No more twinkies, hohos and scooter pies?

[Jeremiah65]

Thought about this and now it's time for a soap box moment....

Consider this....perhaps it is time to stop shoving poison in our face 24/7. Most fast food is just flat bad for you as are most snack foods. Sure, a little indulgence is wonderful...but in true American form...we don't just occasionally indulge...we are damn gluttons!

Snack food and fast food should be a once or twice a month thing. Not because of price, but because...well...they are not good for you!

We have the fattest and most obese nation on the planet...does that not alarm anyone but me? Why is that? Well...part of it is because they have decided that things that are good for you should be more expensive. I was walking through the store the other day and noticed something that was alarming to me. It costs $1.99 for a gallon of "spring water" (if you want to believe it is actually from a spring)...it was $1.00 for a 3 liter of generic soda....wtf? How can water (which is still a prime ingredient of soda pop) cost more than the soda pop? it is because they want the poor to have limited choices...they want the poor to nutritionally starve in a marketplace full of food.

Folks often say it is because of choices...and that is partially true...but if someone has a limited amount of money to make their stomach stop growling...they going to buy as much "cheap crap" as they can to stretch those dollars....the b@stards running the consumable markets know this...and they are poisoning them. Elitism is not reserved to cars and homes...apparently it is prevalent in food as well.

I hate this... I hate all of this. As a Libertarian, I understand the rules of a dog eat dog world...but I cannot accept collateral damage. There are people out there that just want to live modestly and in as little pain as possible...and the pricks in charge are allowing them to eat toxins...hoping that they assist in "thinning out the herd"...yeah baby...I am a conspiracy theorist...and the biggest conspiracy I see is in the realm of population control....controlling how many people there are and controlling how healthy their bodies and minds can be...it sickens me. maybe healthcare is an issue because we are forced to poison ourselves to stop the growling in our stomachs...

/end soapbox rant....

Edited November 17, 2012 by Jeremiah65

[cerberusxp]

Another one bites the dust due to union greed and power. The bread maker Franz has picked up on the raspberry filled powdered doughnuts though. Just bought some yesterday. Looked at turkey and ham prices too $45 for a turkey or a picnic ham? Sure two people can eat on them for several days but wow. A whole Turkey dinner for 10 ppl $44 or so in 2008. Cost has more than doubled. Obamanomics gotta love it.

Edited November 17, 2012 by cerberusxp

[Jeremiah65]

Another one bites the dust due to union greed and power. The bread maker Franz has picked up on the raspberry filled powdered doughnuts though. Just bought some yesterday. Looked at turkey and ham prices too $45 for a turkey or a picnic ham? Sure two people can eat on them for several days but wow.

You sir...are a d-bag.

They were in bankruptcy...has nothing to do with unions. But why allow the facts to interfere with your selfish ass opinion?

I have had just about enough of the union bashing. I am so ready for some of you buttheads to end up in slave camps or working for slave wages...you WILL get what is coming to you. The unions fulfilled a purpose...which was to get people decent wages and safety protocols...if you do not understand that...you really need to go out into the woods...and jump off a cliff...you are NOT contributing to society so therefore you need to stop wasting real people's air.

Sure...Unions got fat and corrupt...but that does not mean that they had no purpose...that they did no good. Most of my family are coal miners...they made a decent wage and retired on a pension because of unions. At the behest of my brothers...who were all miners...I went a different route...I went into construction engineering...something all of my brothers were happy with. I always had a propensity for mathematics so they were always behind me to use that.

You make me want to jump through the screen and violently shake you. Unions are NOT the problem...human corruption is. The right to decent wages and a safe working environment is not the problem...some serious d-bag sucking profits off union dues is.

I am a Libertarian and I want nothing more than for everyone to have a fair and equal shot at success. I work for myself but I completely "get" that many people cannot do that. They should not be trodden over and relegated to suffering just because maybe their family could not afford ridiculous college tuition. Your post...slapping at unions...is a sad state and you should find a really nice union built bridge...and jump off of it...you make me sick to my stomach.

mentality like yours is exactly why we are broken...I sincerely hope you get to taste the other side of the coin within your lifetime...worst of wishes to you...

