Sunday,Oct 5 2008, 05:42:32 PMissues, legislation

"In order to force comanies to improve policies and practices considered unethical or harmful, society should rely primarily on consumer action-- such as refusal to buy product --rather than legislative action."

    Consumer action is an important tool for responding to harmful or unethical business practices. However, it is not always an especially effective one. Thus I disagree with stated opinion, and would argue that legislative action is an equally important means for constraining the activities of business.

     Ideally, consumer action would be the best free--market response to harmful or unethical business activity. Consider widespread public support for the United Farm Worker's table grape boycott,called by late union leader Cesar Chavez in protest of injustices against field workers. The boycott wored;eventually loss of revenues forced California frape frowers to agree to fairer working conditons. This is what Adam Smith had in mind when he argued that business, left free to pursue profit, wouldbe guided by the so-called invisible hand of competition to produce the greates social benefit.

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Sunday,Oct 5 2008, 05:25:27 PMargument--Red meat and fatty foods

The following appeared in a magazine article on trends and lifestyles:

"In general, people are not as concerned as they were a decade ago about regulating their in take of red meat and fatty cheeses. Walk into the Heart's Delight, a store that started selling organic fruits and vegetables and whole-grain slours in the 1960's, and you will also find a wide selection of cheeses made with high butterfat content. Next door, the owners of the Good Earth Cafe, an old vegetarian restaurant, are still making a modest living ,vut the owners of the new House of ...

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Friday,Oct 3 2008, 06:22:35 PMToday we are begining both issues.

In some coutries, television and radio programs are carefully censored for offensive language and behavior. In other counties, there is little or no censorship. In your view, to what extent should government or any other group be able to censor television or radio programs? Explian, giving relevant reasons to support your position.

The extent to which the broadcast media should be censored for offensive language and behavior involves a conflict between our right as individuals to freely express ourselves and the duty of government to protect its ...

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