Campaign Finance, Alcohol Regulation and Underage Senior Citizens
1. CONGRESS
Senate Democrats lose a key vote on the DISCLOSE Act, a bill to regulate campaign finance spending.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Journalism Fellow Ryan Young on how this is good news for the 1st Amendment.
“The primary effect of campaign finance regulation is to stack the rules of the game in favor of incumbents. Both parties know this. And both parties will seek to use campaign finance regulation to their advantage however they can.”
2. LEGAL
Congress is considering a bill that would allow states to impose all sorts of new regulations on alcohol purchases and distribution.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Risk and Environmental Policy Angela Logomasini on the motives of the bill’s backers.
“The bill is largely supported by wholesalers of beer, wine and spirits who seek to protect the ‘three-tier system’ in which they serve as middlemen between breweries, wineries, and distilleries and retailers. Wholesalers fear that if states continue to allow direct-to-consumer sales, they might eventually allow retailers to buy direct as well, reducing wholesaler profits. While wholesalers play an important role in the distribution process, they should have to compete like everyone else for their place in the market rather than gain it by regulatory fiat.”
3. NANNY STATE
Sixty-six year old Bob Russ is denied entry to a beer festival because he couldn’t prove that he was over 21 years old.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Journalism Fellow Ryan Young on Regulation of the Day 144: Underage Senior Citizens.
“The goal of photo ID laws is to prevent underage drinking. Keeping 66-year old men out of festivals for lack of valid photo ID does not prevent underage drinking. If anything, it wastes resources that could otherwise be spent stopping underage drinking.”