Montgomery County and Healthy Eating! Council Debates on Requirng Resutants to List Nutrition Values!

The Montogomey County Council is set to resume debate on a ordinance requiring chain restaurants to list nutritional values on their food offerings. In 2007, Councilman George Leventhal, Democrat-at Large introduced a bill requring such resturants with ten or more facilties (Chick-a-fllia, McDonalds, etc) nationwide to post nutritional information similar to the nationally recoginized Nutrition Facts labled on the back of each food and drink package on their menues and menu boards in all of their lcoations in the country. Work sessions were held on the bill, but the bill never got to a full vote.

But this year it will be heard by the Health and Human Services Committee of the council on Thursday. Yes this Thursday.

What does this bill means to you? This means that when you step into a resutrant you will able to find out how much calories, fat, oil, vitaimins and minerals, your food contains. This will allow you to make better informed and healthier choices. Great for those who are dieting or just courious of much calories you will be consuming for your next meal in a fast food resturant.

Opponents have spoken out of the bill and said it would would hurt small business owners. The owner of two IHOP restaurants in the county estimated that the "bill would cause customers to take longer to read menus and make selections, leading to losses of more than $62,000 a year for a business centered on speedy service."

I have to ask that man how much does the resturants he own make in year in profit and revenue. If he's really concerned because of the lost profit and instead of health concerns, that's something else.

MD Chamber of Commernce is Opposed to Health Care Reform

The first top story on Friday, with the current health care debate rages on, even though the actual reform proposal is a joke because it merely strengthens the private health insurance industry (even though that joke proposal may be replaced with an amendment that effectively gets us a single payer system). The Maryland Chamber of Commence has voiced their opposition for a government run insurance system. Basically saying that if the bill is passed, it will further increase health care spending on their end.

In plain english: Even if this bill is passed, we will lose profit"The Maryland Chamber of Commerence practically sides with the health insurance industry in the Health Care debate. Again, I'm opposed to universal health care if it has a forced private insurance mandate, like Massachusetts. I rather prefer universal health care that a single-payer (The Federal Government), pays for. No deductables, no co-pay, any and every medical procedure is covered. That is single-payer health care. The American people want it, and I would want it too.

But I doubt even the MD Chamber of Commence would support single payer either.