OPINION:
Sen. Chuck Schumer has a new cause — a whammy and a whopper, rolled into one nice tight regulatory package with possible power to tax and fine.
Oh, what words to a Democrat’s ears. It’s drool-worthy, in fact.
“Schumer is urging federal regulators to look into a ’snortable chocolate’ powder, saying he’s worried that it could prove harmful and is being marketed like a drug,” CBS reported.
And you know what that means, right?
First the regulation, then the tax. First the control, then the levy.
Schumer penned a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, requesting the agency investigate Coco Loko, a caffeine-laced food product that can be inhaled or snorted for effect.
Schumer’s beef with what’s marketed as “raw cacao snuff” is that it doesn’t seem to provide a value — at least one that he can see. Hmm. Here’s a thought: Let the market decide.
Let the buyer make up his or her own mind.
But in Schumer’s mind, the mantra is this: Never let a product go to regulatory waste.
“I can’t think of a single parent who thinks it is a good idea for their children to be snorting over-the-counter stimulants up their noses,” Schumer said.
Well, how about parents who think it’s a good idea for the government to stay out of their parenting domain — could Schumer think of one or two of that caliber, you think?
If not, he’s hanging with the wrong crowd.
And he really ought to get out more and mingle with freedom-loving Americans, not just the nanny-staters who think it’s A-OK for government to regulate things like salt in school food, and sugar in soft drinks, and styrofoam in food containers, and frying oil in city restaurants.
Here comes Coco Loko, another product for the left’s regulatory list.
Does Schumer think regulating the powder will keep those who want to snort it from snorting it? No, not even in his world could he think that. What Schumer does think, though, is that the government can tax and fee and otherwise fine those who do purchase the product — and that government can tax and fee and fine those who sell the product.
It’s how politicians make money — it’s how they win and wield power. Just look at the tobacco companies and the money that’s flowed into government coffers as proof.
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