From: ECL4JN2@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU (Jack B. Nimble)
Subject: Re: Libertarian Platform
Date: 17 Nov 92 23:34:50 PST

In article <1e8ol4INNnf6@armory.centerline.com>, on 16 Nov 1992 18:18:12 GMT,
mrh@centerline.com (Mike Huben) writes:

>
>In article <19921113103834ECL4JN2@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU> ECL4JN2@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU (Jack B. Nimble) writes:
>>There's nothing the least bit fraudulent about labeling food "lite" or
>>low-sodium. These terms are entirely subjective. The only time that
>>one can make a case for government interference in food labeling is if,
>>for example, somebody claims he is selling you aspirin and what he's
>>really pushing is arsenic powder. That would constitute fraud.
>
>The whole idea is to provide objective definitions, so that decisions as
>critical (to some) as the difference between asprin and arsenic can be
>made in an informed manner.  Completeness of labelling, along the same
>lines, can spell life or death for those with allergies.  I suppose you'd
>also remove requirements for weights from packages along the same lines?
>
I don't need a bunch of dim-witted bureaucrats to force food producers
to say that a package of bacon is heavily concentrated fat. If there's
such a heavy demand for labeling on packages, then food producers will
start putting labels on their products to satisfy consumer demand, or
see their business go to their competitors who do. If you don't like
being in a position of not knowing what's in a particular package, then
exercise your freedom of choice and JUST SAY NO. Or even better, don't
buy processed foods at all if you feel it's a question of life or death.

>>All this nutritional labeling hoopla by the FDA is just another power
>>grab by the government to exercise control over what we can choose to
>>eat and drink.
>
>Sounds like you're getting your conspiracy theories mixed up.  Prohibiting
>unapproved drugs perhaps, but objective labelling standards in no way control
>what we eat or drink.  If anything, they are the equivalent of legislating
>another civil liberty: a right to know what you are purchasing.  That way
>you can judge its possible effects on you.
>
I'm sorry to say that this is no conspiracy theory. Left-wing liberals
like Waxman, Dingell, Kennedy, and Metzenbaum have already foisted upon
the piblic the so-called Nutritional Education and Labeling Act, which
has given the Fascist Drug Administration some powers to treat vitamins
and food supplements as drugs. Under this act, FDA poice donned in flak
jackets have already busted into a doctor's office in Washington State
and attempted to restrain him from prescribing unlabelled vitamins to
patients.  And the newest proposed supplement to this legislation will
permit them to do the same thing to health food stores as well.
(Fortunately,  this latest abomination is temporarily in limbo because
of the public furor raised by the vitamin and food supplement consumers
and businesses).

>Contrary to libertarian daydreams, corporate marketing thrives on consumer
>ignorance.  Silent changes in ingredients, weights, prices, qualities, etc.
>are part of a real conspiracy waged by corporations every day to exploit
>reputation and brand loyalty without consumers knowing that they are purchasing
>less for their dollar than they did formerly.
>
>Labelling standards and terminology that provide real information to
>customers is something NO industry has ever voluntarily provided because
>producers and consumers are adversaries.
>
If this is the case, and it may well be, it simply means that consumers
by and large would rather not see their food costs tripled and
quadrupled to provide information about which they care not in the
least. If you feel differently, then I suggest that you vote with your
pocketbook instead of whining about how the big bad food companies are
trying to poison their customers.

        =Jack=
---

Jack B. Newsbaum             You have rights antecedent to all earthly
Library Information Systems  governments; rights that cannot be
University Research Library  repealed or restrained by human law.
ecl4jn2@mvs.oac.ucla.edu               - John Adams
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