Reason TV’s Nanny of the Month: November 2009

Smoking, fast food, giant inflatable blue gorillas-no matter what it is, chances are some nanny wants to ban it. And this past month was no exception.

Reason.tv’s October 2009 Nanny of The Month Award went to New York State Sen. Jeff Klein for his efforts to rid the Empire State of fish pedicures.

Who is the Nanny of the Month for November 2009?

The runners up include the California Energy Commission for banning big-screen TVs unless they conform to stringent new energy standards and the Food and Drug Administration, which is waging war against caffeinated booze drinks.

But only one can be Nanny of the Month, and this time it’s …

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Tags: caffeinated alcohol drinks, California Energy Commission, fish pedicures, Food and Drug Administration, government busybody
Posted Nov 30th 2009 at 9:41 am in Culture, Politics, State Politics | 3852267 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/ngillespie/2009/11/30/reason-tvs-nanny-of-the-month-november-2009/Reason+TV%27s+Nanny+of+the+Month%3A+November+20092009-11-30+16%3A41%3A17Nick+Gillespie

Buzz Kill: The FDA Wants to Regulate How You Party.

Many remember a creation, or rather concoction of The Drew Carey Show, Buzz Beer. The delightfully titled beverage was a mix of coffee and a presumably dark beer… stout perhaps. Buzz Beer almost became a character of its own, as it evolved into an ongoing enterprise, run out of Drew’s garage. If the show were still on the air, writers would be charged with the task of writing-in new federal regulations, regarding Drew’s side-business. Why? Because although fictional, Buzz Beer will soon be outlawed. While this would provide an interesting plot development for a sitcom, it will inevitably cause a slew of problems in real life. Go figure.

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration notified 27 manufacturers of so-called “alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs),” that they have 30 days to prove the safety of such drinks. If the listed manufacturers fail to comply, or fail to prove the safety of their products, they will be forced to discontinue them. Many companies, such as Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, and Diageo have already stopped the sale and production of similar products, in anticipation of the FDA crackdown. Needless to say, in the midst of a recession this is not ideal.

Probes into the safety of AEDs were conducted by a task force, comprised of 18 State Attorneys General and one city attorney. The task force is called the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Youth Access to Alcohol Committee… doesn’t that have a nice bureaucratic ring to it?

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Tags: alcoholic energy drinks, buzz beer, drew carey show, Food and Drug Administration, national association of attorneys general
Posted Nov 17th 2009 at 7:07 am in Culture, Justice/Legal, News | 3185424 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/jtempleton/2009/11/17/buzz-kill-the-fda-wants-to-regulate-how-you-party/Buzz+Kill%3A+The+FDA+Wants+to+Regulate+How+You+Party.+2009-11-17+14%3A07%3A25Joe+Templeton

Another Gem From a 2,000 Page Bill: ‘Botox Carve-Out’ Survives in PelosiCare Bill

A provision within Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s health care measure passed by the House the other week rehashes a months-old intramural battle between powerful Democrats over how biologic drugs will face competition from generic drug manufacturers.

While the House bill provides a brand drug maker-backed 12 years of monopoly data protection for these next generation therapies, one component of the bill, buried on page 1,534, beginning on line 15 under the heading, “Restrictions on biological products containing dangerous ingredients,” might raise more than eyebrows.

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Tags: botox, Food and Drug Administration, generic drugs, government carve out, government mandates
Posted Nov 13th 2009 at 2:41 pm in Congress, Healthcare, Politics | 3069868 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/publius/2009/11/13/another-gem-from-a-2000-page-bill-botox-carve-out-survives-in-pelosicare-bill/Another+Gem+From+a+2%2C000+Page+Bill%3A+%27Botox+Carve-Out%27+Survives+in+PelosiCare+Bill2009-11-13+21%3A41%3A31Publius

The Pork Report: October 14, 2009

Taxpayers foot the bill for office items lost or stolen by members of Congress

Half-a-million dollar NSF stimulus grant pays to search for alternatives to Facebook

Stimulus funds pay to create an online database of bugs

Stimulus funds to pay for talking buses in Ohio; Human voices to replace beeping sounds that alert pedestrians of approaching buses

Congressmen successfully pressure the Food and Drug Administration to approve medical device manufactured by campaign contributor

Spending bills stalled by decision of Appropriations Committees to withhold government reports from the public and other members of Congress

Political ‘scientists’ lobby to keep millions of dollars in federal science grants

Congress will spend more than $100 million to put sand on beaches

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Tags: Appropriations Committee, bug database, Earmarks, Facebook, Food and Drug Administration
Posted Oct 14th 2009 at 3:00 pm in Congress, News, Politics | 1651027 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/porkreport/2009/10/14/the-pork-report-october-14-2009/The+Pork+Report%3A+October+14%2C+20092009-10-14+22%3A00%3A30The+Pork+Report