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.
Ribera is a small unincorporated community in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Located in the northern part of the state, it is next to Villanueva State Park at the foot of Rowe Mesa and along the Pecos River, 50 mi. southeast of Santa Fe. The town is divided by Interstate 25 and Route 3, which was along the original Route 66, and a great deal of evidence from the famous motor-tourist route still remains in the form of old rusted cars, and long abandoned structures. The area is home to many artists and ranchers. The town has one gas station and general store called Sunshine Station. The town has one restaurant that is a well known landmark throughout the surrounding area named La Risa Cafe (formerly known as the Sad Cafe); the hours of operation are sporadic. Ribera is home to two well known contemporary artists: Nicasio Romero (who founded the local El Ancon Sculpture Park) and the one named Cooper (who relocated from the east coast and has started a free artist residency program known as DarkRanch). East of Ribera is the site of the Imus Ranch, a non-profit organization that helps children of all ages afflicted with cancer. The former MSNBC program Imus in the Morning regularly broadcast from the Imus Ranch. South of Ribera is San Miguel, an even smaller unincorporated community and a former stop on the Santa Fe Trail. West of Ribera is the Glorieta Mesa portion of the Santa Fe National Forest.