Edited November 17, 2012 by Jeremiah65

[Mantis914]

Thought about this and now it's time for a soap box moment....

Consider this....perhaps it is time to stop shoving poison in our face 24/7. Most fast food is just flat bad for you as are most snack foods. Sure, a little indulgence is wonderful...but in true American form...we don't just occasionally indulge...we are damn gluttons!

Snack food and fast food should be a once or twice a month thing. Not because of price, but because...well...they are not good for you!

We have the fattest and most obese nation on the planet...does that not alarm anyone but me? Why is that? Well...part of it is because they have decided that things that are good for you should be more expensive. I was walking through the store the other day and noticed something that was alarming to me. It costs $1.99 for a gallon of "spring water" (if you want to believe it is actually from a spring)...it was $1.00 for a 3 liter of generic soda....wtf? How can water (which is still a prime ingredient of soda pop) cost more than the soda pop? it is because they want the poor to have limited choices...they want the poor to nutritionally starve in a marketplace full of food.

Folks often say it is because of choices...and that is partially true...but if someone has a limited amount of money to make their stomach stop growling...they going to buy as much "cheap crap" as they can to stretch those dollars....the b@stards running the consumable markets know this...and they are poisoning them. Elitism is not reserved to cars and homes...apparently it is prevalent in food as well.

I hate this... I hate all of this. As a Libertarian, I understand the rules of a dog eat dog world...but I cannot accept collateral damage. There are people out there that just want to live modestly and in as little pain as possible...and the pricks in charge are allowing them to eat toxins...hoping that they assist in "thinning out the herd"...yeah baby...I am a conspiracy theorist...and the biggest conspiracy I see is in the realm of population control....controlling how many people there are and controlling how healthy their bodies and minds can be...it sickens me. maybe healthcare is an issue because we are forced to poison ourselves to stop the growling in our stomachs...

/end soapbox rant....

Just as I was saying in my post earlier, produce is usually always toward the back but as soon as you come to the counter: candy bar and soda city...

I don't know about population control but we are doing this to ourselves in our laziness. Where did the term "brown bagging it" come from? From actually preparing your own lunch and knowing what you put into it but instead we head to McDonald's or all these fast foods and get them to prepare it for us. See that's the problem, this mentality of "I want it now and I want you to do it for me..." has permeated society. Look at what happens when people are told that there's no more chicken nuggets or hamburger patties. They get into fist fights with the employees, it totally ridiculous.

Anyway, there's no guarantee that Hostess is going away, they are having a hearing this coming Monday so put down the case of Ho-Ho's and calm down, geez...

The thing that we have to remember is that most of us are hitting our 30's and 40's and we don't have the metabolism of a pre-teen anymore so snacks like that have to come sparingly to avoid medical conditions and shouldn't be a regular part of your meal.

[Gromdor]

I tried looking up the wages. But while there seems to be plenty of blame by both sides, no one is posting numbers. Did see mention of a 8% cut in pay and mention that Hostess stopped paying pensions and wanted to get rid of the 8hr day. Also found out that Hostess was sold three times and each time, some of the more profitable assets were liquidized. And of course the usual CEO's giving themselves pay raises while the company is going bankrupt bit. The union does make for a goodscape goat though.

I mentioned to my boss the idea of charging 5% more for our work and blaming Obamacare. He laughed and said that the clients knew it wasn't fully implemented yet, but we might when the law goes into effect.

[Kazoo]

Maybe its just some sort of giant evil plot to bust Twinkle sales....

[Mantis914]

Another one bites the dust due to union greed and power. The bread maker Franz has picked up on the raspberry filled powdered doughnuts though. Just bought some yesterday. Looked at turkey and ham prices too $45 for a turkey or a picnic ham? Sure two people can eat on them for several days but wow. A whole Turkey dinner for 10 ppl $44 or so in 2008. Cost has more than doubled. Obamanomics gotta love it.

