What Would Zoe Do: Wikileaks and the FDA

My name is Zoe, and I’m what you might call a rebel — against the state, that is!  I hope that you have checked out to my upcoming movie Silver Circle, in which I am in the starring role!  I am here to offer my advice and to answer your questions related to freedom fighting on a weekly basis.  Please submit your questions to !

Dear Zoe,
I am going to just come out and admit it – I don’t know what to think about Wikileaks.  The government is saying they are a threat to our security and need to be stopped?  Should I believe that?
- Asking About Assange

Dear Asking,
First off, Wikileaks in not the problem.  It seems as if there are cables and information that need to be hidden, the government is at fault.  Wikileaks, in essence, is the “rat” that releases information that you may not want exposed – but this is different from something like your friend telling your boyfriend or girlfriend that you cheated on them – this is releasing information about the many governments of the world. Governments that use force against their citizens, collect taxes and prop up a system that, as philosopher Frederic Bastiat would put it, creates legality, but not legitimacy.  The illegitimate nature of government only becomes worse when it keeps secrets from the people that keep it functional.

Also, when the government and other sources say that Wikileaks has threatened the lives of soldiers, this makes it seem that soldiers are meant to be stationed in other countries in the first place.  Strike the root by ending the war, bringing the troops home, and the problem is solved.

Luckily, Assange is on our side, who considers himself influenced by American libertarianism and market libertarianism, saying, “To put it  simply, in order for there to be a market, there has to be information.  A perfect market requires perfect information . . . . WikiLeaks is designed to make capitalism more free and ethical.”

It seems as if his intentions are genuinely good, although they do not easily fit into the current scheme of modern government.  Perhaps Wikileaks will inspire other groups to do the same – and transparency, influenced by the people, will become the norm.

Judge Andrew Napolitano stood up in support for Wikileaks and he
was named the Silver Circle Underground “Rebel of the Week.”

-

Dear Zoe,
I don’t see what the problem is with SB 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, which gives the FDA more authority to improve food safety.  Approximately 325,000 are hospitalized each year from food-borne illnesses, and 5,000 people die each year – don’t we need to give more power to government to stop this from happening?
- Fearing Food

Dear Fearing,

So wait, you’re saying all those people are hospitalized and die from food-related illnesses while the FDA is in place?  And then you believe that this act will cause them to step it up enough that that number diminishes?  So what have they been doing all these years that they have been in place, since 1906?

I firmly believe there is a free market solution to the FDA and food safety.  It is common sense that people do not want to get sick and that people will purchase products that keep them safe.  Businesses would not sell contaminated food to its customers – if they did get sick, there would certainly be Hell to pay – in the form of media attention, asking for retribution and boycotts.  In turn, in the future, no one would purchase from that business.

Also, with all the weaseling around the government, paying taxes, and losing revenue that businesses have to deal with, no wonder they can’t afford to implement safety measures or genuinely care about their customers.  Many food businesses can only afford to give customers “bottom of the barrel” products in order to make a profit – and this goes beyond just cleanliness – the food itself is low quality and unhealthy.

Why spend billions of dollars on a failed system?  People learn from their mistakes – the government stepped in a long time ago to deal with food safety issues when things got out of control – but now it is time for that system to be removed and let people be in control once again.  Removing government monopolies would also help — can’t there be a free market version of the FDA?  As I said, no one wants to get sick, surely there would be an incentive to privately fund it!

Thank you for your questions this week!  Remember to with some more for next time!