Orrin Hatch Protects Industry Killing US Soldiers

[MMMariah]

That seems like a bold statement right? But when the republican party turns on one of their own you know it must be bad. The GOP has been trying to get rid of Hatch for years, yet the RNC continues to use him to promote their agenda and fund him and back his causes. Why? If he's that bad why not get rid of him? Why not just stop funding him and backing him up on his causes? Could it be that they agree with him on nearly everything but just can't do it publicly?
The National Review had an article titled, "The GOP’s Orrin Hatch Problem" written by my old nemesis and ultra-conservative Michelle Malkin.

Utah politics is always going to be a republican haven due to the overwhelmingly white population who also happen to need protection because the main religion in Utah is fucking ridiculous. (it was invented by a fucking teenager and says that the garden of Eden was in Missouri and that we come from the planet Kolab!) But what many don't know is that Mr Hatch has been a champion for an entire industry that sells things that people put into their bodies with ZERO regulation at all. Many of them healthy people looking for supplements that will make them even more healthy. Orrin Hatch has fought tooth and nail to deregulate and then continued to protect from any regulation the nutritional supplement industry. In 1994 when he sponsored a bill that literally allowed anyone with a supplement product to put it on the shelves with ZERO FDA approval the industry went from $9 billion to $32 Billion since and projected to hit $60 Billion by the year 2021.
He was the chief author of a federal law enacted 21 years ago that allows companies to make general health claims about their products, but exempts them from federal reviews of their safety or effectiveness before they go to market. In other words if you put a powder into a container you can legally sell it to people who are going to put it into their bodies with ZERO proof that it works or that its dangerous or any testing whatsoever. Same goes for vitamins and any other thing that falls under the VMS category (Vitamins Minerals Supplements)

Now you might say "fuck that was 1994, 21 year ago!" But any time that anyone has attempted to regulate the VMS industry he has been at the front of the fight. He has even taken on republicans and his son's lobby firm represented the VMS industry.

And guess who has contributed to Hatch's re-election campaigns ever since that bill was passed in 1994? You guessed it, the VMS industry, even when he isn't running for re-election he gets campaign money. Beyond being obvious payoffs I want to know how it's even legal.

The supplement industry has flocked to Utah and more than 1/4 of all VMS companies in the US are based in Utah where they have the protection of their hero. Utah is called "The Silicon Valley of the Supplement Industry". Companies like Xango have heaped praise on the senator because "he has made it possible for them to operate their exotic fruit juice business without any intrusion by the government." Or how about in Sandy, Utah a company named 4 Life Research gave massive campaign contributions to Mr Hatch after they were charged with making exaggerated claims about their pills helped immune systems? Or how about in West Salem, Utah assembly-line workers at Neways fill thousands of bottles a day for a product line that includes Youthinol, a steroid-based hormone that professional sports leagues pushed to ban until Mr. Hatch blocked them and they continue to be sold legally with ZERO testing or FDA approval!
But now I'll get to the meat of the story. Supplements have been attributed to the deaths of many people in the US. Many causing heart attacks and liver failure and kidney problems. Some of them have the identical makeup of methamphetamine, yet because it falls under the VMS category is sold legally to anyone including children and people with existing heart conditions thinking it will help them lose weight or get stronger.
It's also killed several US soldiers on military bases in the US. GNC now has over 130 stores on military bases selling all of these unregulated supplements. No warning labels or medical history needed to buy these. No EKG required. Plug & Play supplements.

How is it that a party that boasts that more than half of the US leans in their direction allows this to continue? How can people that claim to be guided by their faith disregard human health for money? If a person who just drives the guy that robs a store and kills someone in the process get prosecuted for murder even if he didn't pull the trigger, how can people who continue to support someone who allows people to take pills and powders and juices that kill them not be held equally accountable?


references for this come from Real Sports with Bryant Gumble on HBO as well as this article in the NY Times

 

[Emnz]

Some serious issues do exist with the supplement industry, mainly affecting the promoter's claims of exaggerated benefits. But....

Anyone can recognize your faulty specious style of argumentation, or lack of correct understanding of the "big picture," by your statements that the supplement industry has "ZERO regulation where anyone can put products"on the shelves with ZERO FDA approval" and "exempts them from federal reviews of their safety or effectiveness." Or as you call it "the meat of the story. Supplements have been attributed to the deaths of many people in the US."

The real facts are that supplements are regulated by the FDA, although their oversight is weak. And yes supplements do lead to some serious injury. However, it is TINY compared to the massive damage caused by pharmaceutical drugs which are HIGHLY-regulated (by FDA) for safety, and a close look at the reality of medical industry-government collusion shows that calls for stricter supplement oversight are almost always just about politics, whereas this industry-federal cartel is trying to protect the gigantic profits of the medical industry (the profits of the supplement industry is small compared to that) and where the media is helping them to spread their disinformation and propaganda (which you here faithfully and naively repeat) - Tougher Supplement Regulation: A Necessity Or Politics?

Who do you think who is capable and able to disseminate the most propaganda for the longest and the broadest? Yes, the one industry, or cartel, with the deepest money pockets. It's not the supplement industry. By far.

 

[Jack Davenport]

Some serious issues do exist with the supplement industry, mainly affecting the promoter's claims of exaggerated benefits. But....

