Scorched Earth Regulation

State of Oregon is going bankrupt but that does not stop the govt from shutting down a kool-aid stand.

A whole bunch of points:

1. Why do we pretend government can maintain health standards, and the consumer cannot, when we know the government cannot, and the consumer does.  Ultimately the only safety check that matters is the cook or kool aid maker in this case.  No matter what inspection goes on before food gets to the cook or preparer, the last step is the one that matters, good or bad.

2. We all know when we slap down our quarter in front of the 7 year old for our kool aid the kid did 12 things that would gross us out in the last hour.  The younger they are, the more gross they are.  But we have something called immune systems.  Healthy people can take a lot.  In fact, some medical theory says if we do not get a daily dose of immune system challenges, our internal defenders of our health turn on ourselves, and we get autoimmunie diseases like diabetes, alopecia and vitiligo.  A little gross is good for you. Apple seeds contain strychnine, but at a dose that is good for you, an apple a day keeping the doctor away, and all that. Unhealthy people steer clear of kool aid stands.

3. Community and farmer markets are springing up everywhere, as people steer clear of the frankenfoods put out by the winners of government preference policy of "get big or get out."  Like big banks, big food is too big to fail, so big food does not care, it does not have to care.  But note that these farmers marektds all have some association with govt. The young activists who promote these things are delighted to find government works for them.  The young activists do not understand they are the Trojans who pull in the horse with the select group of Greeks, who will destroy the farmer markets from within.  Farmer markets need to be free trade zones.

4. Stockholm Syndrome. Check out this quote:

As for Julie, the 7-year-old still tells her mother "it was a bad day." When she complains about the health inspector, Fife reminds her that the woman was just doing her job. She also promised to help her try again -- at an upcoming neighborhood garage sale. 

See the problem here?  The health inspector is "just doing her job."  There is no consideration if the job needs doing to begin with.  The Stockholm Syndrome comes form a famous bank robbery/hostage event wherein the hostages sided with the bank robbers.  The bank robbers were just doing their job.  Well, the farmers are just doing their job, selling what the grow.  The kid was just doing her job, selling kool aid. Who should we prefer?

5. "Health inspection" is again an example of unnecessary government.   There is no credible evidence health inspections have any net positive benefit to community health. Google "food poisoning Indian casino" and you yield... nothing.  Not a single case of food poisoning in Casino restaurants on Indian reservations.  In spite of 30 years of experience and hundreds of millions of meals served, not one single case.  So what?  Health inspectors do not inspect on Indian reservations.  Casino managers spend millions to promote their casinos, and are not about to let a case of the runs ruin a reputation.  Casinos do what every business does, they prepare food properly.  (I worry:  will we see an unexplained outbreak of food poisoning on reservations if this point becomes widespread?)

Yes, we all want food safety.  But we cannot afford make-work government.  It does not work, and we can have something that does work. Leave food safety to the ultimate preparer, and add a little private enterprise:  food poisoning is difficult to establish, let restaurants sign up for $2 a month insurance that has real sleuths use real science (not politics) to track down real cases of food poisoning, and post the examples on the web.

Highly regulated and compliant firms have killed hundreds of customers with something nasty in their offerings: Tylenol, Odwalla, and JackintheBox to name a few.  This stuff happens, inspection or no inspection.  Food poisoning usually hits hard, fast and early.  A website with scientific systems to establish where an outbreak is occurring might be a welcome addition, but it has to be in private hands so competition can keep it honest.

We can eliminate country health departments, cut taxes by that much, and let a free market address any problem.   here is work for someone who is passionate about food safety, and finds joy in working on the problem.

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