Eau Claire And E-Cigs, On Congress, Reexamining The Role Of Surgeon General

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Since 1871, the Surgeon General has served as our nation’s doctor…but its role has significantly changed over the years. Veronica Rueckert and Gene Purcell will talk with a writer who says that due to several factors, the Surgeon General’s office is actually harming our country’s well-being. They’ll also get an update on the happenings in Congress and discuss the Eau Claire City Council’s decision to ban e-cigarette use in city buildings.

Featured in this Show

  • Author: Surgeon General's Office Has Become Increasingly Insignificant

    The U.S. surgeon general — a federal officer whose position is perhaps most widely recognized from cigarette carton warning labels — was once the leading authority on public health in the U.S.

    These days, however, the office doesn’t hold as much power as it used to.

    “There was a time when the surgeon general was the most powerful person in the federal public health structure,” said Mike Stobbe, author of “Surgeon General’s Warning: How Politics Crippled the Nation’s Doctor.”

    Once, the surgeon general oversaw both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health.

    “Those were powers that were taken away decades ago. Now, he or she is a spokesman,” Stobbe said.

    Stobbe said the U.S. doesn’t spend a lot of money on the Office of the Surgeon General. The surgeon general’s salary itself is around $200,000, and the office is small.

    With a budget so small, Stobbe said it calls to question whether the office even needs to exist anymore.

    “We’re seeing thousands and thousands and thousands of job reductions in local health departments around the country these last several years, and $200,000 will get you maybe an epidemiologist or two,” Stobbe said. “So, you could spend (that money) somewhere else. Do we let this drag out, or do we move on?”

    However, Stobbe warned that the loss of a surgeon general and lack of a strongly supported surgeon general’s office could come at a greater social cost.

    “I think sometimes we’re adrift as controversies come along,” Stobbe said, pointing to allegations made by television personality Jenny McCarthy that vaccines cause autism. He said nobody in a position of official authority ever publicly refuted her allegations.

    “Some argue that’s a game you can’t win,” Stobbe said. “But nobody tried, and when we don’t have a surgeon general — someone in the uniform who’s instantly esteemed — countering these messages, we’ve seen (negative) results.”

  • Eau Claire To Ban E-Cigarette Use In City Buildings

    The Eau Claire City Coucil voted to ban the use of e-cigarettes in city buildings, schools and busses. WPR’s reporter in the region talks about the decision, and the reaction to it so far.

  • This Week In Congress – July 9, 2014

    USA Today Politics and Congress Editor Paul Singer joins Central Time for his weekly update on happenings in Congress.

  • Do We Still Need A Surgeon General?

    Since 1871, the Surgeon General of the United States has served as the nation’s doctor, researching and informing Americans about a variety of public health threats. But a writer says the bulk of the Surgeon General’s powers has been stripped away over the years…and a hampered Surgeon General’s office is harming our country’s well-being.

Episode Credits

  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Gene Purcell Host
  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Cynthia Schuster Producer
  • Chris Malina Producer
  • Galen Druke Producer
  • Mike Stobbe Guest
  • Rich Kremer Guest
  • Paul Singer Guest