On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 07:40:01 -0600, Robert Kesterson <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 00:54:06 -0600, Ken Stuart <[log in to unmask]>
>wrote:
>>
>> Included in the vast worldwide promotion for the second product are
>> seductive commercials promoting the ingestion of small round objects,
>> the effect of which is to dull people's minds, and make most of the
>> populace even less capable of making a rational decision.
>>
>> And, in addition, in all aspects of society, consumption of foods that
>> make the brain foggy and incapable of making rational decisions, is
>> constantly promoted.
>
>It may not be what you intended, but this sounds like you're describing a
>vast conspiracy to keep people stupid and pill-happy.  I don't buy that.
>I believe the vast majority of people involved in the health care industry
>have the best intentions at heart.  

Undoubtedly true.

This is because the vast majority of people involved in the health care industry
are NOT in decision making positions.

The sort of person who rises to the top of a group of adminstrators, is usually
someone interested in power - the same sort of people who are willing to make
cynical decisions.

"Conspiracy" implies that all these decision makers are linked together and meet
in a secret underground conference room.   In reality, they simply all make the
same sort of cynical decisions entirely independently of each other.

For example, the FDA asked three scientists to investigate aspartame, and the
scientists reported back that they thought it was unsafe for human consumption.
Nevertheless, the FDA overruled the report and approved it anyway.

wildtrout posted an article on the Mercola site.   While I think that in some
cases specified in the article, BOTH sides of the controversy use the same
tactics described, nevertheless, the general point holds, and gives you an idea
of what I am talking about:

http://www.mercola.com/2001/aug/15/perception.htm