesn't when tornadoes and hurricanes are on the way and shouldn't for health issues. 

Mark  www.openmw.20megsfree.com