You might have read recently about the misleading, political-style attack ads being run by city health departments in various states, which bash sugar-sweetened beverages. What you might not know is that you paid for these false and misleading ads that wrongly suggest products which account for just 7 percent of the calories in the average American’s diet are driving obesity and diabetes.
That’s right; hundreds of millions of dollars in federal job stimulus money – taxpayer dollars intended to create or save jobs – is going to run ads attacking American companies that actually provide jobs. Government is wasting taxpayer money that was intended to promote economic growth by telling people what to eat and drink and potentially damaging an industry that provides hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. Talk about a case of misplaced priorities.
As U.S. Representative Dr. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., recently wrote in an op-ed (“Why the Rush to Waste Taxpayer Dollars?”) which ran in The Chattanoogan:
“Recently, a group called Smart Taxpayers Exposing Waste (STEW) exposed $230 million of stimulus grant money being used to run ads attacking America’s soft drink companies. These hard earned taxpayer dollars that were intended to stimulate the economy and create jobs are instead funding scare campaigns against perfectly safe and legal products, and the companies that make them. At a time when our nation faces an unemployment rate of more than 9 percent, I find it outrageous that federal and city agencies would aggressively advertise against American products made by American workers.”
The fact of the matter is that these federal funds could have gone to local communities to stimulate job growth and promote healthy lifestyles simultaneously by maintaining the operation of public parks, bike trails, pools, physical education and after-school programs. Efforts such as these would not only achieve an admirable public health goal, but also accomplish the original intent of the stimulus package – to add jobs to a lagging economy.
Be sure to read through the rest of Dr. DesJarlais’ op-ed and then check in with Smart Taxpayers Exposing Waste (STEW) on Facebook and Twitter – and share with your colleagues, friends and family.
