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The Last Word…BY LAUREN ZIRBEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAlthough many people assume politics and cynicismare one and the same, I’d like to think otherwise.Maybe the opposite is true. Maybe, more often thanpeople think, political ideas are motivated by the desireto help portions of the population that are “not makingthe best decisions.” That desire to help leads to policiesintended to correct poor decision making. Unfortunately,such policies often lead to rules that undermine the mostfundamental aspects of human self-determination. We areoften left with policies that aim to control the minoritybut results in punishing the majority. Perhaps the way toimprove this unfortunate outcome is to re-incorporatetwo forgotten concepts back into our political discourse—personal responsibility and respect for the free market.Personal ResponsibilityWe hear it all the time. There is no such thing aspersonal responsibility any more. If you spill a cup of hotcoffee on your lap, it is not your fault—it is the fault ofthe company that sold you the coffee. People can’t evenbe granted the prerogative to nourish themselves anymorebecause they have proven too irresponsible to do so.Have we really gotten to the point where we believe thathumanity can no longer be trusted to fulfill its most basicbiological need in making decisions regarding nutrition?Is that where we are? Havewe as a society given up onthe battle for dietary decisionmaking? I would hope not. Sure, the slippery slopeargument gets old, but you don’t have to look very farto see the reality of this setting in. First we increase thecost of sugary beverages by one cent per ounce, then weban them, then we tax all food with sugar and fat, thenthe government “holistically” determines what foods arehealthy and what foods are not. We have already heardsuch ideas in current political discourse.The answer to combating obesity lies in respectingand playing to human intelligence, not in a denial ofindividual self-determination.The Free MarketPeople joke that <strong>Hawaii</strong> loves to ban everything insight. While slightly true, I think that the motivation toprotect individuals or the environment from perceivedharm comes from a place of concern. This session, wehave seen many of these types of bills. Some of these billsare a reaction to items that have already been banned andthe negative consequences that have followed.It was asked of me by a proponent of one ban bill,what is the difference between the cassette tape industrygoing out of business and being replaced by CDs andtheir bill, which replaces polystyrene with compostableproducts? Well, the answer is that there was never a billto ban cassette tapes. Consumers demanded the superiorproduct of CDs. Suppliers responded to that demand byproducing more CDs, and retailers in turn offered morefor sale. That’s how the free market works. It’s a beautifulthing.When the free market handles problems, there is anatural progression and ramp-up of supply and a naturaldecline of the product that it is replacing. When thegovernment steps in in the place of the free market, verysharp and unnatural changes occur which cause prices tospike and people to be run out of business prematurely.If a replacement product truly is better, consumers willpush the demand for that product and the process willoccur naturally. The outcome will not leave businessesfearful of entering our marketplace for fear of hostilelegislation, and workers and companies will be able toadjust to the changing marketplace.We would simply ask that decision makers considerthe power of the people to express their will viapurchasing the items they want on the free market andknow that businesses will respond to the will of theconsumer as they have always done if they hope to stayin business!34 HAWAII RETAIL GROCER - SPRING 2013
Proud to Serve <strong>Hawaii</strong>for 64 YearsMahalo for your Support!20123
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