The DEA has immense power, and it seems they are answerable to no one. Take the case in this video for example. An elderly couple, fans of mountain climbing and backpacking, decided to make a simple product for fellow climbers to occupy their time in their twilight years. Little did they know that their simple product would out them in the crosshairs of the DEA.

Bob Wallace and Marjorie Ottenberg – 88 and 85 years old respectively – make Polar Pure, a water purification product for backpackers. It seems the key ingredient in their product is iodine crystals, a key component for making crystal meth. Hence their targeting by the DEA, since iodine is now a controlled substance.

A DEA spokesperson said the couple were “collateral damage,” meaning we need to stop meth heads from hurting themselves and if that destroys your business in the process, too bad. Many retailers pulled Polar Pure from their shelves rather than deal with new regulations and red tape foisted on them by the DEA, crippling this couple’s business.

People still wonder what happened to the U.S. economy and why it’s having such trouble rebounding. The cause is in stories like this every day.

- Joe Klare