Gore, AGW and Cashing In Money... was there ever any doubt... really?

[switchfoot]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Whose job is it to protect us against tainted food, bad drugs, dangerous imports, etc?

Who is doing it NOW? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no one can protect you 100% Remember, in order to empower government to protect us, we must cede liberty in direct proportion. Liberty is ceded in two ways: through the creation of laws and regulations that limit our choice, and through increased taxation, whick also limits choice in the marketplace.

Some things are appropriately handed off the government at various levels. Military, international trade, intranational trade, etc. The Federalist Papers address most of this better than I could possibly do. We need to accept that the world is a dangerous place to live, that sh!t happens sometimes, and that government can't do everything for us. Food gets tainted sometimes. Bad drugs make it to the market place sometimes, and sometimes imports don't meet our standards. No amount of government influence will ever eliminate it completely. Or as inefficiently, frankly. All I'm saying is we need to weigh the cost (liberty) when we purchase the "security" and make sure we are getting the most for our "money".

[Frenchy]

Isn't the FDA a government entity?
The fact is, we have numerous federal regulatory agencies whose job it is to protect Americans and their interests.
Some actually do a half decent job....sometimes.

[one-eyed-fatman]

La di da di da... our wonderful government and big corporate America are so wonderful. Let's let the ones we have in prison out. That what you want to hear?

We have watchdog groups for a reason.

[Frenchy]

It would be nice if private business could balance their business interests with the interests of the people, and many do...but many do not.
On the flip-side, regulations should be effective but moderate. A tough proposal considering the bureaucracy involved.

[switchfoot]

Some government agencies do a half way decent job. I couldn't have said it better myself. If SOME government agencies do a HALFWAY DECENT JOB, I contend that it will take a lot of convincing to get me to advocate more government as a better solution.

Even security. If government is to keep us safe, we must cede liberty in order to empower it to do so. If we decide we aren't safe enough and want government to make us safer, we must give up liberty in order for it to happen. Just how safe can government make us anyway? I contend that there is a limit on how safe government will ever be able to make us. Once we reach that point, it is assinine to keep feeding government more power.

How far should the FDA go making sure our food is safe? Should they inspect every farm? Every field? Every truck transporting it? Every crate it is loaded into? Every store it is sold from? Every cart a consumer loads it into? Every refridgerator in every home? Every plate it is served in? Every fork used to put it in a consumer's mouth?

I'm being facetious, of course. Somewhere between inspecting random farms and every fork is where the answer is. I contend that at some point it either becomes logistically impossible for any agency to perform inspections demanded, or we fail to see a net gain in proportion to the level of government intrusion we endure. I advocate balance.

To bring this argument back to the subject of my first post, I submit that government can only go so far in an attempt to provide security or protection to it's people. At some point, security is a farse. We keep pumping our liberty and our largess into Big Brother who promises more and more protection while all the while, there is no net increase in real protection. That is why we have an armed citizenry. One reason, anyway.

Give me my liberty, the free flow of information so I can make wise decisions, my right to keep and bear arms so I can keep both, and I can go a long way toward protecting myself and my family. I understand that I live in a fallen, imperfect world that includes things that are outside my control. I rely on government to handle what it should, myself what I can, and God to take care of the rest.

[Frenchy]

I believe you make a good argument. I don't advocate more government, just more efficient government.
Controlling waste and streamlining should be a bipartisan effort, but politics and bureaucracy gets in the way.
I can make personal determinations if the information is forth-coming. However...This simplicity flies in the face of government objectives...CONTROL.

[AZXD]

Originally Posted by switchfoot

Give me my liberty, the free flow of information so I can make wise decisions, my right to keep and bear arms so I can keep both, and I can go a long way toward protecting myself and my family. I understand that I live in a fallen, imperfect world that includes things that are outside my control. I rely on government to handle what it should, myself what I can, and God to take care of the rest.

Now those are some really good words

[AZXD]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

I believe you make a good argument. I don't advocate more government, just more efficient government.
Controlling waste and streamlining should be a bipartisan effort, but politics and bureaucracy gets in the way.
I can make personal determinations if the information is forth-coming. However...This simplicity flies in the face of government objectives...CONTROL.

Funny! Ain't it