Special Election Edition Part II - The Presidential Candidates and Natural Health
Citizens for Health
The financial crisis is the latest of many the U.S. has faced over the last several years. Each time, our government responds with interventions dramatic, urgent - and sometimes even rushed. When a human body needs dramatic and urgent interventions to halt multiple threats or symptoms, we conclude that such a body is in poor health. Perhaps we can draw that same conclusion if the body that we're talking about is the Body Politic, a phrase coined to mean the collective structures and functions of our society.
In a sense, we give our elected leaders the authority to act as healers of that Body Politic. A candidate's position about health and healing - and not just the health care system, but also the nature of healing itself - might give us some insight into how that candidate might lead. Would it be helpful to know where your candidate stands on natural health? Is the health of the Body Politic as important to you as your own health, and that of your family, friends and colleagues?
CFH Senior Policy Advisor James Gormley recently wrote for Now Foods' weekly newsletter that neither party is completely pro-supplement and pro-health freedom, and that different ideologies run through both major parties. "This November, don't assume that either of the major parties will necessarily be zeroing in on protecting our access to dietary supplements and the industry's ability to provide them. That's our job." Read the full text of Gormley's piece here.
Gormley's article identifies election resources at the websites of Natural Products Association and the American Association for Health Freedom - AAHF. In fact, AAHF sent a compelling questionnaire to all presidential candidates concerning their position on natural health. Unfortunately to date, none have responded or their responses are not yet available. Another organization, Research America, submitted a more generic "health care system" questionnaire to the candidates, and only McCain, Nader and Obama responded, as shown in the links below. Also, The Campaign questioned Obama and McCain about their position on the labeling of genetically-modified foods. As noted below, only Obama responded.
Here's some insight into each presidential candidate's position on natural health.
(In alphabetical order)
Baldwin, Chuck/Constitution Party
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