^^^ LMAO
If you love capitalism and don't own a business or at least have a decent stake in one your crazy. I try to stay as far away from making money for someone else as possible and sometimes doubt my ability to be successful in my own being that I'm not a fan of "let the buyer beware" and other tactics. Your last sentence may have been sarcastic but its something I'd probably do. I am not that hungry for riches.
If no good can come of something besides money in pocketbooks (example trans-fats) then I have no problem with the government banning it. I doubt you and I would draw the same line as far as government control but I do not believe the pursuit of truth/fairness and money go hand in hand.
I do understand and completely agree that we have to watch the precedents that are set or risk reaching 1984 but we can't be so fearful that we don't do things in our own best interests. If you believe banning dangerous substances is a step in the direction of 1984 then why have prescription and illegal drugs?
Blaque Prince, I don't "love" capitalism, but it works better than any other system to provide food, clothing, shelter, and a million other goods and services to anyone who is not lazy or disabled. Capitalism makes the pie bigger for everyone, even though many people are blinded by their jealousy of those who earn "excessive" pieces of the pie. Alternatives to capitalism simply make the pie smaller, to the greatest detriment of those who have the least to begin with.
You claim to avoid business because you are afraid that someone else might share in the benefit from you labors? Seriously? Do you hate team sports, too, because someone else might benefit from a block you might throw or a pass you could make? You are truly blind, brother, if you would fail to bend over and pick up a dime because it might earn someone else an additional twenty cents. (This is the estimated cost of labor in many small business scenarios - about a third.)
There is an element in this discussion that we have omitted: Who has perfect knowledge, perfect truth? You? Me? the government? NO! No one on this earth has perfect knowledge. For example, a generation ago we celebrated trans fats because they increased the shelf life of packaged food products, reduced the tendency of natural fats towards rancidity over time, and provided us a miracle alternative to the deadly saturated fats found in butter. Lots of smart people told us the evils of saturated fats. The government recommended margarine as a replacement for butter. Yes, Blaque Prince, a key ingredient in margarine at that time was hdrogenated oil; i.e., trans fat!
There is a big difference between "buyer beware" and "truth in advertising." Buyer beware impies the pre-progressive era disonesty of a century ago, when unscrupulous snake oil salesmen and meatpackers, for example, lied about the content of their products. "Truth in advertising" requires a disinterested third party (i.e., the government regulators, consumer advocacy groups) to referee labeling to make sure it is accurate. Even more importantly, the internet and other tools of this capitalist-driven information age allow any discerning consumer to get the best information that has ever been available in the history of humankind. The information age also allows unscrupulus snake oil salesmen to continue to thrive. Discerning is the key word.
This lack of perfect information is one reason I believe in banning deadly substances, but not necessarily dangerous substances. Another reason is my own personal freedom. I do not want the freedom to smoke crack, but once in a while, I might want the freedom the eat a McDonald's french fry or smoke a cigar, even though I know that too many french fries or cigars would be very bad for my health. You lefties want to protect us from ourselves, and you are blind to the egregious mistakes and burdens imposed by government authority. You seek an equality of results instead of true opportunity. You would have the government decide the outcome of a football game before the coin toss.
There's no "truth in advertising" in your method, Blaque Prince! You use extreme examples (e.g., "human arms in packaged meat ... businesses that don't care if they kill you as long as they make money") to condemn all businesses and business people. Do you honestly think that everone who owns a Starbucks or a McDonald's "don't care if they kill you?!??" That's just wrong, man! "Buyer Beware!" for anyone who reads your posts.