FEDS: If the shoe fits …

Having just finished Bill Buley’s article on shoes, I am left somewhat confused. Is his piece meant to be serious, tongue-in-cheek or a little of both? I wonder if, ever again, we as consumers will be left to our own good judgment, as to what products to buy, or why we would buy them. It’s amazing to me how we got by so many years without federal agencies, such as the Consumer Protection branch of the FTC. It would be better if more consumers just followed the old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.”

It’s sad that all the FTC has to do is threaten to sue a manufacturer and they agree to settle out of court. Businesses do the math, and find that a lawsuit will stretch out for years, thereby making it less costly to cave in and settle. Seems like a travesty of justice to me when a business can’t even afford to plead its case. Granted manufacturers have stretched the truth in their advertising for many years, but I still believe that the majority of American buyers are smart enough to decide what products to buy, and those who are so gullible as to buy the hogwash probably deserve what they get. Case in point, those consumers who believe wearing a pair of shoes will eventually make you look like a fashion model… ain’t gonna happen.

WALTER PORTER

Rathdrum