VICTORY THEATRE
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013
7:30 PM

Tickets on sale Friday, April 12 at 10:00 AM.
All seats reserved: $59.50 / $49.50 / $39.50

Tickets can be purchased from the Ford Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

For more information about the Victory Theatre, visit:
www.victorytheatre.com www.facebook.com/VictoryTheatre www.twitter.com/Victory_Theatre

While politicians talk about expanding background checks for gun owners, I’m starting to think that what we really need are IQ tests for political officeholders. The only problem is, that might leave us with a lot of vacancies in Congress and America’s statehouses.

The debacle over New York’s rushed-through gun bill is one example of what happens when enthusiasm meets stupid. But another is to be found in Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who supports a ban on full-capacity magazines without understanding what a magazine actually is.

Last week, DeGette justified her position this way: “I will tell you these are ammunition, they’re bullets, so the people who have those now they’re going to shoot them, so if you ban them in the future, the number of these high capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot and there won’t be any more available.”

Um, ah . . . no. Completely wrong, in fact.

To make things simple enough that even a member of Congress can understand, it’s like this: Magazines aren’t “bullets.” They’re, basically, metal boxes with springs. You fill them up with bullets, and put them in a gun. When the gun fires the bullet on top, the spring pushes a new one up so that it can load into the chamber. When you fire all the bullets, you pop out the box-with-spring and replace it with another.

And, when you have a few minutes, you can put new bullets in the box and it’s ready to go again.

DeGette’s remark was akin to that staple of hippie parodies, the old fogey worried about people “shooting up marijuana” — an obvious mistake that made clear the fogeys didn’t have a clue about the realities of what they feared.

It’s an embarrassing admission of ignorance and incompetence.

But ignorance and incompetence are on regular display among our political class. Its members are good at what they do — but what they do, really, is raise money and win elections. There’s no particular correlation between those skills and any other kind of competence. In fact, given their record of passing increasingly dumb laws, if there’s any correlation at all, it’s a negative one.

Gun law isn’t the only example of regulation-by-dimness, but it’s certainly a prime arena. The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, for example, focused entirely on cosmetic characteristics. At an Association of American Law Schools meeting that year, I watched law professor Joseph Olson turn a plain-vanilla Ruger Mini 14 into a dreaded “Assault Weapon” by adding a pistol grip, folding stock, bayonet lug (“not much bayonet-lug crime,” he joked) and so on.

All the actual gun-parts were the same; the law in question focused instead on flashy accessories — like regulating cars based on mag wheels and spoilers, instead of the horsepower in the engine.

Do politicians really think that such transparently silly rules make us safer? It’s hard to say. The brighter ones no doubt realize that the whole thing is a sham, useful mostly for rallying the troops, garnering TV time and distracting voters from things like lingering unemployment and the ever-mounting debt.

On the other hand, how many of the “brighter ones” are there, really? The evidence doesn’t look good.

On the up side, voters may be catching on. The evidence for that is that, despite 24-7 media hype and nonstop political posturing, the public’s not showing much enthusiasm for flashy new gun-control efforts. (Even here in New York, Gov. Cuomo’s poll standing dropped sharply after his gun bill passed).

Politicians getting smarter on their own is probably too much to hope for. But maybe if voters wise up, a smarter crop of politicians will follow.

Glenn Harlan Reyolds is a law professor at the University of Tennessee.

The City-County Observer is excited to announce it’s new bi-weekly health and wellness column by Dr. Roy M. Arnold. Dr. Arnold is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. Dr. Arnold also carries a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Chapman University in Orange, California. He has over 20 years of experience in Wellness and Preventative Medicine and also served 11 years in the United States Air Force where he receive specialty training in Aerospace medicine, tropical and occupational diseases, combat casualty care, as well as in advanced trauma care.

More recently Dr. Arnold has worked as Chief Medical Officer of many Health plans, which has kept him up to date in Internal Medicine and in every aspect of Preventative care. The doctor has been focused on getting his new concierge practice, 21st Century Healthcare, operational and is excited by the possibilities of the changing landscape that is American medicine. From 2009 to 2012 Dr. Arnold has been selected as one of America’s Top Physicians by the Consumers’ Research Council of America. Please help us give Dr. Arnold a warm welcome as he brings us up-to-date medical advice and news of medical discoveries and breakthroughs relevant to the well being of us all and be sure to keep an eye out every other week for new articles!

Obesity: Which Diet is the Best for You?

More than 60% of the adult US population is overweight and at least 36% of adults are obese. Obesity is associated with increased health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancers, easily making obesity the number one health problem in the US. Annual medical costs for obesity in 2008 were estimated to be $148 Billion with annual costs of $1429 more than individuals of normal weight.

Achieving a healthy weight is not about following a fad diet or eating specially prepared foods. It involves a fundamental change in dietary habits and exercise frequency that balances nutritional intake and energy expenditure. No medication or dietary supplement can promise sustained weight loss without significant changes in caloric intake and exercise pattern.

Having said all of this, what has caused the obesity epidemic in the USA? The causes are multiple but can mainly be attributed to more sedentary lifestyle, increased consumption of processed foods high in carbohydrates and calories and increased portion size like 44oz sodas, supersized fries and double everything. We are incessantly bombarded with advertising for fast food, all-you-can eat buffets, free drink refills, two-for-one pizzas and never-ending breadsticks.
With the emphasis on prevention of heart disease, the public has been led to believe that low-fat equals healthy. This may not be necessarily so as many low-fat processed foods contain high levels of carbohydrates and sweeteners including high-fructose corn syrup.

