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I get so confused these days by the libertarians and tea partiers when it comes to regulation, or the lack thereof.
My wife gets at least on email a week from a good friend of hers who is a professed libertarian and tea partier. This week's missive has me scratching my head.
It's a forward of an email calling for the boycott of McDonalds, which apparently has been launched by the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. The problem is that McDonalds has announced that it will start importing beef from South America. McDonalds claims there is not enough beef here to fill its demands, but the Association says that is a pretext, and that they are simply wanting to get their beef at a lower price.
The email goes on to say that American beef is the finest in the world, that we are required to certify that our beef have not been fed the parts of any other cows, that the use of pesticides is controlled on grazing lands, and likewise controlled is the use of growth hormones. The writer says that Americans are entitled to the highest quality beef, and that South American cattle haven't been raised in accordance with the high standards of their American counterparts.
The writer says the public should be warned as to the health risks of beef raised under South American practices, and that we should boycott McDonalds until they change their minds and go back to 100% American beef.
Okay, so here are my questions. I understand that the writer and the Association have a perfect right to take any position they wish in this regard. But, are they suggesting that McDonalds is wrong for taking the most advantage of the free market conditions available to them? If they can save money by going to South America, then why not?
The second question is a little thornier. The writer at least twice mentions that American beef is the safest and highest quality in the world. And, he says, South American beef is undesirable because the South American cattle ranchers aren't required to follow all the same regulations we are here in the States. So, what should the government do here:
1) Nothing, and let the market take care of it?
2) Encourage South American countries to enact similar beef safety regulations?
3) Ban the importation of that risky South American beef, or at least make it more expensive?
4) Repeal all those pesky regulations which are handcuffing American cattle raisers (and apparently making their beef the best in the world)?
5) Some combination of the above?
What's the call? It seems to me that the libertarians and tea partiers are mostly against regulations which they feel hinder them, but not so much against regulations which hinder the other guy. And that the free market works best so long as we are buying from them instead of someone else.
One a totally unrelated note, I am thinking of moving up to New York with B-Fly and starting a practice there. I'm not technically licensed in New York, but I feel that any problems which might result by that fact will work themselves out in the give and take of the market.
Likewise unrelated, my sister-in-law sees a real business opportunity for us in the import of those Chinese toys which caused such a fuss just because they had a little lead in them. You can pick those babies up for a song right now. We're hoping that Washington will relax some of those anti-business regulations and give us a chance to create some jobs. There could be some minor health issues, but nothing the market can't handle with one invisible hand tied behind its back.
My wife gets at least on email a week from a good friend of hers who is a professed libertarian and tea partier. This week's missive has me scratching my head.
It's a forward of an email calling for the boycott of McDonalds, which apparently has been launched by the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. The problem is that McDonalds has announced that it will start importing beef from South America. McDonalds claims there is not enough beef here to fill its demands, but the Association says that is a pretext, and that they are simply wanting to get their beef at a lower price.
The email goes on to say that American beef is the finest in the world, that we are required to certify that our beef have not been fed the parts of any other cows, that the use of pesticides is controlled on grazing lands, and likewise controlled is the use of growth hormones. The writer says that Americans are entitled to the highest quality beef, and that South American cattle haven't been raised in accordance with the high standards of their American counterparts.
The writer says the public should be warned as to the health risks of beef raised under South American practices, and that we should boycott McDonalds until they change their minds and go back to 100% American beef.
Okay, so here are my questions. I understand that the writer and the Association have a perfect right to take any position they wish in this regard. But, are they suggesting that McDonalds is wrong for taking the most advantage of the free market conditions available to them? If they can save money by going to South America, then why not?
The second question is a little thornier. The writer at least twice mentions that American beef is the safest and highest quality in the world. And, he says, South American beef is undesirable because the South American cattle ranchers aren't required to follow all the same regulations we are here in the States. So, what should the government do here:
1) Nothing, and let the market take care of it?
2) Encourage South American countries to enact similar beef safety regulations?
3) Ban the importation of that risky South American beef, or at least make it more expensive?
4) Repeal all those pesky regulations which are handcuffing American cattle raisers (and apparently making their beef the best in the world)?
5) Some combination of the above?
What's the call? It seems to me that the libertarians and tea partiers are mostly against regulations which they feel hinder them, but not so much against regulations which hinder the other guy. And that the free market works best so long as we are buying from them instead of someone else.
One a totally unrelated note, I am thinking of moving up to New York with B-Fly and starting a practice there. I'm not technically licensed in New York, but I feel that any problems which might result by that fact will work themselves out in the give and take of the market.
Likewise unrelated, my sister-in-law sees a real business opportunity for us in the import of those Chinese toys which caused such a fuss just because they had a little lead in them. You can pick those babies up for a song right now. We're hoping that Washington will relax some of those anti-business regulations and give us a chance to create some jobs. There could be some minor health issues, but nothing the market can't handle with one invisible hand tied behind its back.
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