Gainesville was straight-up COLD this week. We’re talking hats, gloves, coats and boots. On days like those, it’s hard to get out of bed and face the world — a pile of blankets, a mug of cocoa and a Netflix binge sound way more appealing than class. But you’re all champs: You went to class, you studied hard and now it’s Friday. Treat yo’self to a peppermint mocha latte, and enjoy this week’s edition of Darts & Laurels.
Our hearts continue to go out to the people of the Philippines who’ve dealt with loss, injury, hunger and sorrow as a result of Typhoon Haiyan. In this tragic time, many countries and organizations have pooled their resources to donate money, food, water, medical supplies and volunteer personnel to help the people of the Philippines start to recover. This week, we’re giving a LAUREL to anyone who helped out, whether they packed up and traveled to the Philippines to help out in person or donated to the Red Cross.
So, the Healthcare.gov website is still hella broken. If you haven’t left your blanket cave this week, you may have missed the fact that politicians, insurance companies and private citizens are freaking out. A seemingly endless stream of issues has plagued the health care exchange system from the get-go: the website failed internal tests, President Barack Obama misled citizens by telling them they could keep their insurance if they liked, the task of building the website was outsourced to the U.S. subsidiary of a Canadian IT company and the federal government basically just sucks at technology systems. Hoo boy. A DART to the president this week for poor planning.
Another government DART this week to the Food and Drug Administration, which apparently hates doughnuts, aka all that’s good and beautiful in the world. Last week, the FDA proposed a ban on trans fat, in particular, hydrogenated oil.
On the surface, the ban seems beneficial: Hydrogenated oils, which are used to increase the shelf life of most processed foods, are bad for you. No one is under any illusions about that fact, and many products boast “No Trans Fats” labels.
However, a lot of things are bad for you — smoking cigarettes, drinking soda, wearing stiletto shoes too long and consuming too much alcohol. It’s not the government’s job to regulate behavior, as libertarians like to point out. And they have a point. The FDA should instead promote transparency among food companies that use hydrogenated oils in their products rather than banning them altogether.
And, finally, a LAUREL to Hawaii, which will now join the ranks of states that allow gay marriage. On Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times, a Hawaiian judge — who is just a regular judge that wears a hula skirt and coconut bra instead of robes — refused to block Hawaii’s same-sex marriage law.
Congratulations to same-sex couples in Hawaii who can now have the winter beach weddings of their dreams.
Happy Friday, chilly Gators. Thanksgiving is almost here!
A version of this editorial ran on page 6 on 11/15/2013 under the headline "Darts & Laurels"
