GOP senator: Let restaurants ‘opt out’ of handwashing after toilet to ‘reduce regulatory burden’ DAVID EDWARDS 03 FEB 2015 AT 11:29 ET FacebookTwitterMore Thom Tillis (C-SPAN/screen grab) Thom Tillis (C-SPAN/screen grab) DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY!
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) argued this week that restaurants should be able to “opt out” of health department regulations that require employees to wash their hands after using the bathroom.
On Monday, the freshman senator ended his talk at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) with a story to illustrate his philosophy on government regulations.
“I was having this discussion with someone, and we were at a Starbucks in my district, and we were talking about certain regulations where I felt like maybe you should allow businesses to opt out,” Tillis recalled. “Let an industry or business opt out as long as they indicate through proper disclosure, through advertising, through employment, literature, whatever else. There’s this level of regulations that maybe they’re on the books, but maybe you can make a market-based decision as to whether or not they should apply to you.”
Tillis said that at about that time, a Starbucks employee came out of one of the restrooms.
“Don’t you believe that this regulation that requires this gentlemen to wash his hands before he serves your food is important?” Tillis was asked by the person at his table.
“I think it’s one I can illustrate the point,” Tillis told the women. “I said, I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as the post a sign that says ‘We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restrooms.’ The market will take care of that.”
“That’s probably one where every business that did that would go out of business,” he added. “But I think it’s good to illustrate the point that that’s the sort of mentality that we need to have to reduce the regulatory burden on this country.”
“We’re one of the most regulated nations in the history of the planet, and I think if we go about it in a common sense way that that solves a lot of problems. It makes these other big problems that we’re talking about imminently more easy to solve.”
“I think it’s one I can illustrate the point,” Tillis told the women. “I said, I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as the post a sign that says ‘We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restrooms.’ The market will take care of that.”
I think this is an excellent illustration of the point that Tillis is a huge, huge idiot.
Post by downtoearth on Feb 3, 2015 14:04:30 GMT -5
I LOL'd at this. He chooses health regulations as something that businesses (food industry and health industry) could opt out of?! That is gross and totally does not show his point. Do we now have to research each restaurant we go into to see which health regulations they have opted out of? Like pest control or keeping food in clean environments? What if they opt out of the regulation to post the sign as to what they are opting out of?
“I think it’s one I can illustrate the point,” Tillis told the women. “I said, I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as the post a sign that says ‘We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restrooms.’ The market will take care of that.”
I think this is an excellent illustration of the point that Tillis is a huge, huge idiot.
OHMYGOD I legit thought this was a sarcastic twist on "opt out of vaccines". As in, "here's a colossally stupid analog to consider if you question the public health benefits of vaccination".
I fucking quit. Why am I required to crap in a toilet then? Who is big government to tell me that I can't take a dump on the steps of the Capitol?
Why can't I perform surgery for that matter? Isn't it fucking elitist and wrong to require special schools and training?
Why is it that for the GOP, market forces alone are king up until it comes to what we put in or take out of our asses or vaginas? THEN it's about FUCKING PUBLIC HEALTH.
“I was having this discussion with someone, and we were at a Starbucks in my district, and we were talking about certain regulations where I felt like maybe you should allow businesses to opt out,” Tillis recalled. “Let an industry or business opt out as long as they indicate through proper disclosure, through advertising, through employment, literature, whatever else. There’s this level of regulations that maybe they’re on the books, but maybe you can make a market-based decision as to whether or not they should apply to you.”
Tillis said that at about that time, a Starbucks employee came out of one of the restrooms.
“Don’t you believe that this regulation that requires this gentlemen to wash his hands before he serves your food is important?” Tillis was asked by the person at his table.
My favorite part is that he actually asked people these questions IN A RESTAURANT most likely WHILE PEOPLE WERE EATING. Because that's *exactly* when people are most open to being convinced that requiring food preparers to wash their hands is unnecessary.
I read this thinking it was some twit in some state house somewhere, representing like ten people in some rural county, and was like, "Ok so here's a dipshit from east bumblefuck, who cares?"
Then I went back and saw that this is a U.S. Senator. Like, a WHOLE STATE elected this guy to represent them in Washington, D.C.
I wish I could put up a sign requiring hand washing here where I work. The number of non-washers that I've encountered is seriously disgusting.
And in my workplace, they have no shame because they get out of the stall and just leave the bathroom while I'm out there washing my hands and can see them. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE YOU GROSS PERSON.
I bet they're the same people who don't wipe the toilet seat when they're done.
But under his own example, the restaurant would have to post a sign indicating that they do not require handwashing. Isn't that in itself (the required sign) a regulation? He is just trading one regulation for another.
But under his own example, the restaurant would have to post a sign indicating that they do not require handwashing. Isn't that in itself (the required sign) a regulation? He is just trading one regulation for another.
I LOL'd at this. He chooses health regulations as something that businesses (food industry and health industry) could opt out of?! That is gross and totally does not show his point. Do we now have to research each restaurant we go into to see which health regulations they have opted out of? Like pest control or keeping food in clean environments? What if they opt out of the regulation to post the sign as to what they are opting out of?
My first thought was related to this. This isn't less regulation. It's different regulation. You're still regulating notice requirements. Are signs really that less burdensome and expensive (plus all the real estate that will be required for signage opting out of every single thing) than soap and water? I mean, I have a lot of other thoughts, but this struck me as the most ironic.
You're right. I didn't notice that over the involuntary retching sounds coming from my throat at this suggestion.
But under his own example, the restaurant would have to post a sign indicating that they do not require handwashing. Isn't that in itself (the required sign) a regulation? He is just trading one regulation for another.
You're implying he has a fundamental grasp of logic....
Post by Skyesthelimit1212 on Feb 3, 2015 14:47:23 GMT -5
“That’s probably one where every business that did that would go out of business,"
Soooo let me get this straight, you want to not only make people possibly ill from food contamination, but you also don't care if business then go out of business because you let them opt out of employee hand washing.
Post by orangeblossom on Feb 3, 2015 14:52:41 GMT -5
This is stupid and will go no where. The first te an outbreak of Hep A occurs, they'd be all over it, like why didn't that employee wish their hands.
Get out of here with that. I've been in a meeting trying of track down customers after a food borne outbreak. This is not what you want.
I will say he's not the first ridiculous person to suggest that, although that proposal was more like, do we really need to inspect restaurants so much. Um yes, yes we do.
This is what happens when people try to make everything about business, and not protecting the public.
“I was having this discussion with someone, and we were at a Starbucks in my district, and we were talking about certain regulations where I felt like maybe you should allow businesses to opt out,” Tillis recalled. “Let an industry or business opt out as long as they indicate through proper disclosure, through advertising, through employment, literature, whatever else. There’s this level of regulations that maybe they’re on the books, but maybe you can make a market-based decision as to whether or not they should apply to you.”
Maybe I am off base, but I think being required to disclose the fact that my employees may not be washing hands is more of a burden to me than just keeping the existing system in place.
Dear senator, STOP WASTING TIME AND MONEY WITH THIS SHIT!