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Show The wisdom o Big Brothers' By Richard L. Lesher, President Chamber of Commerce of the United States In case you missed the June edition of the FDA consumer, it began with a letter from 12-year old Terry Jacobs to the FDA stating that he normally drinks at least two cans of diet soda a day. Terry had heard that saccharin used as a sweetener in soda could cause bladder cancer within 10 years, so in his letter he asked: "I don't particularly want to drop dead on my 22nd birthday. Can you please send me some information in-formation about recent rumors" regarding saccharin? The young man's inquiry received , special attention. FDA Commissioner Jere Goyan personally responded with a long letter explaining that, despite some disagreement, the FDA believes saccharin might cause cancer and that Terry may be "flirting with trouble" by drinking two cans daily. The Commissioner Com-missioner then assured Terry that taking his personal time to answer the boy's letter "was worth it because we were talking about you and the millions of young people like you." Well, not quite. According to Charles Sieb, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, young Terry never wrote the FDA. His letter was a fake, fabricated by the agency as a means of making their case against saccharin. FDA maintains that it had received a similar letter. But Edward Frantel, president of Seven-Up Co., a unit of Philip Morris Inc., called the entire episode a "sham" and vigorously disputed the assertion that saccharin causes cancer. He noted: "I was under the impression that the events of the 70's had resulted in an upgrading of our political appointees. ap-pointees. It appears I was mistaken.'' THANKS.. .BUT NO THANKS Oklahoma officials have decided to turn down federal grants totaling $1 million for an education program, because it costs them $3 to administer every $1 from Washington. Dr. Dan Hobbs, vice chancellor for planning, told the state's regents that acceptance of the funds would require Oklahoma to carry out follow-up reports on 27,000 students annually who participate in the program. He estimated that paperwork alone would gobble up at least 80 percent of the $1 million the state would receive and noted that the state discretion in using the funds is almost nil. Thanks, Oklahoma, we needed that. MEMO FROM OSHA TO FIRE DEPARTMENT: DROP DEAD OSHA, which is coming to be known as the Obstacle to Safety, Health and Achievement, recently went out of its way to polish its image as the most counter-productive agency in government. govern-ment. Created to protect workers on the job, what do you think it did in California recently when fire fighters rescued a man from a caved-in sewer excavation? It reprimanded them for going into a trench whose walls had not been fortified by metal-to-metal jack screw shorings. It also cited the fire fighters for entering the trench without any advance excavation training. As Don Skinner, chief of the Morago, California, Fire Department asked: "What were we supposed to do, let the man sit there while we go find shoring from some unknown place that meets every code?" Yup. IN STUBBORNNESS AND STUPIDITY WE TRUST Despite the public's earlier cool reception to the quarter-sized Susan B. Anthony dollar, coined in honor of the famous American feminist, the government has gone ahead and minted 800 million of the Anthony dollars anyway. To overcome any public rejection, the US PM, vice has been order to force-f of the coins as change to the ' day. If people don't like it tw '5 Their only recourse is to' fill , plain cards expressing 14 dissatisfaction. In other WL "lei'1 accept the change or fill out Da Hi Fair trade? paarl. Senator Bill Roth, of Delawar. , discovered that to promote tr . i the government is spending JV $600,000 on an ad camiT package features pamphlet, , suggestions for holding Susan R thony parties, bingo parties to away the money and a poetrv for thp new coin. w'9 :. A BILLION HERE A BILLION THERE IT'S ONLY MONEY The Republican Study CommitM1 Congress recently itemized l(r?sey federal recommendations y between January, 1979, and July m regarding specific, unnece'ss1 federal expenditures resulting waste, fraud or mismanagement Total: Thirty-four billion J hundred eighty-four million, E hundres sixth-four thousand, hundred ninety-four dollars. ; Nonetheless, it is anticipated J' Uncle Sam, starved for funds increase taxes this fiscal year bv billion. ' ',. fv |
