Government itself is at best an amoral organization. John5840 is concerned that 'amoral' businesses will screw the people. Businesses are run by people, so are governments and governments are always drawn to consolidate total power and control. Government has fewer restraints on it than businesses. There is a lower chance that 'the people' can control a government than there is of 'the people' controlling business. The only justification I see in John5840 argument so far is that people are too stupid to protect themselves, but the government that John5840 advocates is smart enough to protect those people.

John mentioned in last post is John5840.

Another problem with John's argument is that he demands that businesses self regulating be perfect, but then gives a pass to government regulation that is not perfect. How hypocritical.

Correct, no system is perfect. You assume that the government regulation model is better than regulation by the profit motive (if I do not provide what is wanted by the customer I go broke) and tort (if I am a bad neighbor, my neighbors will take me to court and I go broke). The problem with government regulation is that it always evolves towards cronyism. In the FDA examples I have mentioned, those drugs that get delayed approval are often from small inovative organizations that are not politically connected. Big pharma companies, on the other hand, get approval much easier and some of those approved drugs end up killing.

If that government approved chicken of 2012 is not fully cooked you still run the risk of disease. Government regulation has not stopped salmonella. The undercooking at home or in a restaurant could be a mistake that the government cannot catch, you still get sick.

Why does it have to be the general government that maintains that database?

FDA involvement, whether or not they approve fails. These are specifics to failure of government regulation.

When they approve drugs, they fail When they do not approve drugs, they fail. Bottom line, regulation by FDA of drugs fails.

Withholding approval of some drugs costs lives. Use of approved drugs cost lives. Government regulation is not preventing those deaths.

Keep prattling on about how wonderful and beneficial regulation is. About 100,000 people are killed each year by Government Approved Drugs, prescribed by Government Licensed Physicians, and distributed by Government Licensed Pharmacologists.