Consumer legislation literally protects use to death! All of the government agencies that are in place to watch over different areas of our life are completely unnecessary. This includes the FAA, OSHA, FDA, EPA, and a myriad of local agencies. Ask yourself what would happen if we did not have these agencies to protect us.

If there was a genuine need for the activity, some enterprising entrepreneur would fill the void. For example, private groups would likely evaluate airlines and make suggestions for safety improvements. Airlines would pay for inspections in hopes of getting the organization's "Seal of Approval." Prudent consumers would fly only airlines that received high safety ratings. Without such certification, an airline would be unlikely to survive.

Airlines lose money whenever there is an accident and lives are lost. They face lawsuits from victims or their families and loss of business from frightened customers. Airlines have great incentive to avoid safety problems. They have a great deal to lose by killing their customers.

The Food and Drug administration faces a similar situation. They are killing more people by delaying the approval of drugs than by allowing an unapproved drug to be marketed. Drug companies have to pay on average $500 million to get a new drug approved. The prices of new drugs are staggering and delays phenomenal.

Without the FDA, several private, independent testing organizations would develop to certify new drugs. Both the drug companies and the independent testing companies would be very protective of their reputations. Like the Airlines, killing or maiming customers would put them out of business. However, safe drugs would reach the market place much earlier. We would be the beneficiaries.

Government offices that issue building permits are another unnecessary government control. Without such offices, banks and insurance companies would ask for independent reviews of plans, and inspection of buildings, before they would provide loans or insurance. People who didn't need a loan or insurance would be foolish to build without some acceptable standard because they would have a very hard time selling the property later. Banks or insurers that asked for standards that were too high, would not get many loans or insure many properties. Competition would always maintain a reasonable, modern standard. The cost of buildings would go down considerably and there would not be delays for permitting as we now experience.

State licensing requirements are another "consumer protection" problem. States that have the strictest laws for electricians also have the greatest number of accidental electrocutions. As requirements for a license goes up, so does the cost. The poor either do without or do things themselves (and get electrocuted!). Certification by professional organizations, on the other hand, evaluates service providers, but lets the customer decide. Certification increases the quality of service delivered, while decreasing the cost.

Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Beauticians, Home builders, and on and on, do not need some government agency to control them. They can control themselves through certification. Customers would seek certified providers at a much lower cost than professionals licensed by slow, overrated under-educated government bureaucrats.