…and ought/ought not to do.
I think one can fairly infer Jerry Pournelle’s view of the place of the “feddle gummint” (my term, not his) in our lives by this reference to the FDA,
“My own view is that government should enforce truth in advertising, and if someone says his product is snake oil and most people think it’s worthless, but there are some who believe it can revive the dead, the FDA should insist that the stuff is actually made with oil squeezed out of snakes and otherwise get out of the way. I understand that mine is not the most popular view and is unlikely to be adopted.”
I could live with such a fedgov…