You do have a point in that the cost of living has doubled! Ham is about $45 for a good chunk of ham and turkey is not far behind. All the veggies that go into a good meal are also about a dollar or two more this year. A few years back, I remember getting a turkey at a sale price for about $12 and it was a good size about 20 lb. It's ridiculous how much the prices have gone up! I'm sure there are a lot of factors involved in the ever-increasing cost of living but in all honesty, I haven't seen any Change in 4 years except for things to get worse and more expensive...

[Indiogene]

Nothing lasts forever...including snack cakes we grew up with and loved. May the last twinkie last into immorality in someone's disaster kit whenever the world ends. I grew up with Twinkies, Ho-hos, Cupcakes and other goodies made by the Hostess company based in San Francisco, the closing down of the company is bad enough for the golden state's ailing economy. I wanted to introduce my children to Hostess treats, then again it's bad eating habits I'm promoting (LOL), but they been around for 80-some years when my grandparents were young themselves, talking about passing down great desserts.

[supervike]

Hostess is far too big a brand name to just disapper. This company has been mismanaged for years, and I'd be willing to wager that after another bankruptcy (this isn't their first) the name will reappear, along with our beloved snack cakes.

[F3SS]

You sir...are a d-bag.

They were in bankruptcy...has nothing to do with unions. But why allow the facts to interfere with your selfish ass opinion?

I have had just about enough of the union bashing. I am so ready for some of you buttheads to end up in slave camps or working for slave wages...you WILL get what is coming to you. The unions fulfilled a purpose...which was to get people decent wages and safety protocols...if you do not understand that...you really need to go out into the woods...and jump off a cliff...you are NOT contributing to society so therefore you need to stop wasting real people's air.

Sure...Unions got fat and corrupt...but that does not mean that they had no purpose...that they did no good. Most of my family are coal miners...they made a decent wage and retired on a pension because of unions. At the behest of my brothers...who were all miners...I went a different route...I went into construction engineering...something all of my brothers were happy with. I always had a propensity for mathematics so they were always behind me to use that.

You make me want to jump through the screen and violently shake you. Unions are NOT the problem...human corruption is. The right to decent wages and a safe working environment is not the problem...some serious d-bag sucking profits off union dues is.

I am a Libertarian and I want nothing more than for everyone to have a fair and equal shot at success. I work for myself but I completely "get" that many people cannot do that. They should not be trodden over and relegated to suffering just because maybe their family could not afford ridiculous college tuition. Your post...slapping at unions...is a sad state and you should find a really nice union built bridge...and jump off of it...you make me sick to my stomach.

mentality like yours is exactly why we are broken...I sincerely hope you get to taste the other side of the coin within your lifetime...worst of wishes to you...

Dude you speak of everything unions have done in the past tense and you're correct. Things is they've done what they set out to do and all the good stuff they got implemented has been set into law. Mostly these days they are fat and corrupt and are just another source of filtering money out of paychecks. Union leaders are no less susceptible to corruption and greed than CEOs and politicians. Unions are famous for unrealistic pensions with the always looming uncertainty of layoffs during employment. Yea, to be a union employee can be great financially with slim chances of getting fired but I'll digress and add that most of my gripe with unions is towards the public sector.

Also, as a libertarian don't you find the ties to communism, socialism and Marxism within union leadership disturbing? And as a self employed individual, do you employees? If so, do you think your company can thrive if your guys decided it was time to form a union? Could you keep up with the rules and demands and wages? By keep up I mostly mean competitively. I have several employees and union interference would force my prices up and the company would tank leaving everyone screwed.

Just as I was saying in my post earlier, produce is usually always toward the back but as soon as you come to the counter: candy bar and soda city...

I don't know about population control but we are doing this to ourselves in our laziness. Where did the term "brown bagging it" come from? From actually preparing your own lunch and knowing what you put into it but instead we head to McDonald's or all these fast foods and get them to prepare it for us. See that's the problem, this mentality of "I want it now and I want you to do it for me..." has permeated society. Look at what happens when people are told that there's no more chicken nuggets or hamburger patties. They get into fist fights with the employees, it totally ridiculous.

Anyway, there's no guarantee that Hostess is going away, they are having a hearing this coming Monday so put down the case of Ho-Ho's and calm down, geez...

