I probably am being too straightforward in my analysis of the text, but....
I think it's great that we have the FTC because it seems to be pretty helpful in ensuring that consumers as well as competitive companies are treated fairly. And it's a source of revenue in certain ways with all the lawsuits it has won! Finally, something that may help fight the enormous debt our country is in! Unless it's spending more than it receives from lawsuits. hm....more on that later. Not that that's the only think we should be concerned about or the only reason to support the agency.
"As originally conceived, the FTC was not supposed to worry about the impact of advertising on consumers, only competitors" (564).
That statement surprised me because I am under the impression (which is arguably false) that the government is supposed to help the consumers. So there must be a reason that the organization did not start out with that additional purpose in mind. Right?
Not so surprisingly, I found a relevant blog post which was also interesting.
http://www.underpenaltyofcatapult.com/?p=80
I will attempt to read more of this blogger's work in the future. If I remember and have time.Here is a link to the case if you are really interested (it is quite lengthy). http://www.ftc.gov/os/adjpro/d9330/091002gemtronicsinitialdec.pdf