It would be instructive at this point to explore how the body actually handles digestion and absorption of nutrients. The 3 major sources of dietary nutrition are carbohydrates, fat and protein.Carbohydrates such as sugar and starch are broken down in the intestine into simple sugars like glucose and absorbed directly into the bloodstream. The body senses this and releases insulin from the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone responsible for regulating the blood sugar content. It does this by promoting the conversion of glucose into fat which is stored in the body as “love handles” and “belly fat.” Carbohydrate consumption in the form of simple sugars found in sweets, baked goods and soft drinks, or more complex carbohydrates in wheat flour, cereal, potatoes and white rice is quickly absorbed and promotes fat deposition if it isn’t used for fueling muscular activity. A common misconception is that high fat consumption makes one fat, when in fact it is more likely the carbohydrates that promote body fat accumulation.

Dietary fat is a rich source of calories and fats from animal sources can contribute to elevated blood fat concentrations which in turn can promote heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Nutritionists suggest that most of the dietary fat consumption should come from either plants (nuts, olive oil and avocados) or from poultry and fish. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish can be particularly beneficial in preventing cardiovascular events.

Proteins are long chains of smaller building blocks call amino acids. The body must completely break down proteins into individual amino acids in order to absorb them. This fact completely negates the claims of certain foods that they contain, “fat-burning enzymes” that will promote rapid weight loss. While there may be enzymes in the food, they are completely destroyed before they are absorbed into the bloodstream. Once absorbed, the amino acids are used to build different proteins such as muscle, enzymes and immune proteins.

Because of the preponderance of carbohydrates in the American diet, energy expenditure doesn’t use all of them for fuel and obesity results. The solution? Eat less and move around more. Beyond that, what you eat makes a world of difference. We need to make a fundamental and permanent shift in our diet to more vegetables and fruit, more fiber and fewer carbohydrates. There are two different dietary regimens that are effective and are gaining in popularity: The Mediterranean diet and The Paleo diet.

People who live around the Mediterranean region tend to live longer and have a lower prevalence of heart disease and stroke. Their diet is high in fiber, emphasizes fruit and vegetables, and relies mainly on fish and poultry for protein. Most of the fats consumed are from plant origin – olives and olive oil, avocados and nuts. What carbohydrates are consumed are whole grains and high in fiber. A good website to learn more is http://advancedmediterraneandiet.com.

The Paleo diet operates on the principal that while humans have developed agriculture and livestock farming in the last 10,000 years, our metabolism hasn’t changed from that time when humans lived as hunters and gatherers. This diet places strong emphasis on avoiding grains like rice, corn and wheat products, and dairy. There is heavy emphasis on protein and fat intake and upon fresh vegetables and fruits that are high in fiber. This diet restricts carbohydrates significantly and may result in faster weight loss. A good website for learning more is http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet.

Whichever diet you choose, increasing you amount of exercise is also important. Try to exercise aerobically 150 minutes per week either through running, brisk walking, bicycling, swimming, treadmill or elliptical. Strength training and core training are also very important. Strength training improves upper body strength through weight lifting, resistance bands or pushups. Core training strengthens the abdominal muscles using situps, crunches, planks or yoga.

In all situations, please seek the advice of your primary healthcare provider before embarking on a diet or exercise regimen to determine the right plan for you. Start slowly and increase your exercise as you can tolerate. Good luck and stay healthy!

Bills becoming laws

Have you ever had a project that you poured your heart and soul into? Maybe it was garden work, building a barn or a contest entry for your favorite hobby. You spend hours planning, researching and creating the best possible outcome. Each year, the part-time legislative body meets for session. Since session spans only three to four months (depending on the year), I have similar feelings in regards to the months of preparation put into meeting with members of the community, working on policy initiatives and finally drafting legislative proposals as a means to better Indiana.

I am excited to say that last week some of the bills I authored and co-authored for the 2013 legislative session were signed into law by the governor: House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1130 and HEA 1359.

HEA 1130 provides that an individual who is gravely disabled, in addition to having a mental illness and being in immediate need of hospitalization, may be detained by a law enforcement officer and transported to the nearest appropriate facility.

Currently, people who are gravely disabled are not included in the immediate detention statute (commonly referred to as the 24 hour detention), which makes situations more difficult for law enforcement officers to handle .The primary purpose of this type of detention is to permit law enforcement officials or emergency medical personnel to take an individual who is experiencing a mental health crisis into custody for transportation to a local health care or psychiatric facility for assessment and emergency treatment.

This legislation is important for public safety, especially as more people are being diagnosed with mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s or dementia. I want to make sure that the proper precautions are taken with individuals who have mental illnesses.

Secondly, I co-authored HEA 1359 with three other state representatives. The legislation addresses age-restricted housing programs and passed with bipartisan support in both chambers. This bill allows a redevelopment commission to establish a program for age-restricted housing.

This piece of legislation came from the desire by local governments to make their communities welcoming to senior citizens. By creating the option for residential housing TIF (tax increment financing) districts, communities will have another option to redevelop and sell housing that may otherwise not be considered.

This will benefit the baby boomer generation particularly by providing housing incentives that are specific to their demographic, if they choose to downsize their homes. This will have a positive impact on abandoned houses or places in need of rehabilitation and provides incentives to redevelop unsightly areas.

HEA 1130 will go into effect on July 1, and HEA 1359 will become effective on May 15 of this year. I will continue to work tirelessly on the other issues that I have proposed before the General Assembly as a way to improve Hoosier communities.

As always, feel free to connect with me on my website at www.in.gov/h75 or by phone at 317-232-9674. I look forward to continuing to support legislation that positively impacts Hoosiers in our state.