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Environmental Working Group Should Win Annual Junk-Science Award
If there ever was a year-end, junk-science award, it should go to the Environmental Working Group — every year. Perhaps more than any group,…
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Wine and Cheese Gift Baskets: Illegal in New York State
Here’s a whole new spin to “assembly required.” It is against New York State law to ship wine and cheese in one box, basket, or…
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Can EPA Regulators “Solve” the Obesity Problem?
Your New Year resolution might involve diet and exercise but according to news sources, that might not shrink your waistline. They say man-made chemicals called…
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Alcohol Industry Infighting Leads to Wacky and Costly Regulation
If the ban on alcohol-containing energy drinks tells us anything, it’s that American alcohol policy continues its tradition of being very wacky. If you…
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Be Thankful for BPA-Lined Canned Goods this Thanksgiving
Well-meaning environmentalist Mindy Pennybacker, author of Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices, offers some sagely foolish advice…
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WHO Study on BPA: No Measurable Risks
The American Council on Science and Health has a great post on bisphenol A (BPA), noting yet another study that exonerates the chemical,…
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Non-Partisan Victory: Dallas Eliminates “Dry” Areas
Cheers to Dallas voters who supported an initiative to eliminate “dry” areas (aka areas where alcohol was completed banned) of the city, which passed with…
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Alcohol Bureaucracy Prevails in Washington State
Washington State voters rejected an initiative that would have re-organized this industry simply to make it more rational, market-based, and fairer. The initiative,…
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Washington State Ballot: Cracking Open the Wine and Spirits Market
This election day, Washington State voters will have to decide on two different ballot initiatives dealing with alcohol regulation (#1100 and #1105). The first will…
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Over-indulging Alcohol Regulators
A new study on alcohol consumption raises questions about government attempts to protect adults from “over-drinking.” It is particularly relevant as citizens debate privatization…
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Wholesale Special Interest Manipulation
Sometimes politicians say things so dumb that no one could have made them up. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the Salt Lake City…
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Hype About Lobsters and BPA: Here We Go Again!
A series of articles and blogposts now warn that the chemical Bisphenol A–used to make hard clear plastics–is wreaking havoc on lobsters in the Long…
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Bed Bugs Bite Liberals: Will They Call for DDT?
As bed bugs gnaw on liberal reporters at CNN, perhaps there is a chance some will reconsider their views of DDT. CNN offices apparently…
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Coalition Letter: Wine and Spirits Bill Affont to Consumer Choice
Today, CEI sent a letter to all members of Congress regarding H.R. 5034. This is the bill that would allow states to impose a…
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Wine in Grocery Stores, Still on the Table in New York
A proposal to allow New York State supermarkets sell wine might re-emerge this year if Governor David A. Patterson can break the state’s budgetary stalemate.
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Federal Alcohol Bill Hits a Snag
Kane’s Beverage News Daily (need subscription) reports today that a “well-placed lobbyist” in the industry informed them that hearings on HR 5034 –the…
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Outlawing Pet Sales or Outlawing Pets?
The nanny statists not only want to to take care of you, they want to make sure every hamster in the world gets fair treatment. …
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Temperance Smokescreen and HR 5034
Various parties—from distributors to retailers in states where supermarket sales are banned—claim that alcohol regulations safeguard public health and protect children by limiting…
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New York Winemakers Forced to Market Out-of-State
Scott Osborn–proprietor of Fox Run Vineyards located in the Finger Lakes wine region in New York–poured samples of his great wines at the Gainesville,…
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In Letter and Spirit: Equal Treatment Under the Law
A Washington Post blog pointed out last week that the State of Virginia is looking into privatizing its liquor stores. My recent pieces comparing…
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Growing Battle on Anti-Consumer Wine Reguations
Today, the New York Post ran my article on regulations against wine sales in grocery stores. Unfortunately, New York’s silly regulations are just…
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The Excellent Powder — DDT
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Congressional Bill Threatens Direct Shipping of Wine
This week, the National Beer Wholesalers Association members descend on Washington for their annual legislative conference and lobbying visits to Congress. High on…
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Food Safety Vote Threatens Food Safety
This week, the Senate may vote on an amendment to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act that could undermine the integrity of the U.S. food…
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Awaiting NY Supermarket Wine Sales
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Rent Seekers Keep it Phony
Why does industry sometimes (all too often) support government regulation? You would think they would prize their freedom. But think again. Many businesses are willing…
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Nanny State Prevails on Maryland Wine Laws
Legislators in Maryland have disappointed the state’s wine lovers yet again by failing to pass a bill that would have allowed residents to receive wine…
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On the Hill: Anti-Consumer Wine Shipping Regulations
You may have missed this news item, but recently the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy held hearings on alcohol regulation and the…
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Abundance at the Last Supper
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Maybe There’s Hope for Health Care Repeal
Rarely, if ever, does Congress ever undo bad legislation, which makes the future of health care look rather grim. However, there is at one positive…
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Breaking the 3-Tier Bureaucracy
This week, Fermentation blogger Tom Wark rightly laments the three tier system that states use to regulate alcohol commerce. He notes: “the three-tier…
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MD Proposed Alcohol Tax Hikes Upward of 1,000 Percent
Despite their seeming love of big government, Maryland lawmakers have done one thing worthy of praise: they have has kept state alcohol taxes relatively low.
