It’s hard to fathom the dangerous and idiotic comments of some of our elected officials. A case in point: newly elected U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who suggested that restaurants shouldn’t have to make their employees wash their hands after using the toilet. As reported by KOMO News, Tillis’ approach to public health is that:
Such restaurants would have to prominently disclose their decision, and then would probably go out of business, said newly elected GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. But they should have that choice, he said.
Tillis raised the issue when speaking Monday to the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. Restaurant chains such as Starbucks should be able to skip obligatory hand-washing by workers, he said, “as long as they post a sign” and take other steps to alert the public.
“Let them decide” such issues, Tillis said, adding: “That’s probably one where every business that did that would go out of business. But I think it’s good to illustrate the point, that that’s the sort of mentality we need to have to reduce the regulatory burden on this country.”
Washing hands is a “regulatory burden?” Perhaps Sen. Tillis is also in favor of other “common sense” approaches to food safety including allowing the sale of E. coli-laden hamburger or milk contaminated with tuberculosis (with appropriate sign-postings, of course). But isn’t the “regulatory burden” of sign-posting just another example of government meddling? Ink, paper and those pesky fonts?
And following Sen. Tillis’ logic, why stop there? Flammable pajamas, exploding automobile gas tanks, leaking nuclear reactors – let market forces protect our loved ones. Post a sign! Caveat emptor, baby!