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Mises Economics Blog

His crime: not being regulated

October 25, 2007 9:56 PM by Jim Fedako | Other posts by Jim Fedako | Comments (9)

The Columbus Dispatch has an article about Bob Munley, a truly evil criminal. His crime? Producing and bottling tea, unregulated and at home nonetheless. And, state regulators can't have that. So much for Liberty.

Any risk associated with his tea is accepted by the consumer. Funny, you can purchase and consume FDA-approved drugs that are lethal, yet woe to him who dares sell tea made at home.

I don't know about you, but I sure feel safer knowing that Munley is no longer selling his tea.

Comments (9)

  • P.M.Lawrence

  • But this is completely in keeping with American precedent, seizing and destroying privately owned tea and claiming a higher justification even though it furthered the culprits' interests (in that case, it undercut John Hancock's tea).

  • Published: October 25, 2007 10:47 PM

  • Anthony

  • But is it not clear that unless the FDA approves it that it will be lethal and hazardous? You know how those evil businessmen are...

  • Published: October 25, 2007 10:55 PM

  • M E Hoffer

  • How very apt: "Benevolence Cafe, a vegan restaurant near the North Market, is considering letting Munley use its kitchen, said cafe General Manager Chad Whitaker.

    "It's so loved in this city, and we believe in it."

    As an aside, what's the current up with "The Chicken Salad Chick"?

  • Published: October 26, 2007 12:50 AM

  • nick gray

  • I wonder if you're thinking like me- that some politicians must have too much time on their hands, to come up with such nit-picking rules!
    Why don't we mandate that all laws have a time limit (perhaps seven years) and then they no longer work? Pollies would then have a full-time job updating and revoting on all old about-to-expire laws, and would have far less time to dream up new laws!

  • Published: October 26, 2007 2:58 AM

  • J. Parker Chandler

  • Does this mean my children can't make and sell, tea and lemonade anymore? I suppose the pols would say, "Well, that's different."
    Is it?? I don't see how.
    Whatever. The whole idea of men 'making' law is, in a word, laughable.

  • Published: October 26, 2007 9:56 AM

  • Michael A. Clem

  • One city actually did shut down a young girl of about 6 or 7 years for selling lemonade a few years ago. Don't remember what city, though.

    The funny part was that about a year or so before the incident, I had thought of doing a fictional story about something like that happening. Life is indeed stranger than fiction...

  • Published: October 26, 2007 10:30 AM

  • Peter

  • Two occasions have been blogged here before; see http://blog.mises.org/blog/archives/002350.asp and http://blog.mises.org/blog/archives/003926.asp

  • Published: October 26, 2007 7:50 PM

  • Brian Lee Cross

  • While the concern is legitimate, all most regulations do is make sure that anything we can grow/produce for ourselves or as products will be illegal, and we will be forced to buy it from an industry. I'm not against industries providing such things, but part of their competition must be smaller scale producers, and self providers.

  • Published: October 27, 2007 12:06 PM

  • Juan

  • Communism just keeps on advancing, no ?

    If the state can't own the factories, at least they can force you to buy from their partners in 'private' industry ?

  • Published: October 29, 2007 6:10 PM

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