The state of Maine has a current year budget deficit of several hundred million dollars and that's expected to get much worse in the next year or two. The state is in the middle of a deep recession, there's rampant unemployment, there's a healthcare crisis, a real estate crisis, a foreclosure crisis, and the monopoly that supplies land line phone service in the state is in Chapter 11. Maine legislators, entrusted to work on these and other compelling problems, have jumped into the breech by passing a sweeping law against allowing children to view adults consuming alcohol. In fact it's so sweeping, the new law will have to be amended because, well, ummm, yes, I guess we all agree it's probably alright for the poor helpless children to see wine tastings in supermarkets after all.
A special shout-out, and nomination for the Nero award for "cluelessness that verges on criminal negligence" goes to Rep. David Webster of Freeport who drafted the original law, and who is now scrambling to amend the law so it will allow said wine-tastings. I am reminded of the legislation, passed just last year in Maine, which protects children under 16 from the nefarious effects of their parents smoking in a car. If you're transporting drugs or weapons or illegal aliens or under age sex slaves in your car you're protected by due process, but if you smoke with kids in the car, or don't fasten your seat belt, forget the search warrants! Please could someone bring a clue-stick to Augusta to try and get our representatives to remember why they're there in the first place? This is terribly depressing.
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