We're all supposed to be grateful for the fact that the government has swarms of bureaucrats allegedly protecting us from dangerous products--right? Those same bureaucrats allowed toothpaste made with an ingredient in antifreeze into the country and onto store shelves. Who brought the problem to the attention of the bureaucrats? An ordinary Panamanian who happened to notice the poisonous ingredient on the label. Then the bureaucrats gave him the runaround, and it took three more days before the government of Panama made the finding official.
Without the efforts of a sharp-eyed private citizen, the toothpaste could have remained on store shelves and poisoned people, all while the bureaucrats filled out forms in triplicate in between staring-out-the-window sessions.
