MCCAIN AGAIN COMMITS TO BIG GOVERNMENT, ELIMINATING CONSUMER CHOICE

PHOENIX, ARIZONA. FEBRUARY 12, 2010. Renewing his commitment to big government in the face of growing skepticism about Washington’s expanding powers, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced legislation last week to further regulate vitamins and supplements. His partnership with U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) follows other liberal efforts with Joseph Lieberman on global warming, Ted Kennedy on amnesty and Russ Feingold on First Amendment regulations, recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) of 2010 (S.3002), introduced by Sen. McCain and co-sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), seeks to regulate all dietary supplements.

The introduction of this legislation does not come in the face of health and safety concerns, but rather is an apparent response to athletes’ use of over-the-counter supplements as performance enhancers.

“Use of vitamins and supplements should not be regulated simply because a few athletes want to redirect attention from their doping,” said U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth.

Americans across the country would likely see a rise in prices and a decrease in availability of vitamins and supplements with the passage of this bill, as supplement manufacturers would be subject to excessive reporting requirements and broad recall authority by the FDA.

This bill is yet more “bipartisan” legislation by the 24-year incumbent that panders to those interested in increasing the size and scope of the federal government. Senator McCain voted for the massive bank bailout bill in 2008, which included $150billion in earmarks. During his presidential run he proposed spending $300 billion to buy up every bad mortgage in America, again bailing out banks and borrowers. And according to the Heritage Foundation his support for amnesty legislation would have cost taxpayers $2.6trillion.