Absurd NYS Laws

[Steve Clarkson]

This is a little OT....but I thought it would be of interest:

This happened in Henrietta, New York today:

If you've ever bought a bottle of wine as a gift, the easiest way to present the wine would be in a simple wine gift bag.
You'd think the two things go together, but it turns out that the state of New York prohibits wine stores from selling wine gift bags. A liquor store in the Rochester area has been fined $10,000 for selling the bags.
No one seems to understand what the law entails, but it’s clear the state will enforce it.
At liquor stores in NY you can buy wine, wine glasses, wine stoppers and corkscrews -- but state law says they can’t sell gift bags to put their wine in.
Now the state doesn't care if wine stores give wine gift bags away, but the moment they try to sell them, it constitutes -- according to the State Liquor Authority -- running a second business, worthy of a $10,000 fine.
In the meantime, it might not make sense to you, but you'll have to buy your wine in one place -- and your wine gift bags in another.



I wonder if that includes wineboxes too?

[Steve Clarkson]

Oh.....and don't forget the absurb US laws such as:

You may remember Congress passing a law last summer requiring third-party testing and certification for all toys. The idea was to stop the sale of Chinese-made toys with high levels of lead.
The rules aren't a problem for big companies, but they are for the little guy.
That's why other home-based toy makers think the new law is over-reaching:
Everything has to be tested, including the wood you use and the finishes you put on, and if you put more than one finish on, they have to be tested individually.
How about wooden boxes- under the law, are they toys?
If a 12-year-old buys one of my wooden boxes, am I in violation of the law?
Congress will likely take another look at the new law once it takes effect on February 10, possibly making exceptions for the smaller, home-based woodworkers.

[scott spencer]

Probably brought about by the same brilliant minds that brought us the mortgage tax, which slaps a fee on those of us who can't afford to pay cash for our houses! :eek::mad::(