'I already know who rules the United States'

" ... That having been said, I also realize that conspiracy theories are total nonsense. As anyone whose ever tried to keep a secret will tell you, any group larger than one person probably has a stool pigeon in it. Besides, who needs scapegoats like the Masons and the Men in Black? I already know who rules the United States.

Insurance companies.

Think I'm joking? Well, try this on for size. From the Revolutionary war to the 1970's, U.S. citizens were the tallest people in the world. However, over the last 60 years or so, Americans have been getting progressively shorter while Europeans have been growing progressively taller. In fact, in the middle of the 1800's, the average Dutchman was six centimeters shorter than the average American. Today, that trend is completely reversed.

I would love to blame this on the fact that Europeans often build their nuclear reactors in the middle of cities. After all, it would be really cool if the whole glowing continent was getting bigger because of an Attack of the 50-foot Women-style atomic-era disaster. However, according to a recent study that was jointly conducted by Princeton University and the University of Munich, the actual culprit is America's lower nutritional standards and its lack of a health-care safety net. According to this study, the fact that 15% of American children have no health coverage, combined with the fact that the remaining children often have to fight for a decent standard of care, is partially to blame for America's shortness epidemic.

On the bright side, this means that we can stretch out in smaller airplane seats. On the downside, it means that, if you want to stare down a Dutchman, you'll probably need to stand on a telephone book. ... "

~ From Health insurance companies: They ARE the boss of you ~