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Dangerous Green Hysteria May Impact Food Safety
According to a story in today’s Washington Post, food and packaging companies are having a difficult time trying to find and employ alternatives to…
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Reason Prevails in Oregon
Oregon Senators this week have voted down regulations that could have led consumers to less safe, glass baby bottles. Three Democrats in the…
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Baby Bottle Politics Trumps Science at FDA
The greens are rejoicing today because the Food and Drug Administration has softened its stance on the safety of Bisphenol A, a…
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In Case You Missed it: Lone Voice of Reason at CPSC
In 2008, Congress passed Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), which regulates lead and certain chemicals in toys. Never mind the…
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Latest Victim of the State–Your Dog
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Hype is More Dangerous than Chemicals in the Water
Officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working hard to hype drinking water risks as they ask Congress to expand their authority under…
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What Nanny Doesn’t Want You to Know
Nanny state regulators got it all wrong back in 1977 when the feds placed a warning label on the sugar substitute saccharine. They said it…
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Nanny State to the Poor: No Soup for You!
As reported in the American Council and Science and Health‘s daily email, “Morning,” nanny state regulations in New York mean that there is less…
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“Toxic” Feast: Turkey with Stuffing?
Worried about chemicals in your food? Well then, you had better not eat this Thanksgiving or …ever again! Greens constantly tell us not to…
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Nanny State Beer
Nanny state regulators in the United Kingdom have been up in arms about a beer–Tokyo released by BrewDog— that dares to contain just…
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Nanny State: No End in Sight?
It’s not just bottled water. It’s not just soda taxes. It’s not just fast food. There seems to be a never-ending crusade by…
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Shipwrecking Opportunity
Earlier this week, the Financial Times ran a story about a conspiracy between governments, Italian mafia, and industrialists to illegally dump ships containing hazardous…
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Banning Bake Sales
The American Enterprise Institute held a panel discussion yesterday on food safety. They discussed congressional proposals aimed at addressing contaminants in our food,…
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Wishing for a Regulatory Monster?
Be careful what you wish for because sometimes you might not like the result. And big-government advocates should be particularly careful since government rarely meets…
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Greens’ Not so peachy Advice
Led by groups like the Environmental Working Group (EWG), environmental activists continue in their crazy crusade to fight pesticide use of any kind, even when…
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Put the Fanny State Behind
In the interest or saving trees, the legacy of Mr. Whipple (please don’t squeeze the Charmin!) could be a thing of the past.
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“No Way” to San Jose
In recent years, the San Jose City Hall has led the way in stupid environmental policies. Several years ago, they were among one of the…
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More Hot Air at Bottled Water Hearings
Dana Milbank has a great piece in the Washington Post this week about recent congressional hearings on bottled water. He notes: “The nation is…
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Minneapolis Drops $75k to Defend Stinky Tap Water
Cities around the nation are spending thousands in taxpayer dollars to promote tap water because of the alleged environmental problems with bottled water. But…
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Langer: Consumer Safety at Risk
Check out Andrew Langer’s excellent piece in today’s Roll Call addressing challenges for the potential new chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
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Danger: Reusable Grocery Bags
Writer Michael Shaw recently produced a very interesting blog post and article on reusable grocery bags. Most of us might think the only…
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Green Power Collides with Endangered Species
The greens are getting a taste of their own medicine. For years, they have used the Endangered Species Act to regulate use of private and…
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Campaign Should Highlight Value of BPA
According to the Washington Post, packaging industry representatives are looking for ways to fight off regulations of a substance used in packaging called Bisphenol…
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EWaste Recycling Bans: Wasting Opportunity
Computer giant Dell Inc. has announced that it will stop sending computers for recycling to developing nations. Green groups have been fighting to stop…
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Organic Food Waste … of Your Money
There is a great piece in Today’s Financial Times authored by Michael S. Kapinker, which is related to an issue raised in my…
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Wasteful Cleanup
What is more dangerous: Radioactive waste from a former government nuclear weapons facility or a rotting wood floor? Apparently, it’s the floor. One is hard…
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Save the Economy, Save the Environment
Whole Foods profit has fallen 32 percent, reflecting changes in consumer demand during economic hard times. It appears that organic food becomes a luxury…
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Stupid and Evil Soda Tax
Nanny statists are, apparently, equal opportunity hacks. Activists on the left and their legislative team players are not only going after the bottled water…
