So there I was kicking back listening to some good old fashioned talk radio on a balmy fall evening. Over the airwaves, it is brought to my attention that vendor machine companies will have to comply to ‘The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.’ (PPACA), which President Obama signed into law March 23, 2010. After learning the details of what this bill entailed, I was in awe that something this nonsensical could be legislated.

Standard snack vending machine.

     For those who aren’t familiar with the PPACA, I’ll give a brief summary as to what this portion of the bill requires of vendor machine owners. In short, if you own & operate 20 or more vending machines, you are required to post signage within close proximity to the items within the machine. This signage would require the vendor to list calorie content. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) claims the new disclosure laws would allow consumers to make better food selections; for it would allow one to view the calorie content before purchases are made. More specifics will be drafted before this new policy is implemented not less than a year after the law has been passed.

     So there you have it, more nonsense in an already bloated piece of legislation. 1,990 pages in length, and they had time to add this to it? Really?! The last time I checked, we are adults capable of making informed decisions, not babies. When it comes to kids/teens, I’m sure they know what ‘junk food’ is. When they want it, they’ll get it, regardless of how many calories the item may contain. My best guess on the logic behind this legislation would be someone wanting to be proactive in preventing legal suites. Many of you may be familiar with news stories involving American owned companies such as McDonalds, being sued for making people fat. It’s amazing how no one wants to take accountability for their own actions these days. I’m beginning to see this trend spread globally. That’s a very bad sign of worse behavior to come. Everyone knows smoking is terrible for your health, but millions continue the bad habit.

According to the FDA’s estimated projections, this would require owners to spend 14 million hours annually to comply with the new disclosure laws. I see 3 things coming from this:

1. People continuing to get fatter from continued poor choices.
2. The government agency overseeing this nonsense will grow fatter pockets. 
3. Vending machine companies folding/downsizing; resulting in job loss.

Thanks for reading my 1^st official entry. I’m going to fry up some chicken strips for dinner now and wash it down with an ice cold Pepsi. I love my calories.

-Lorenzo