Rush Limbaugh Gets It “Right” on Peanut Allergies
May 23, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Allow us to plug Mrs. Extreme’s Kids Food Allergies Blog — which deals with public and policy issues surrounding food allergic children based on our experiences with our young daughter — for this provocative post today. Here’s what our far better half writes:
I have never been, and probably will never be, a big Rush Limbaugh fan.
So you can imagine my skepticism in opening this link to his comments today on peanut allergies — fearing what he would say and how his followers would respond.
I was surprised and heartened by his response. According to Limbaugh, this issue is real and can be deadly if not dealt with in time. He highlights one of my deepest fears as a food allergy parent: mean kids using food to bully and harm others.
Contrast Limbaugh’s position on peanut allergies with this article from a steadfastly liberal magazine, Harper’s: “Everyone’s Gone Nuts: The exaggerated threat of food allergies.” Never have I read an article that got the whole food allergy issue so totally and completely wrong.
I usually love Harpers — and cringe at Limbaugh. Here is a case where the exact opposite happened. Seems ironic that the usually libertarian right wants to help us to protect food allergic kids, and the left thinks that this type of protection is excessive and unnecessary. In this case — the left got it wrong, and the right got it right.
So, from this reliable Limbaugh foe: mega dittos to Limbaugh for being so right on this very important issue.
Ria said,
May 24, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Nice post. I think your link to Limbaugh’s is mistakenly also linking to the Harper’s article. Would love to see his comments.
peacethroughdemocracy said,
May 24, 2008 @ 2:45 pm
I’m a libertarian and frequently agree with Rush. It’s too bad that people have such a distorted view of what libertarians and conservatives believe and value. For the most part we’re open minded - most of us used to be liberals - so we’re open to new ideas. And in general we’d like to see less government, but not because we’re opposed to the government’s stated goals, but because we support the goals and they can be achieved more efficiently if the government will stand back and let competent individuals take charge. So ,for instance, I support education. I have a PhD. I teach for a living. And I’m appalled at how ineffective the state run schools are and how badly the poorest kids get screwed. So I’d like to see vouchers so poor families get a fair deal.
Libertarians are all different but I’m sure the majority of us would consider it a real threat to an allergic person if someone forced an allergic substance on them. I’d be all for pressing assault or murder charges if the facts call for it.
And BTW, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen polls showing that the vast majority of Americans support at least one libertarian value: less taxes, vouchers, legalize drugs, loosen immigration rules, etc. So please, lighten up. Don’t be surprised when we show logic and concern for other people. It’s what we do all day.
RJGatorEsq. said,
May 24, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
I get tired of people bashing Rush.
Use a little imagination: say something about him without bashing him. He’s only saying out loud what most of us are thinking, anyway.
Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said,
May 24, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Lots of people misunderstand Limbaugh. There is plenty on which I disagree with him, but at least (and unlike the left) his positions are rational and reasonable, so there’s something to chew on.
One core principle of conservatism is that you protect the weak against the predations of the strong, especially if violent. Consequently, opposition to abortion and genuine concern about bullying allergic kids are of the same cloth. Or … each are flowers growing from the same root.
The point is, you shouldn’t be surprised. Most conservatives — and this doesn’t usually mean Republicans these days — begin from principles and let the specifics arise as they will, based on the over-arching principle. Liberals OTOH usually start from an emotional response to a given situation and will ultimately attempt to cobble together a general case to include the specific situation. Mostly, that doesn’t work very well.
Corky Boyd said,
May 24, 2008 @ 5:46 pm
I have for a long time tried to conceptualize the basic differences between liberals and conservatives. Here’s my take and it may explain your dilemma.
Liberals see most people as basically incapable of handling their lives, that they need the leadership of “enlightened” individuals, such as themselves to be able to cope. They tend to be disdainful of these folks, and look at them as a sort of homogenous group, not individuals. They often call them the masses, the proletariat, the downtrodden. All are group labels. Many liberals are driven by idealism and utiopian dreams, but they resent and often try to silence those who challenge them relying on their intellectual superiority. The tend to see the worst in people.
Most conservatives tend to see people as individuals. That the individual has right to make his or her own decisions and live by the consequences. That life is sacred. They believe in the truly revolutionary concept of its time, that government is there to serve the people, not the people to serve the government, as in the days of monarchies. They feel they should be rewarded, not penalized if they excel. And that they should excel. They tend to see the best in people.
This may not answer your question. I think Rush sees your daughter as an individual.
Corky Boyd
Sanibel, FL
Chuck said,
May 24, 2008 @ 6:01 pm
Well stated Corky Boyd.
Denny, Alaska said,
May 24, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
What a refreshing post; thank you!
I have found Rush to be one of the most positive, up-beat and optimistic commentators, on radio, television or in print, political leanings aside. More like him!
beanie said,
May 24, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
At my daughter’s school they don’t have any food requirements. She can have whatever she wants in her lunch. But there are a few kids in her grade (not in her class) who do have nut allergies and all the kids are told not to share their food. But it happens. I know it does. My daughter has a couple of friends who eat half her lunch every day no matter how much I rant and rave about it.
I think Rush makes a good point about kids deliberately hurting other kids through their food. Much of that can be taken care of by making sure all the kids learn compassion and personal responsibility but at some point you have to anticipate the worst. It would be nice if peers would look out for each other but at that age (school age) they really don’t.
I don’t always agree with Rush, but he’s very smart and brave and has the worst, most unfair, things said about him. And he loves this country and wants to see it succeed in the world. So he’s okay by me.
Jack MacKenzie said,
May 24, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
I agree that so very, very many people possess a peculiarly distorted opinion of Limbaugh and his views. He is deeply, profoundly a freedom-first person. The thing about freedom is … it’s messy. Allow him whatever pecadilloes you have conjured about him. There aren’t any other voices in the media with the bullhorn he has built up to speak to that freedom. Amazing that this one issue managed to get through the I-Don’t-Want-To-Hear-Rush firewalls built on preconceived notions. Hats off to Mortman for ponying up the stones to say thank you to Rush.
ed joyce said,
May 25, 2008 @ 4:55 am
Well said, Corky. What’s the old cliche, “the left ‘loves’ humanity but ‘hates’ people; the right ‘loves’ people, but ‘hates’ humanity? As a right of center leaner, it’s not so much that I hate humanity, but I’m certainly not trusting of the State when it has too much power over the individual. Having lived in China and Zimbabwe, I’ve seen powerful the doing what they think is good for the individual, which led to disaster. (And yes, in a just universe Robert Mugabe will burn in hell forever…but I’m not one to judge!)
JohnMc said,
May 25, 2008 @ 9:22 am
Gosh, why be surprised? Generally the right desires supremacy of the person while the left desires supremacy of the State. It is well in the left’s stand that your child should be subjected to the same standard as anyone else as pushing peanut butter sandwiches is in the State’s interests.
By the way I know many parents face the same problems your family is experiencing. My best friend has two children with corn allergies. In a society pretty much driven by corn as a major food component finding corn free products is darn hard.