Somewhere, a box of rocks is feeling very smart.........

[marmar]

By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch


WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Americans are fed up with the nanny state telling them how much salmonella they can get with their arsenic burger.

That’s what a shocking new Rasmussen Reports poll says. By a two-to-one margin, Americans say reducing the federal deficit is more important than inspecting the food supply.

Why is the result shocking? Because 57% of the people are more fearful of the imaginary dangers of our public debt than they are of the very real dangers of food poisoning.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 48 million Americans come down with some sort of food-borne illness each year, with 128,000 requiring hospitalization and 3,000 requiring an undertaker. Any estimates of how many people get sick or die each year from our federal deficit? ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/e-coli-have-rights-too-republicans-say-2011-06-24?link=home_carousel

[gratuitous]

1. Nothing new; several years ago Granny D met a garbage truck worker

The story goes that peace activist Granny D was in Alabama, and met a guy who worked on a garbage truck. He made about $16,000 a year (probably translates to $20,000 today). She asked him what his biggest concern was, and he said the estate tax, which at that time affected estates valued above $2 million. Why was that his biggest concern? The reddy-o told him, and Rush wouldn't lie.

It's still ridiculous, but not new.

[Enthusiast]

31. OMG! nt

[timtom]

44. Kinda makes one wonder why the op of another thread

was dog-piled on. She said essentially the same thing there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1348996

[ejpoeta]

2. you know why that is? because they haven't gotten sick lately. so they don't think it's something

they have to worry about. but they fail to realize it is the steps being taken to prevent food borne illnesses that is the reason they haven't been sick. any wagers on what will happen at the first sign one of these folks or their kids has one of these food borne illnesses that will inevitably happen when they stop the government from preventing it from happening?

[justabob]

6. even then

Even if people ARE getting sick, nothing is done, and apparently, nobody cares. There have been massive, nation-wide, food issues in recent years: spinach, tomatoes, jalapenos, serrano's, eggs... outrages like that peanut factory. Still people don't get it.

[ejpoeta]

7. you are right. i wonder how much worse it would be if republicans got their way.

i personally don't want to find out, but in a way i would like some to get their way just only for themselves and not for the rest of us to have to suffer the consequences of it. that's the rub though... we get to suffer the consequences of their choices.

[justabob]

13. no kidding

I shudder to think about it. It really is turning into a horrid neo-feudalism.

[Enthusiast]

32. Horrid neo-feudalism

is right around the corner.

The American people want the Democrats to stand firm against cuts to social programs. But I fully expect the Democratic Party to pay any sacrifice to stop the fake default threat being waged by Republicans. There will be cuts to both social programs and food safety.

[Kablooie]

8. I read that our food supply is plenty safe so we can cut down our food inspections.

Of course the reason the food supply is safe is that we have food inspections.
Without them the safety plummets.
But that kind of reasoning is an anathema to conservatives.

[treestar]

14. Makes one wonder if conservatives really know what they are advocating

Do they really want to live in the unregulated world they think would be so much freer?

I don't think a lot of them think it through.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Yes, yes they do

it is a matter of faith... and like religious faith there is no arguing or facts that matter.

[Enthusiast]

33. "Their" food will carry a special certification

of safety.

A two level food supply system will be established -substandard and luxury.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[NYC_SKP]

4. And they say Sarah Palin can't win.

I say anything is possible in our great nation.

[Enthusiast]

34. I hate to say it....

:fistbump:

[woo me with science]

5. The timing of this is interesting.

I caught a bit of Rush Limbaugh in the car yesterday or the day before, and he was railing about fascist liberals who won't allow you to order a medium rare hamburger.

What an odd thing for pollsters to juxtapose against deficit reduction.

[Aerows]

16. I've never been refused a medium rare hamburger

That's the way I like them. I had to sign a waiver at one place, but any decent quality restaurant (and some that aren't - I had to sign the waiver at Waffle House) will make them medium rare. Rush Limbaugh makes shit up to bitch about.

[Maraya1969]

26. I had no idea.

[Enthusiast]

35. It isn't that he makes shit up.

He is specifically railing against food inspections and food safety. You know, what he calls the 'nanny state'. Real men don't need no food safety. Real men will eat a raw hamburger cause they are tough.

[Aerows]

42. Well, I'm a woman

and I like my hamburgers medium rare. I've never had an issue getting one made to my liking at any place that wasn't a fast food restaurant.

