#BigGovernmentMadeMe

If anyone would like to know what kids are being taught in schools, the first place to look is Tik Tok, and some of the most recent trends on the platform have had me reaching for Tuttle Twins materials.

Recently, the social media platform has been trending with the hashtag #RetailMadeMe where users told stories about various retail jobs they have worked. In the videos, they talk about how the retail stores made them throw out perfectly good items that were slightly damaged instead of donating them.

In most of the comments and the videos, the former retail workers blame capitalism. It seems like every time we turn around, a new ailment in society is being blamed on capitalism. However, capitalism is just the free exchange of goods and services. In a free-market society, there is little to no advantage to throwing away these goods instead of donating them useless government regulations have stopped companies from being able to responsibly dispose of their waste.

A recent FEE article addressed this issue:

“For example if a brand gives away food, they are legally held responsible if anyone becomes sick afterwards. So it is not worth the risk of the donation. Some lawmakers have recognized this problem and passed provisions that limit the liability companies face, but only if they go through a third party charitable organization first. That makes the donation process costly and time-consuming for busy business owners.

Furthermore, a 2014 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless found that 21 cities implemented additional regulations that block food-sharing with the homeless explicitly. One health department even went so far as to dump bleach on perfectly good barbeque (in 2016) when contestants of The American Royal’s World Series of Barbeque attempted to donate excess food from the event.

CVS, which has garnered the particular attention of the #RetailMadeMe trend, responded to the criticism with a statement that expressed as much:

‘We work with numerous nonprofit organizations to arrange for damaged or near-expired goods from our stores to be donated to people in need … Our product disposal guidelines and procedures comply with applicable state and federal regulations, and they are consistent with that of the retail industry.’”

This is an issue that needs to be called out. The excess of retail companies could be put to better use, but we have to put the blame where it belongs: on an overregulated market.

Ethan and Emily learn this lesson in The Tuttle Twins and the Messed Up Market. They start a business and see first hand how regulations affect the market. In The Tuttle Twins and The Miraculous Pencil, the twins learn what the free market is and why it is so important.

It is discouraging that young adults are blaming the free market for a problem caused by our lawmakers and their “help,” and that is exactly why Tuttle Twins materials are so important to help fight against the anti-free-market narrative being pushed on our children.

—Connor