Why do free market conservatives hate the free market?

Look, I understand that consumers have responsibilities.  If you smoke, and get cancer, you really have nobody to blame but yourself.  You knew the risks, and you took them.

The same is true for fast foods.

I think Americans of all political stripes understand that.  So if you want to sue McDonald’s for "making you fat", your case will get thrown out of court, because you are an idiot trying to make money off of your stupidity about basic health care. 

In other words, the legal system will work.

So why does the Republican Congress have to step in and pass laws which shield the fast food industry and the gun manufacturers from lawsuits?  Why not let the free market play itself out?

The answer, of course, is that the lobbyists for those industries donate heavily in political campaigns, whereas there are no deep pockets in fat people and people with bullets in them.  It’s shameful.  Congress is elected by people and is supposed to protect the interests of people.  Not legal fictions like multi-billion dollar corporations.