I've been saying for years that anyone who takes government nutrition assistance, as with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), should be limited as to what they can purchase with said assistance - no cookies, no candy, no pop, no Kool-Aid, no prepared or frozen foods.

It's a common shibboleth among the left when any discussion of subsidized food being so restricted comes up, that "You can't tell people what they can and can't eat," to which the obvious reply is "If I'm paying for it, I sure as hell can." But in Florida, a new law will prevent people who are spending their own money from making certain choices. It's very seldom I have the reason to say this, but: Ron DeSantis is wrong on this one.

“Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said in a press release Wednesday. “Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.”

The bill, S.B. 1084, makes it “unlawful” for people to “manufacture for sale, sell, hold or offer for sale, or distribute” lab-grown meat in Florida. 

“Florida is taking a tremendous step in the right direction by signing first-in-the-nation legislation banning lab-grown meat,” Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson (R) said in the press release. 

It's hard to see a reason for this law. Is there some health reason? Is there any evidence that lab-grown meat is dangerous? I'm not saying I'd eat it - I wouldn't touch it myself, but there are lots of things I wouldn't do. But is there some compelling reason for the government of the state of Florida to restrict their residents' choices on this matter?

One of the reasons given was protecting Florida agriculture:

“We must protect our incredible farmers and the integrity of American agriculture. Lab-grown meat is a disgraceful attempt to undermine our proud traditions and prosperity, and is in direct opposition to authentic agriculture,” Simpson continued.

That's an argument that appeals to a lot of people; there's no doubt about it. But in any other matter, with any other product, conservatives and libertarians alike would bridle at the idea of government picking winners and losers in the marketplace, instead of letting consumers make their own choices.

Ron DeSantis is a strong Republican and conservative up-and-comer. I fully expect him to be President one day, and expect he'll be a good one. But were I in his cowboy boots, I wouldn't have signed this into law.

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Republicans, conservatives, and libertarians are supposed to be pro-liberty, aren't they? Aren't we? Isn't a primary argument for minimal, strictly limited government supposed to be trusting the citizenry to make their own choices, in where to live, what to own, how to work, and what they eat? Isn't it a primary principle of limited government to leave people alone, to let them live their own lives, and manage their own affairs, without the government (at any level) stepping in and deciding what is and isn't in our best interests?

Markets are complicated. They're often messy. But if the government stays out of the way, markets usually get things right in the end. Florida and Ron DeSantis need to be reminded of this.