The case against over-regulation of business by government may have officially just jumped the shark.
Or, in this, case, the employee washroom.
Consider the laissez-faire view of the intersection of economics and public health from Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, until now not known as a food safety expert.
Talking about regulatory reform at a bipartisan think tank on Monday, the freshman lawmaker offered an anecdote about a visit to a Starbucks in 2010 where he was having a discussion about the very same topic.
The person Tillis was with asked him whether his antipathy toward regulation extended to not requiring the coffee shop employees to wash their hands.
Here was his reply, Tillis told his audience at the Bipartisan Policy Center: “I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as they post a sign that says we don’t require our employees to wash our hands after leaving the restroom. The market will take care of that. It’s one example.”
So, let’s get this straight: As long as customers know their food might have been handled by someone who just handled…well, you get the picture; it’s ok with Sen. Tillis.
Sanitary wipe, anyone?
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