Consumers are too stupid to make good choices

[kandrathe]

Stay tuned next week, for Kandarthe fighting to bring back lead-based paint on children's toys, and 5MPG vehicles.

After all, consumers should be smart enough to choose not to buy them, right?

And this only appears absurd, because it's not the status quo (Unlike incadescent bulbs).

One, lead in paint is a consumer protection issue. I've nominally accepted the fact that we shouldn't probably make TNT available at the local hardware store as well(at least without some hoops to make sure it doesn't end up detonating a building somewhere). But, on MPG, why should the government care how you waste your money? Could I not buy 20 gallons of gas a day and burn it in a fire pit if I wanted?