What Is Consumer Freedom?  This guest post was contributed by
Lawrence B. Glickman, who teaches history at the University of
South Carolina. He put the fight for the Consumer Financial
Protection Agency in historical perspective in his previous post
on this blog.  A recent ad taken out by the “The Center for
Consumer Freedom” marks the latest assault by business lobbyists
and conservatives on the idea of consumer protection.  This
organization’s motto — Promoting Personal Freedom and Protecting
Consumer Choice — defines consumer freedom as “the right of
adults and parents to choose how they live their lives, what
they eat and drink, how they manage their finances, and how they
enjoy themselves.”  Like other critics of consumer protection,
this organization (“supported by over 100 companies,” according
to its website) speaks in the name of freedom and depicts
consumer protection as an assault not only on the liberty but on
the intelligence of ordinary people. The ad begins with the
following rhetorical questio