March 2010
President John Adams Signed Health Insurance Mandate-212 Years Ago →
open.salon.com
In July, 1798, Congress passed, and President John Adams signed into law “An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen,” authorizing the creation of a marine hospital service, and mandating privately employed sailors to purchase healthcare insurance.
This legislation also created America’s first payroll tax, as a ship’s owner was required to deduct 20 cents from each sailor’s monthly pay and forward those receipts to the service, which in turn provided injured sailors hospital care. Failure to pay or account properly was discouraged by requiring a law violating owner or ship’s captain to pay a 100 dollar fine.
This historical fact demolishes claims of “unprecedented” and “The Constitution nowhere authorizes the United States to mandate, either directly or under threat of penalty…”
Perhaps these somewhat incompetent attorneys general might wish to amend their lawsuits to conform to the 1798 precedent, and demand that the mandate and fines be linked to implementing a federal single payer healthcare insurance plan.
The other option is to name Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison et al. in the lawsuits. However, it might be difficult to convince a judge, or the public, that those men didn’t know the limits of the Constitution.
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Weight Loss Tip of The Day
Allow 12 hours between your last meal of the day and breakfast to optimize the power of your metabolism. If you eat breakfast at 8 am, make sure you finish your dinner or dessert by 8 pm. A new study (with mice of course) suggested that when they fasted for 12 during, their body was better able to convert food into energy rather than store it as fat.
Coo-coo for Coconut Oil
Fat was given a bad rep early in the 90’s. Now that we know a low fat diet is bogus, oil has been given a new “healthy” halo. From Olive to coconut, I’ve had tons of requests on whether or not either oil is good for you. Thanks to nutritionista I no longer need to do my research on coconut, as she has provided here for me and all of you!
Ask a classical nutritionist about coconut oil, and he/she will most likely balk at the very thought of using it to cook with because of its high saturated fat content. But since saturated fat hasn’t yet been successfully linked to heart disease, or any ailments, that’s not a good enough reason for me to avoid it. Yes, coconut oil has a very high sat fat content (92%!), but to me, all that means is that it will be extremely satisfying and satiating. Oh, and also that it will be solid at room temperature.
You can use coconut oil in any recipe that calls for butter or lard. It has a fairly neutral to slight coconut taste. Hey, I love coconut so that works for me! Coconut oil oxidizes at an extremely high temp, which basically means that you can use it to cook foods at very high heats without worrying about burning. A few other ideas:
- Since its consistency is similar to butter’s, you can use it as a spread on bread or veggies.
- Try it in your coffee or tea as a non-dairy creamer!
- Make coconut mayo with 1 egg, 2 yolks, 1 T dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and one cup of coconut oil.
- Melt it down with some very dark chocolate and then harden it in the fridge for a very decadent treat.
- Add it to smoothies for a rich, coconutty flavor.
One thing to keep in mind when buying coconut oil: Stay away from the refined stuff and search for “virgin” or “extra virgin” (although they mean the same thing). It’s extremely shelf-stable, so you can buy a big tub at a time.
Do you eat coconut oil? If so, how do you eat it?
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Joan Jett - Crimson and Clover
Now I don’t hardly know her
But I think I could love her
