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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…