From Legal News Line:

A new study focusing on what one organization feels is an abuse of power was released Wednesday, naming the 10 worst state attorneys general in recent history.

Hans Bader, Counsel for Special Projects at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, wrote the report, which names Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal as the worst.

“The nation’s worst state attorney general is Richard Blumenthal, a tireless crusader for growing the power of his own office and spreading largesse to his cronies,” Bader wrote.

Bader focused largely on Blumenthal’s role in litigation against tobacco companies, starting with the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

“Wealthy trial lawyers across the nation received $14 billion nationally in attorneys’ fees under a $246 billion-plus settlement paid for primarily by smokers — the alleged victims of the very fraud that begat the settlement,” Bader said.

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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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