Tag Archives: Regulation of the Day

Strange Laws in Alabama

Posted on February 11, 2010 | Comments Off on Strange Laws in Alabama

Jacob Grier has a Regulation of the Day of his own about some bizarre beer laws in Alabama. Take a look.

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Regulation of the Day 113: Throwing Snowballs

Posted on February 9, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 113: Throwing Snowballs

Two students at James Madison University in Virginia were charged with felonies for throwing snowballs at a snowplow and an unmarked police car. This is illegal in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Talk about an over-reaction. Arrested and jailed. For throwing snowballs.

While being a jerk isn’t a crime, there is some safety risk when moving vehicles are involved. But this really seems like the kind of incident that is better settled with a talking-to instead of a jail cell.

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Regulation of the Day 111: Buying Wine in New York

Posted on February 6, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 111: Buying Wine in New York

It is illegal for grocery stores to sell wine in the state of New York. Only liquor stores are allowed to sell the stuff.

This regulation, a relic of Prohibition, lives on because of one of the central concepts in public choice theory: diffused costs and concentrated benefits.

The benefits are concentrated in one constituency: liquor stores. Regulations give them get millions of dollars in free business. That means they have millions of reasons to lobby to keep the status quo.

Consumers, on the other hand, are hurt by the ban by the exact amount that liquor stores benefit. But that hurt is spread far and wide. No one consumer feels enough pain to hire a high-priced lobbyist to open up the market.

That means New York’s misguided restrictions on competition are likely to continue for some time. It’s hard to imagine an aggrieved shopper suing New York’s wine cartel because she has to make an extra trip to get the wine on her grocery list. Or because she pays a bit more than if she lived in a different state.

(Hat tip: Jonathan Moore)

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Regulation of the Day 109: Unplanned Castles

Posted on February 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 109: Unplanned Castles

Robert Fidler is a farmer in Salfords, England. In 2002, he built his family a house that resembles a castle. It is his dream home. Authorities want to require him to demolish it.

“This was a blatant attempt at deception to circumvent the planning process,” [chief planner Mike Miller] said, adding that Fidler now has one year to destroy the castle, remove the ruins and return the property to its original state.

Britain’s High Court agreed with Mr. Miller in a recent decision. Mr. Fidler is appealing.

It is unclear what harm Mr. Fidler’s castle home is causing to anybody. Perhaps the lawsuit is part of a make-work program for the demolition industry?

(Hat tip: Brian McGraw)

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Regulation of the Day 107: Blowing Your Nose While Driving

Posted on January 29, 2010 | 1 comment

Michael Mancini was fined for blowing his nose while driving in London. Authorities claim he violated a law requiring him to be in control of his vehicle at all times. Sometimes legislating common sense doesn’t work as well as planned.

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Posted in Nanny State, Regulation of the Day

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Regulation of the Day 106: Clotheslines

Posted on January 27, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 106: Clotheslines

Some homeowners’ associations ban clotheslines. For people who would like to use clotheslines and aren’t allowed to, this presents a problem. Luckily, there are three solutions:

  1. Convince the homeowners’ association that their ban is unreasonable. Get it repealed. Or compromise. Maybe restrict clotheslines to backyards so they stay out of sight.
  2. Move somewhere else. Clotheslines are allowed in most places.
  3. Get regulators involved. Pass a law overriding any homeowners’ association clothesline bans.

Guess which option is being considered in Massachusetts? Hint: it’s not either of the first two.

(Hat tip: Amanda France)

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Regulation of the Day 105: Not Driving Your Car

Posted on January 26, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 105: Not Driving Your Car

John Delacey of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, received a court summons for keeping a car in his driveway and not driving it.

The car, which he bought for his daughter, needs new brakes. He claims it is otherwise in good condition, and not an eyesore. Delacey had been saving up money for the repair.

Here’s the really shameful part:

“City property inspectors became involved when someone in the neighbourhood complained about the car.”

It would have been considerate of the offended neighbor to talk to Mr. Delacey first. Maybe they could have come to a compromise (economist Ronald Coase‘s preferred solution). Instead, he went right to the authorities.

Take a look at some other St. John’s by-laws here.

(Hat tip to Jonathan Moore)

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Regulation of the Day 103: When Products Are on Sale

Posted on January 22, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 103: When Products Are on Sale

Two states have regulations for when stores can say their products are on sale. The Boston Globe editorializes:

This is a perfect example of a problem that the market can sort out on its own. If there’s one thing 21st century shoppers don’t lack, it’s information. The task of determining whether a “sale’’ is really a sale is best left to comparison-shopping consumers, not the authorities. And given the popularity of websites dedicated to nothing but price-watching and -comparing, doing so is easier than it has ever been. If a store offers an obviously phony promotion, it will be duly punished by its customers. The state needn’t pile on.

(Hat tip to Jonathan Moore)

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Regulation of the Day 101: Brushing Teeth After Meals

Posted on January 20, 2010 | 1 comment

This one comes from Massachusetts:

[A]ny child who has a meal in day care or is in care for more than four hours will be required to brush their teeth, according to the Department of Early Education and Care.

Regulators, perhaps recognizing the rule’s almost literal paternalism, are allowing parents to opt out if they wish.

I’m researching right now to see if day care providers are required by law to make sure the children in their charge eat their vegetables.

(Hat tip: Fran Smith)

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Regulation of the Day 99: Salty New Yorkers

Posted on January 12, 2010 | 3 comments

New York City is seeking to regulate how much salt is in peoples’ food.

Enforcement will prove difficult; most food that New Yorkers eat comes from outside the city’s jurisdiction. But the goal is to cut average salt intake by 25 percent.

Mayor Bloomberg can probably put a sizable dent in the city’s per capita salt intake all by himself. According to The New York Times, “He dumps salt on almost everything, even saltine crackers. He devours burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. He has a weakness for hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and fried chicken, washing them down with a glass of merlot.”

The mayor also “likes his popcorn so salty that it burns others’ lips.”

There is a lesson to be learned here. People like salt. That’s why they eat so much of it. Suppose some of that salt is cut out of pre-packaged or processed foods. Anyone who wants to can just dump some on from a salt shaker to make up for it. This regulation is completely unenforceable.

There is also something to be said for practicing what one preaches.

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