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Chemical Blacklist Growing
Apparently, not only are state lawmakers in Minnesota as noted earlier today blindly banning useful consumer products. International bureaucrats are working on misguided bans…
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BPA Ban: Minnesota First in a Line of Fools
Usually California’s cast of political characters leads the way in the passage of stupid and counterproductive consumer product regulations. Yet last week, legislative clowns in…
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New York State Jumps on Anti-Bottled Water Wagon
New York Gov. David A. Paterson has jumped on anti-bottled water bandwagon by issuing an executive order halting state-agency purchases of bottled water—claiming…
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Cockroaches Win
If New York regulators get their way, the only other option will be for people to hire an exterminator. So basically, if your income is…
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Bed Bugs Bite
Don’t let the bed bugs bite was always a frightening thought when I was a kid. But today, it’s even scarier since bed bugs are…
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Enviro-Scare Artists
According to a new report released by enviro-scare artists at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, most food packaging still contains the chemical Bisphenol…
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More Green Tape
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson states in a press release today: “People have a right to information that might affect their health and the health…
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Regulated Out of Work
CEI has highlighted the fact that poorly drafted drinking water regulations do more harm than good. In particular, the that greatly increased the stringency…
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Enough Water?
Cheers to Bill Nemitz for his very insightful piece “Enough Water: Let’s Figure it Out” in the Portland Press Herald. He showed that…
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Reverse Tea Party to Reverse Freedom?
This says it all: Green groups held a “reverse tea party” by dumping bottled water (minus the bottles of course) into the Boston Harbor.
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Bottled Water Hypocrisy
Apparently, Mayor Newsom–one of the first lawmakers to condemn bottled water and bar government agencies from buying it–has a separate standard for himself! A partially…
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Bottled Water “Myth Buster” Ill Informed
A piece in the LA Examiner online shows how incredibly misinformed the bottled water debate has become. The report is called “A Few Facts…
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OJ Bigger Villian than Fiji Water!
Environmentalist activists must certainly mean well. But, at times, some are so silly that all you can do is laugh. Consider a recent Tree…
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Bottled Water Helps Wildlife Too!
We know that bottled water is helpful to humans during a natural disaster, but did you know it’s an aid to wildlife? Today’s Washington Express…
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Tree Hugger Ads for Bottled Water?
You gotta love it. I searched the greenie website Tree Hugger today for the term “bottled water.” Guess what came up on the top of…
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What’s Stupid about Bottled Water?
Politicians, greens, and other alleged do-gooders keep saying that if you like bottled water, you must be stupid maybe even reckless! Chicago has even imposed a…
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Sunstein Nomination
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Obama Enjoys Bottled Water
According to news reports, the Obama family was welcomed into their temporary home at the Hay-Adams Hotel with a complementary supply of Fiji bottled water.
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Trashing Taxpayers
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Water for the Homeless
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Student Eye Opener
Cheers to Dewey Crowley for his eye-opening article in the Bowdoin College paper The Bowdoin Orient. His piece on bottled water should be…
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Is Beer Next?
In my prior post on bottled water bans on campus I asked: If greens can get water banned, what next? Students over 21…
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Academic Nanny State
Both universities and elementary schools are going after bottled water, as if that were the greatest threat facing students today! At the grade and…
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Pure Hype about Bottled Water
The company producing Pur Filters is touting the fact that its filters can remove trace pharmaceuticals and even some (but they don’t guarantee it…
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Green Spin and Bottled Water
Americans are well aware of the power of political “spin” during election years. But political spin is nothing compared to “green spin,” perpetrated by environmental…
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Bloomberg’s Assault on Wild Birds
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Bottled Water–Not the Same as Tap
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The Importance of Bottled Water
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“Green” Agenda?
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“Right-to-Know or Right-to-Confuse?
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We Told You So
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Big Surprise: Political Agencies are Political
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No Need to Fear Plastics
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Green Limousine Liberals
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Bureaucracy Waivers
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Don’t Take Away My Bottled Water!
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Careful What You Wish For
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Another Reason to Drink Bottled Water
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Green Polluters
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