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.
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota, the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. Its population was 55,532 at the 2000 census. Its metropolitan population was 94,719 in 2000, but was estimated in 2008 to have grown to 104,944. Bismarck was founded in 1872 and has been North Dakota's capital since it gained statehood in 1889. Bismarck is situated on the east bank of the Missouri River, directly across the river from Mandan. The two cities make up the core of the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Statistical Area The North Dakota State Capitol, the tallest building in the state, towers over the central part of Bismarck. The state government employs many people in the city. As a hub of manufacturing, retail, and health care, Bismarck is the economic center of a large portion of south-central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota.