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Governments care about food pathogens because ultimately they are held accountable by the people. They are not a malignant force, parasitic on society. Governme
by barrkel 9y ago
Governments care about food pathogens because ultimately they are held accountable by the people. They are not a malignant force, parasitic on society. Governments solve collective action problems by getting everybody to play by one set of rules and punishing people who don't.
I know what you say is popular in certain political circles, but it's a false idea about government. Worse, it's a cynical meme that corrupts people into making government less effective, by both stopping people from trying to hold government to account, and not trying to change the rules that governments enforce.
The best way to make your idea of government true is to stand idly by and do nothing.
- ethbro 9y agoRevelant, see effect of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle on food safety laws, which through popular sentiment forced the US government to create the FDA. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle
- dredmorbius 9y agoThough his intent was to create employment reforms. "Iaimed for the public's heart, and ... hit it in the stomach". http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-05-21/features/0605210414_1_upton-sinclair-trust-free http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-05-21/features/06052...
- Chardok 9y agoThat was actually a very nice read! I just finished the book and certainly remember the meat factory scenes the most, but couldn't help but feel Upton would have been disappointed from the message he was trying to ultimately convey.
- ethbro 9y agoDon't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I know he was disappointed with the outcome, but it was still an improvement during a fairly capital-friendly administration. (Though Teddy Roosevelt certainly pissed off monied interests when he felt they were acting immorally)