[Enthusiast]

43. I assume you understand that even

outside of fast food restaurants ground beef can be contaminated with e-coli. Even if the restaurant knows the origin of their ground beef mistakes can and do take place. I think you are taking a big risk. I have cut meat -venison. I've been around the beef butchering process. These places often hire the most incapable and uneducated workers one can imagine. Actually unless the entire butchering and grinding process is personally observed I would remain wary.

[Aerows]

45. I do understand the risk

Just as I understand the risk of eating raw oysters, sushi and a rare steak. Can't help it - I love my burgers that way :D

It's worth the risk to have a delicious, juicy pink burger - but honestly, I make them the best at home!

[Enthusiast]

46. I have my

venison burgers that way. But I know they are safe. Besides, they are so lean that they aren't good overcooked. :applause:

[cbdo2007]

9. I have a bunch of boxes of rocks that I'm sure are more intelligent than the average american.

[Octafish]

10. A 34-year-old father of two died on the next block.

Food poisoning.

[ImNotTed]

11. Off to GT!

:rofl:

[Cali_Democrat]

12. I just had food poisoning a few weeks ago

It sucked! It was coming out of both ends! After a while, when I had no more food to puke up, I was puking my bile. This thick yellowish substance. Ewwwwww!!!!!

[randr]

15. Rasmussen poll heh--Now there is a reliable source!

[tomm2thumbs]

17. one needs to only witness Leno's 'Jaywalking' to witness ignorance in this country

it runs deep

[Initech]

19. One of his segments that always gets me:

"Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court?"
"I don't know."
"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"
"Spongebob Squarepants!"

Yeah - we're fucked. :scared:

[AlbertCat]

24. "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"

Yeah but Spongebob Squarepants is likable and trustworthy and fun.

John Roberts, not so much....

[Initech]

27. True, no arguing with that one.

[Enthusiast]

37. True.....nt

[Enthusiast]

36. Hundreds of fathoms. nt

[NewJeffCT]

40. You could do Leno's Jaywalking in any country

and cherry pick your answers to show how that country's citizens are stupid as well...they aren't going to show you the person before that knew John Roberts.

[bhikkhu]

18. "Framing" is one way that pollsters get the answers they are looking for

For instance, if you ask someone a series of questions about family situations, their children's illnesses and eating habits, and then ask whether they think the food supply is more important than the federal deficit, you might get the opposite results.

I would guess that the question was asked in a series leaning toward international, political and economic perspectives.

[999998th word]

21. Thanks -good to know

[Enthusiast]

38. No doubt.

It is just another example of the effort to misinform and obfuscate in order to achieve the results they want. The scope of this effort is truly frightening.

[handmade34]

22. I've said this before...

but again, we must educate... my husband died of complications from food poisoning... we must not let the government let the FDA become weaker...

[Historic NY]

23. Really.......just wait

:puke::hurts::eyes::puke::hurts::eyes::puke::hurts::eyes:
:puke::hurts::eyes::puke::hurts::eyes::puke::hurts::eyes:
:puke::hurts::eyes::puke::hurts::eyes::puke::hurts::eyes:

Then they will be crying more than just moma.If you can't trust your food & water supple to be safe then you might as well live in a third world country.

[stockholmer]

25. 'imaginary dangers of public debt'???, wow are you in for some serious shocks

Obviously what needs to be cut for starters is a HUGE chunk of the $1.2 trillion spent on the war machine each year, but that is not going to happen anytime soon with puppet party Republican and puppet party Democrat in power.

Therefore, what will be cut is VITAL social services. Social services that by their absence will kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.

And please don't say you can grow and/or tax your way out of this. $1.7 trillion dollar a year deficits are absolutely unsustainable, and the US is headed for a huge crack-up wherein millions will suffer and many of those will perish. All other thinking is simply normalcy bias and delusional thinking.

[Enthusiast]

39. Know who will perish?

The large baby boomer segment of the population that will need health care. But we shouldn't worry. After all AARP will protect us.

[TrogL]

28. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

You know the rest.

[mrdmk]

29. K & R, my dog could run this country better than the current leaders

n/t

[dogmoma56]

30. but look at all the jobs the GOP created hiring all those Turd Polishers..!!

[NewJeffCT]

41. It started after World War 2

when "dumb" Eisenhower ran against intellectual elitist Adlai Stevenson. Didn't he once famously respond to a woman that said to him, "You have the support of every thinking person." and his response was, "I need a lot more than that ma'am, I need a majority."