The thing that we have to remember is that most of us are hitting our 30's and 40's and we don't have the metabolism of a pre-teen anymore so snacks like that have to come sparingly to avoid medical conditions and shouldn't be a regular part of your meal.

Unless we hearken back to the 1800's I see no reason why we'd want anything but anything we want. That's not a bad thing. That's just a flourishing modern society. And those people fighting over chicken nuggets... They aren't your average people who just like McDonald's. They are just freaking idiots. They're just incidences and not the norm of a "fast food society".

But I like you Mantis and don't wanna fight. We agree on too much. If you've got a gripe with junk food then carry on. I eat what I want when I want with no deciding factors other than does it taste good and being in the mood for it and I've been the same weight for 17 years since I was in high school and have general good health except for my teeth have been going to shlt during the last couple of years but I think that's genetic and I'm gonna resolve that with dental implants in the coming years.

[supervike]

It's unfortunate that people form their opinions on Unions by watching TV, or reading right wing blogs.

For every one horror story you hear about it, there are hundreds of stories of Unions backing employees that are treated unfairly.

Unions were instrumental in forming working Middle class of America, and if you think somehow magically that working class will maintain it's status while throwing Unions to the side, you are mistaken.

Corporations have a long long history of taking advantage of it's labor forces. Without some sort of check and balance, they will do it again, as quickly as they can.

Look at Walmart, the Corporation that has spawned half of the 10 richest people in the country. Yet, a full time employee has to get state assistance for Health Care.

But, by all means, keep pushing decent paying American jobs to the side and propping those Businesses up on pedestals, I'm sure they'll save the country.

[F3SS]

It's unfortunate that people form their opinions on Unions by watching TV, or reading right wing blogs.

For every one horror story you hear about it, there are hundreds of stories of Unions backing employees that are treated unfairly.

Unions were instrumental in forming working Middle class of America, and if you think somehow magically that working class will maintain it's status while throwing Unions to the side, you are mistaken.

Corporations have a long long history of taking advantage of it's labor forces. Without some sort of check and balance, they will do it again, as quickly as they can.

Look at Walmart, the Corporation that has spawned half of the 10 richest people in the country. Yet, a full time employee has to get state assistance for Health Care.

But, by all means, keep pushing decent paying American jobs to the side and propping those Businesses up on pedestals, I'm sure they'll save the country.

My girl works in a hospital, nothing special just a transporter albeit a damn good one but she only makes $11/hr. That's nothing that can't be obtained with non union jobs. I'm a non union employer and my lowest pay is $14/hr.

If you want to talk about biased sources of information you should take a look at the newsletter magazines they send her. I've never seen such openly biased, tunnel vision, 'opinion' piece writing. They make MSNBC look like FOX. And in the back of a recent one they listed union expenditures such as total costs of benefits, pensions and all kinds of related expenses. They all seemed like reasonable amounts to some extent. All in the thousands range ($1k+, $10k+, $100k+ ranges). But the one that struck me the most... The cost of teamsters headquarters...$51,000,000. Wow! You want to tell me there isn't something wrong with that? I really wouldn't care if they weren't acting as champions of the working class. And why do you guys let the obvious corruption and greed within the leadership slide?

Btw, Walmart now offers FREE heart and spine surgery to its employees. Seems to me everything in this article points to Walmart as a beacon of hope towards what other large companies can do with their benefits packages. FREE heart transplant and spine surgeries and you don't think they deserve to be rich. What more can the a wealthy corporation led by wealthy people do? I think that's pretty damn good.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/11/us-usa-walmart-surgery-idUSBRE89A1GR20121011

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is offering its U.S. employees and their families free heart and spine surgeries at six major health centers at no cost to the retailer's workers, as it tries to find better ways to cover costly, complicated procedures.

Starting in January, workers and dependents enrolled in Wal-Mart's medical plans will receive free consultations and care for certain heart and spinal procedures along with travel, lodging and food for the patient and a caregiver.

The six healthcare organizations include those that have won high marks in terms of patient care and keeping unnecessary costs at bay: Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio; Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania; Mayo Clinic sites in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida; Mercy Hospital Springfield in Springfield, Missouri; Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas; and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.

Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer and the single biggest U.S. employer outside of the government, with about 1.4 million workers. Any changes to its healthcare coverage can have a ripple effect. The company shook up a different part of the healthcare industry when its Walmart chain started selling certain prescription medications for $4 back in 2006, a move soon followed by other retailers.

[libstaK]

Well, if Sara Lee is taking over as someone mentioned - we might actually get to have the "twinkie" in Australia and find out what all the fuss is about. Mind you, I find anything with "Moch cream" pretty blah, so I doubt I'd like it - usually way too sweet.

[F3SS]

Well, if Sara Lee is taking over as someone mentioned - we might actually get to have the "twinkie" in Australia and find out what all the fuss is about. Mind you, I find anything with "Moch cream" pretty blah, so I doubt I'd like it - usually way too sweet.

Never had one? Wow. They're good snacks but as an adult if I had never had one before I'm not sure I'd get the hype. Don't get too excited and you might like it.

[Winter Summer]

Twinkies will last for all eternity. They're indestructable.

Twinkiesproject.com

btw Scooter Pies (in the topic title) are not a Hostess product.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Winter Summer

[supervike]

My girl works in a hospital, nothing special just a transporter albeit a damn good one but she only makes $11/hr. That's nothing that can't be obtained with non union jobs. I'm a non union employer and my lowest pay is $14/hr.

If you want to talk about biased sources of information you should take a look at the newsletter magazines they send her. I've never seen such openly biased, tunnel vision, 'opinion' piece writing. They make MSNBC look like FOX. And in the back of a recent one they listed union expenditures such as total costs of benefits, pensions and all kinds of related expenses. They all seemed like reasonable amounts to some extent. All in the thousands range ($1k+, $10k+, $100k+ ranges). But the one that struck me the most... The cost of teamsters headquarters...$51,000,000. Wow! You want to tell me there isn't something wrong with that? I really wouldn't care if they weren't acting as champions of the working class. And why do you guys let the obvious corruption and greed within the leadership slide?

Btw, Walmart now offers FREE heart and spine surgery to its employees. Seems to me everything in this article points to Walmart as a beacon of hope towards what other large companies can do with their benefits packages. FREE heart transplant and spine surgeries and you don't think they deserve to be rich. What more can the a wealthy corporation led by wealthy people do? I think that's pretty damn good.

http://www.reuters.c...E89A1GR20121011

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is offering its U.S. employees and their families free heart and spine surgeries at six major health centers at no cost to the retailer's workers, as it tries to find better ways to cover costly, complicated procedures.

Starting in January, workers and dependents enrolled in Wal-Mart's medical plans will receive free consultations and care for certain heart and spinal procedures along with travel, lodging and food for the patient and a caregiver.

The six healthcare organizations include those that have won high marks in terms of patient care and keeping unnecessary costs at bay: Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio; Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania; Mayo Clinic sites in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida; Mercy Hospital Springfield in Springfield, Missouri; Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas; and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.

Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer and the single biggest U.S. employer outside of the government, with about 1.4 million workers. Any changes to its healthcare coverage can have a ripple effect. The company shook up a different part of the healthcare industry when its Walmart chain started selling certain prescription medications for $4 back in 2006, a move soon followed by other retailers.

Even according to Wal-mart, about half of their employees have health care. Given that an average Wal-mart worker makes less than 9 dollars an hour, I doubt many can afford the premiums, that have recently gone up 120% in some instances, so I'll bet 50% is a generous estimate.. So, the heart and spine thing sounds great, but it seems more about spin than it does about caring for their workers. Less than 50% of their workers would even qualify for the benefit.

I'm not saying everything Unions do is right by me, or that rich people don't deserve to be rich. A Union that runs it's employer out of business is a bad thing. But, taking advantage of workers so someone can buy a gold plated Yacht is wrong as well. Can't we find the middle ground?

I do believe decent paying jobs for Middle Class America is more important than any other factor in our economy. People with good jobs push the economy, they buy things, they pay taxes, they create other jobs.

Unions help protect that.

