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This is probably the best place to ask a question I've been wondering about for years, but I never wanted to post a vanity asking it.

What is the conservative view of health regulations for restaurants, hospitals, etc.? Do conservatives think that it's "big government" imposing on private business or do we generally think that that's a form of government intervention that is good and necessary?

I'm not sure what to think myself. I've thought that maybe restaurants should be able to decide if they want to be inspected and that they should post clearly evidence of inspection and then patrons could decide for themselves if they want to eat at that particular restaurant. But, would that work? I'm sure there would be a lot of lawsuits after people get sick from food eaten in restaurants that were not clean. But, there are lawsuits even with the regulations that are in place now.

What does everyone think? I'm so "anti-big government" that I feel like a hypocrite when I'm glad that restaurants and hospitals have standards and regulations that they must abide by.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

Candi

That's why most people eat at chain restaurants on the road. The expectation of hygenic food is higher where there is a brand name to protect.

You miss the interesting local family resaurant food, and get mostly uninspired corporate chow, but you lower the risk of spending your vacation chained to the toilet!

I would prefer restaurants having their own quality association(s) and seal(s) of approval, but can live with a government standard...

I would say that the conservative position is that restaurant health regulations are no business of the Federal government, as the Constitution grants no such power to it. This is the province of the states and localities.

There is some Constitutional justification for Federal involvement in foodstuffs shipped over state lines, but I suspect you're talking about kitchen inspections, hairnets, and so forth.