Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Pine Island is a city in Goodhue and Olmsted counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census. Most of Pine Island is in Goodhue County, but a small part extends into Olmsted County. The community has a strong agricultural base, but has been transitioning over time into a bedroom community for nearby Rochester which employs many local residents. The small town was temporarily thrown into the national spotlight in 2002 for having been the home town of the Midwest pipe bomber Luke Helder.