I have such disgust for the FDA, Dairy Lobby, and large government domestic protectionism. This is a problem that persists under both Republican and Democrat regimes. This just secured my vote for Chase Oliver.
The picture shows a baby formula at a local Target near me. From 6am to now I have been to 5 Target locations across the greater New Orleans area looking for a formula that isn’t made by Abbott (which is the only product on the shelf. The Dairy Lobby lobbied Congress and the FDA to make sure that only American sourced dairy products are used in baby formulas sold in the US. Abbott has a plant in the US that with this policy helped give them a government mandated monopoly. Remember the 2021 formula shortage? Abbott had to shut down their one plant that manufactured formula due to a listeria outbreak, and we were left with nothing.
This didn’t happen in Europe because they actually have a free market with multiple competitors. The rules have laxed a bit but nowhere to where we can call it a competitive market. My 3 month old only takes Kenfamil (made in the UK) but it’s near impossible to get it due to the ongoing restrictions. Trump made restrictive trade wars that made it worse during his presidency and Biden did absolutely nothing to open the market. Look on Abbott’s website under government affairs, they donate almost equally to Democrat and Republican campaigns.
Voting for Harris? Her price controls will only make this shelf more empty. Voting for Trump? His tariff policies will either do the same or expand Abbott’s grasp on the market. And this is only one of many markets this is happening in.
I say this as an appeal. I don’t agree with Oliver’s stance on transitioning children, but that is minute compared to government-corrupted free markets, which continues to hurt American consumers. This is why I think every Libertarian should think long and hard before voting for Trump, because in my eyes, whether it’s Harris or Trump that gets elected, this will continue, and I in good conscience cannot vote for that.
Posted by Duckdodger89