Letters to the Editor

Sugar is sugar?

High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn, a natural grain product.  High-fructose corn syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) requirements for use of the term “natural.”

It is a popular misconception that high-fructose corn syrup is more ‘processed’ than sugar, fruit juice concentrate or agave nectar. In fact, they all go through remarkably similar production methods that aim to refine the raw botanical material into a robust and versatile sweetener that can be formulated into a wide range of foods and beverages.

Whether from cane, beets or corn, a sugar is a sugar. We would encourage readers to consider what nutrition experts have to say about high-fructose corn syrup.

Audrae Erickson
Corn Refiners Association

Punish Wall Street 

As Americans, we have a proud history of facing down challenges on the frontier and working together to build a great nation. But, the ideas of “every man for himself” and having the freedom to wander, unfettered, no longer ring true. There are still ghosts in our closets, which have left some of us with a bad taste in our mouths.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Congress is going to fight for us. The other morning I heard Republican Sen. Judd Gregg say that he didn’t want the actions taken to straighten out Wall Street to seem punitive. I beg to differ. Someone has to be held as accountable, as most of us would be if we threatened to bring down the nation’s banking system.

I always thought the Republicans were adept at pushing tough sentencing guidelines for criminal behavior and had a rigid outlook toward rescuing failing businesses.

If someone had taken Gregg’s money and used it to make more money after causing hardship for innocent parties, would he still feel concerned about seeming to act punitive toward them?  How would he feel if some of his friends and neighbors had lost their homes as a result of those machinations allowed to flourish on Wall Street?

Common sense would say that the restrictions passed on banking interests by President Franklin Roosevelt — which succeeded in keeping us out of a similar situation — should be reinstated at this time. Perhaps, this solution isn’t possible, because the money changers have already taken over the temple.

Maybe we should take a more casual attitude, like we have about drilling in the ocean. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again. Right?

As for me, when they chose not to open up the lines of credit for those Americans on Main Street after making massive profits, I felt like punitive action was the least we could expect from our elected representatives.

Marvin Clark
Via e-mail