Capitalism Magazine » Safety

Selling Horse Meat as Beef: Buyer Beware, Too?

Jaana Woiceshyn — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:14:00 +0000

In my last article I wrote about stores selling products past their best before date—such as the expired canned lobster pate, which raised demands for legislation against selling expired food products in Canada. I argued that such legislation would be a violation of the sellers’ and consumers’ right to liberty: if stores want to sell [...]

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Consumer Protection: Regulation vs. Reputation

Jaana Woiceshyn — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 07:08:00 +0000

A Canadian woman recently bought a can of lobster pate at a Wal-Mart store. The pate was about a year and half past its best before date, and the woman claimed that she felt ill about four hours after consuming some of the pate. In this era of the nanny state, the story did not [...]

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The Protection Racket of Occupational Licensing

Brian Phillips — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:29:25 +0000

Across the nation, millions of entrepreneurial Americans seek to create jobs, pursue their passion, or simply make a few extra dollars by starting their own business. But often, they are forced to abandon their dreams, not because they lack talent or capital, but because they do not have the government’s permission. New Jersey resident Ernie [...]

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Building Safely without Government Building Codes

Brian Phillips — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 01:25:39 +0000

Most people accept building codes as a necessary government intervention. One Website states: Codes provide minimum standards for building construction in order to safeguard the public’s safety, health, and welfare. Another Website states: If we searched we could find examples of people having built things that ended up falling on or burning up other property [...]

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According to the FDA: Americans are Idiots

Brian Phillips — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:42:43 +0000

As an adult, have you ever been forced to eat or drink anything against your will? Have you ever been coerced into eating a bacon cheeseburger and a mountain of fries? Have you ever been compelled to drink one more beer than you should? What you put into your mouth is a matter of your [...]

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Regulations Punish the Virtuous

Brian Phillips — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:35:08 +0000

We are often told that government regulations are necessary to protect consumers from unscrupulous businesses: The only thing worse than regulations is the absence of them. Without government regulation, how can you know if food, water, medicine, everything you use in your daily life is safe? How can you be sure of anything, unless some [...]

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