We have become so regulated, and government has become so much a tool of particular businesses over others, that in Louisiana monks of Saint Joseph Abbey cannot even build and sell caskets for those who would prefer a simple casket. Fortunately, the Institute for Justice is prepared to defend the right of a monastery to…
Laws/Regulations
Laws/Regulations, Taxes/Taxation
Applying So-Called Sin Taxes Sensibly
by JOHN ADAMS •
In a recent column at Bloomberg, Amity Shlaes writes that not all sin taxes, taxes on supposedly harmful behaviors, are applied to best revenue-generating effect. Shlaes is author of the excellent The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression. She finds that Franklin Roosevelt understood the best way to implement a ‘sin’ tax…
Laws/Regulations
Apology in Oregon After County Inspectors Shut Down Child’s Lemonade Stand
by JOHN ADAMS •
It was right for the county’s executive to apologize afterward, but telling that two county inspectors lacked the normal understanding to refrain from shutting the stand down. Here they are: Petty, small-minded, and contemptous of the culture in which they live. Alternatively, they don’t have the capacity required for exercise of simple authority. Apology in…
Laws/Regulations
Author David Gumpert on Raw Milk Consumption
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve posted occasionally about raw milk, and the inability of adult consumers to drink natural, unpasteurized milk even in a dairy state like Wisconsin. There’s a story at the Walworth County Gazette‘s online edition about an interview with David Gumpert, who’s written about raw milk. See, Author: More research needed on health risks of raw…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Police
Reason.tv: Five Ways the Drug War Hurts Kids: A Conversation with Neill Franklin of LEAP
by JOHN ADAMS •
Laws/Regulations
Reason‘s Nanny of the Month for July 2010: San Fran Soda Banner Mayor Newsom
by JOHN ADAMS •
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Raw Milk: The Wonder Tonic?
by JOHN ADAMS •
I don’t know if raw milk’s a wonder tonic, but people in a dairy state should be able to buy it and enjoy natural, unpasteurized milk. A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison examined the reasons people want to drink raw milk, and the backgrounds of those who want to drink it: New research at…
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Tonight on Stossel: Sex and the Law (8 p.m. Central)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
LA Times: Food Raid Raises Questions Over Existing Milk Laws…and the Safety of Potlucks
by JOHN ADAMS •
The battle over the right to drink natural, unpasteurized milk is a national one, as a story in the Los Angeles Times confirms. If government can ban raw milk because of the supposed danger, why wouldn’t it ban the uncertain practice of potluck dinners at schools, churches, and workplaces? I wouldn’t support a ban on…
Law, Laws/Regulations
“You’ll Follow This Law, and You’ll Like It. And Don’t Roll Your Eyes at Me, Young Lady” – Hit & Run : Reason Magazine
by JOHN ADAMS •
A community wants to impose a penalty for eye rolling at a meeting. An American community. More absurd still, they’ve asked their city attorney to research the matter. Among the books they’ve asked him to consult is Roberts Rules of Order. It’s a venerable guide, but imagine someone so clueless that he’d use it as…
Laws/Regulations, Politics
FoodConsumer.org: “The Despicable Reason Behind Raw Milk Bans”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Why is raw milk banned even in Amerca’s Dairyland? Over at Food Consumer, there’s a story that reveals The Despicable Reason Behind Raw Milk Bans. From the comments to the post, here’s a nice summary of what lies beneath the war against natural, unpasteurized milk: The FDA and CDC have been particularly aggressive recently in…
Laws/Regulations
Regulate Google’s Search Algorithm?
by JOHN ADAMS •
In an editorial, the New York Times recently called for regulation of Google’s search results. See, The Google Algorithm. Ryan Singel of Wired reponds, noting that the Times Case for Gov Regulation of Google Search Is Weak. Singel lists several reasons that the NYT suggestion is wrong-headed, and observes that While the secret [Google algorithm]…
Laws/Regulations
EPA’s Rulemaking Matters! Contest: Still Waiting for the Big Winner
by JOHN ADAMS •
In May and June, I posted about an EPA video contest called “Rulemaking Matters!” in which contestants could send in videos explaining why federal regulations are important. The libertarians at Reason.tv submitted their own videos, explaining how burdensome federal regulations were, and now bureaucrats typically care little about ordinary Americans. See Reason.tv: Federal Regulations and…
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Advocates Say Raw Milk Is Worth The Risk : NPR
by JOHN ADAMS •
We’re a dairy state that calls itself America’s Dairyland while banning sales of natural, unpasteurized milk to adults. This ban, and ones like it across America, are harder to justify each day. See, Advocates Say Raw Milk Is Worth The Risk: NPR. Even an critic of raw milk consumption, like FDA bureaucrat David Acheson would…