[JGirl]

now that i've been introduced to tim tams i don't really care

(actually i haven't eaten a twinkie since i was a kid)

[Gromdor]

Sounds like Grupo Bimbo might buy the rights to twinkies.

[sarah_444]

They'll be back somehow I'm sure. For those willing to settle for Canadian Twinkies, you are in luck my friends because they arn't going anywhere. (They're probably just as sticky and disgusting...) Apparantly not many people know this though because I'm still seeing local ads online selling them for ridiculous prices.

Edited November 18, 2012 by sarah_444

[F3SS]

Even according to Wal-mart, about half of their employees have health care. Given that an average Wal-mart worker makes less than 9 dollars an hour, I doubt many can afford the premiums, that have recently gone up 120% in some instances, so I'll bet 50% is a generous estimate.. So, the heart and spine thing sounds great, but it seems more about spin than it does about caring for their workers. Less than 50% of their workers would even qualify for the benefit.

I'm not saying everything Unions do is right by me, or that rich people don't deserve to be rich. A Union that runs it's employer out of business is a bad thing. But, taking advantage of workers so someone can buy a gold plated Yacht is wrong as well. Can't we find the middle ground?

I do believe decent paying jobs for Middle Class America is more important than any other factor in our economy. People with good jobs push the economy, they buy things, they pay taxes, they create other jobs.

Unions help protect that.

Sounds good. Just one thing though. Do you think even 50% of Walmart employees will need heart and spine surgery? And I just reread the article and it seems that all employees are covered or at least all those under Walmarts healthcare plan as far as I can tell. Either way they said 1.1 million people are covered including family members. I think the spin is you casting that in a negative light. That's pretty damn good for one company.

[Mantis914]

Dude you speak of everything unions have done in the past tense and you're correct. Things is they've done what they set out to do and all the good stuff they got implemented has been set into law. Mostly these days they are fat and corrupt and are just another source of filtering money out of paychecks. Union leaders are no less susceptible to corruption and greed than CEOs and politicians. Unions are famous for unrealistic pensions with the always looming uncertainty of layoffs during employment. Yea, to be a union employee can be great financially with slim chances of getting fired but I'll digress and add that most of my gripe with unions is towards the public sector.

Also, as a libertarian don't you find the ties to communism, socialism and Marxism within union leadership disturbing? And as a self employed individual, do you employees? If so, do you think your company can thrive if your guys decided it was time to form a union? Could you keep up with the rules and demands and wages? By keep up I mostly mean competitively. I have several employees and union interference would force my prices up and the company would tank leaving everyone screwed.

Unless we hearken back to the 1800's I see no reason why we'd want anything but anything we want. That's not a bad thing. That's just a flourishing modern society. And those people fighting over chicken nuggets... They aren't your average people who just like McDonald's. They are just freaking idiots. They're just incidences and not the norm of a "fast food society".

But I like you Mantis and don't wanna fight. We agree on too much. If you've got a gripe with junk food then carry on. I eat what I want when I want with no deciding factors other than does it taste good and being in the mood for it and I've been the same weight for 17 years since I was in high school and have general good health except for my teeth have been going to shlt during the last couple of years but I think that's genetic and I'm gonna resolve that with dental implants in the coming years.

I totally agree and if you saw where I worked at, it looks like fast food row with just about every store there. I try to choose wisely but for the sake of time, I can't always do that. I'm not exactly the picture of prime health myself but I'm trying to get back to some degree of normal with exercise and better eating. Yeah, I know what you mean about genetic/hereditary ailments, little did I know I have 4 uncles and my grandfather just recently passed away from diabetes and now, I have it...

Nah, there's no fight here, you're right, we both agree on too much and there's quite a bit of opposition out on this website...

[Simbi Laveau]

Personally,I'm going to miss Wonder bread .

Here's some interesting news. God forbid Conagra buys it .

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/imported-twinkies-mexico-indestructible-snack-may-survive

[BiffSplitkins]

[lightly]

This event marks the end of civilization as we know it. Surely the end is nigh . . .

[Gummug]

This event marks the end of civilization as we know it. Surely the end is nigh . . .

You guys are cracking me up!