And now from the great state of North Carolina I give you Thom Tillis

[AthenaAwakened]

During a Q&A at the Bipartisan Policy Center on Monday, Tillis related a story from his time in the state legislature in 2010, complaining that the U.S. is "one of the most regulated nations in the history of the planet," video via C-SPAN shows.

“I was having a 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,'" the senator said.

Tillis said his interlocutor was in disbelief, and asked whether he thought businesses should be allowed to "opt out" of requiring employees to wash their hands after using the restroom.

The senator said he'd be fine with it, so long as businesses made this clear in "advertising" and "employment literature."

GOP Senator: Don't Force Employees To Wash Their Hands After Using Toilet

As a favor to the general welfare, do not shake hands with this man.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Starbucks: Our employees do not wash their hands because of freedom.

 

[dismal]

As a thought experiment, how many businesses do you imagine would post a sign advertising they do not require employees to wash hands if they were given the option to do so?

As a second thought experiment, how effective are these signs at actually getting employees to wash their hands?

 

[Nice Squirrel]

As a thought experiment, how many businesses do you imagine would post a sign advertising they do not require employees to wash hands if they were given the option to do so?

As a second thought experiment, how effective are these signs at actually getting employees to wash their hands?

Therefore employees should not wash their hands.

 

[dismal]

As a thought experiment, how many businesses do you imagine would post a sign advertising they do not require employees to wash hands if they were given the option to do so?

As a second thought experiment, how effective are these signs at actually getting employees to wash their hands?

Therefore employees should not wash their hands.

Request for thought denied.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

If the regulation is you don't have to wash your hands if you advertise that you don't have to wash your hands, isn't that still a regulation?

 

[dismal]

If the regulation is you don't have to wash your hands if you advertise that you don't have to wash your hands, isn't that still a regulation?

Yes.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

If the regulation is you don't have to wash your hands if you advertise that you don't have to wash your hands, isn't that still a regulation?

Yes.

So what was the point of Tillis' tirade?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Yes.

So what was the point of Tillis' tirade?

That he's an idiot.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Was Obama caught on camera washing his hands or something? This seems like an odd thing to have a tirade about.

 

[SimpleDon]

It is the result of an absurd philosophy colliding with reality.

 

[thebeave]

Maybe gubmint could meet the restaurants halfway on this. If you pee, you shouldn't be required to wash your hands, as pee is largely sterile and harmless. After a dump, you most definitely should. Lots of nasty things can happen from that. Jerry Seinfeld got this right:

 

[dismal]

Maybe gubmint could meet the restaurants halfway on this.

They already are halfway. People generally ignore the signs. The only thing that really works is having someone else watching.

If the government was serious about people washing hands it would put a government agent in every bathroom.

 

[Bronzeage]

If the regulation is you don't have to wash your hands if you advertise that you don't have to wash your hands, isn't that still a regulation?

A very old joke which is quite on topic:

A man goes into a restaurant and see a sign which reads, "Welcome the the world's cleanest restaurant".
The waiter explains all the special sanitary procedures they follow, "Your table and chair are wiped with antibacterial cleaner before you sit down. The waiters take a plate from the sanitizer and set each plate with a spoon he carries at all time, so his hands never touch the food. These rules are very thorough. At the beginning of each shift, we tie a ribbon around our penis, so we don't touch ourselves when urinating."
The man thinks about this for a moment asks, "How do you get it back in your pants?"
"I don't know about the other guys, but I use my spoon."

 

[thebeave]

Maybe gubmint could meet the restaurants halfway on this.

They already are halfway. People generally ignore the signs. The only thing that really works is having someone else watching.

If the government was serious about people washing hands it would put a government agent in every bathroom.

That's a good point. How is this law about washing your hands enforced? Perhaps we need a spy cam in the bathroom connected to a video screen in the back room, where a full time employee verifies the hands were washed. Or someone stands by the door and inspects employee hands for dampness as they leave the bathroom.

Of course, shame always work. Maybe this Far Side comic should no longer be just a joke!

 

[dismal]

They already are halfway. People generally ignore the signs. The only thing that really works is having someone else watching.

If the government was serious about people washing hands it would put a government agent in every bathroom.

That's a good point. How is this law about washing your hands enforced? Perhaps we need a spy cam in the bathroom connected to a video screen in the back room, where a full time employee verifies the hands were washed. Or someone stands by the door and inspects employee hands for dampness as they leave the bathroom.

I considered a full time employee, but I think people here would generally agree it would be better if it were a government agent. Some things you can't leave to the private sector.

 

[Bronzeage]

That's a good point. How is this law about washing your hands enforced? Perhaps we need a spy cam in the bathroom connected to a video screen in the back room, where a full time employee verifies the hands were washed. Or someone stands by the door and inspects employee hands for dampness as they leave the bathroom.

I considered a full time employee, but I think people here would generally agree it would be better if it were a government agent. Some things you can't leave to the private sector.

Bathroom monitor is the type of job for which there would be many volunteers.

 

[Rhea]

As a thought experiment, how many businesses do you imagine would post a sign advertising they do not require employees to wash hands if they were given the option to do so?

As a second thought experiment, how effective are these signs at actually getting employees to wash their hands?

I think the signs actually help. I don't suppose they create 100% compliance, but I think they increase the odds appreciably.

 

[Rhea]

During a Q&A at the Bipartisan Policy Center on Monday, Tillis related a story from his time in the state legislature in 2010, complaining that the U.S. is "one of the most regulated nations in the history of the planet," video via C-SPAN shows.

“I was having a 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,'" the senator said.

Tillis said his interlocutor was in disbelief, and asked whether he thought businesses should be allowed to "opt out" of requiring employees to wash their hands after using the restroom.

The senator said he'd be fine with it, so long as businesses made this clear in "advertising" and "employment literature."

GOP Senator: Don't Force Employees To Wash Their Hands After Using Toilet

As a favor to the general welfare, do not shake hands with this man.

And what do they call that thing when a mole infiltrates to opposite camp to create a spectacle making the case for the opposition? Are we sure this guy isn't doing that?

 

[Keith&Co.]

Maybe gubmint could meet the restaurants halfway on this. If you pee, you shouldn't be required to wash your hands, as pee is largely sterile and harmless.

But the problem is that flushing toilets tend to aerosolize their contents. So there's a tiny layer of shit on every surface in the bathroom. Touching anything in there, including the handle of the door to exit, will deposit some fecal matter.