Anyone can recognize your faulty specious style of argumentation, or lack of correct understanding of the "big picture," by your statements that the supplement industry has "ZERO regulation where anyone can put products"on the shelves with ZERO FDA approval" and "exempts them from federal reviews of their safety or effectiveness." Or as you call it "the meat of the story. Supplements have been attributed to the deaths of many people in the US."

The real facts are that supplements are regulated by the FDA, although their oversight is weak. And yes supplements do lead to some serious injury. However, it is TINY compared to the massive damage caused by pharmaceutical drugs which are HIGHLY-regulated (by FDA) for safety, and a close look at the reality of medical industry-government collusion shows that calls for stricter supplement oversight are almost always just about politics, whereas this industry-federal cartel is trying to protect the gigantic profits of the medical industry (the profits of the supplement industry is small compared to that) and where the media is helping them to spread their disinformation and propaganda (which you here faithfully and naively repeat) - Tougher Supplement Regulation: A Necessity Or Politics?

Who do you think who is capable and able to disseminate the most propaganda for the longest and the broadest? Yes, the one industry, or cartel, with the deepest money pockets. It's not the supplement industry. By far.

Excellent first post.

 

[MMMariah]

What a shock that BC enjoyed the disagreement of a post about a corrupt republican that fights regulating something. Who would have thought?

I didn't bring prescription drugs into it because that's a given. But when its proven beyond dispute that an entire industry is able to run unregulated selling things people put into their bodies and one politician is being thrown money spends a LOT of time fighting to keep the regulations out, it needs to be discussed and made known and stopped. When his office refuses to discuss this, even though he works for the people and has no right to avoid explaining why he would be protecting an industry from oversight I think it's fucked up and more than a little suspect.

So a small % of deaths is acceptable? How about 3 on one military base from the same product they bought at the on-base GNC?

WHy would an entire industry relocate to Utah? You say they are regulated they are "grossly under-regulated" and rarely ever even regulated at all.

 

[MMMariah]

by the way you can dismiss the supplement industry all you want but its currently $30 BILLION and growing. That's hardly insignificant. It's predicted to double that in the next 5 or 6 years. This is shit people put into their bodies believing its making them healthier but a lot of it is hurting them and some of it is deadly. If it kills 1 person because no one is checking what's in it that's too many people.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

What type of supplements are you talking about....your average multi-vitamin, Calcium, B12, etc., or the type weight lifters and other athletes are using to build muscle mass, and or meal replacement?

 

[MMMariah]

obviously not vitamins. but things they claim to help lose weight, build muscle, energy, sexual, those things. one woman in the navy was worried about her upcoming weigh in because she had been on the line twice before so she took a supplement she bought on base at the GNC she turned yellow and had to have a liver transplant. She has been in the Navy for 22 years and now is once again in fear of losing her job because the meds she has to take cause weight gain.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

obviously not vitamins. but things they claim to help lose weight, build muscle, energy, sexual, those things. one woman in the navy was worried about her upcoming weigh in because she had been on the line twice before so she took a supplement she bought on base at the GNC she turned yellow and had to have a liver transplant. She has been in the Navy for 22 years and now is once again in fear of losing her job because the meds she has to take cause weight gain.

Well it wasn't really obvious, but I figured that's what you meant. Although it is irreverent to the issue, I would think that after 22 years she could retire with full beni's. I was under the impression that the armed forces were 20 and out. I know this doesn't help her, but if that is the case, at least she hasn't last her time, and she should be suing these people, I find it hard to believe she hasn't already got a dozen lawyers ready to take this case pro bono. In fact, I would think the Navy would do it...she is their property after all. As far as Orrin Hatch goes, I don't really know much about him, but this is one of the things that bothers me about government in general. The FDA, and politicians, and pharmaceutical companies, and apparently these supplement manufacturers have been scratching each others back for far to long. In fact, big energy is in there too, and it has NOTHING to do with Republicans exclusively. They all do, you just choose to point this one out. If you look, I'm sure you'll find Democrats doing it to. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if nobama, billary, and biden have stock in gun, and ammunition manufacturers.

 

[MMMariah]

But when one politician has been fighting to protect an entire industry, and that same industry fills his campaign coffers, even when he isn't running for re-election, there's an issue. When an entire industry relocated to that politicians state, there's a very serious issue. The woman can retire but doesn't want to. She doesn't want to file a suit if she doesn't have to. Watch the show. It's compelling to say the least.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

But when one politician has been fighting to protect an entire industry, and that same industry fills his campaign coffers, even when he isn't running for re-election, there's an issue. When an entire industry relocated to that politicians state, there's a very serious issue. The woman can retire but doesn't want to. She doesn't want to file a suit if she doesn't have to. Watch the show. It's compelling to say the least.

And I understand that, that's why I said it's irrelevant, but what surprises me is, the Navy isn't filling suit. She belongs to them, they damaged the Navy's property. But lets face facts, it won't change. How many commercials do you see for drug law suits? I'll bet my last dollar that drugs have been pushed through on obamas watch, and one of his appointed minions will be working for a major drug company as soon as his reign has ended. They are all corrupt...both sides, yours is just as bad, you'll see.