Silly laws still on the books
La Crosse Tribune: The state’s unofficial bread spread is under attack.
A decades-old law in Wisconsin that makes it a crime to serve only margarine in restaurants, prisons and schools would be repealed under a bill being co-sponsored by 12 legislators.
Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R- Brookfield, calls the 1967 law “silly, antiquated and anti-free market” and wants to remove it from Wisconsin’s books.
He’s right. But the oleo wars in Wisconsin that date back to 1895 when a law was passed that made it illegal to use colored margarine was cause for serious debate in the dairy state. After years of border runs and black market margarine, the state finally in 1967 repealed its ban on margarine sales but left the serving restrictions in place.
It’s a law that had its time and place. Restaurants have adapted by simply offering both products to consumers. Only one or two complaints a year come into the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Offenders are not sent to margarine-free prisons but are simply issued warning letters, although the law does carry a $100 to $500 fine and up to three months in jail.
Rolling cigars
There are plenty of other laws most people would consider silly still on the books on the state and local level. It’s still illegal to roll cigars in a basement, it’s a Class A misdemeanor to wave a burning torch around in the air, one may not camp in a wagon on any public highway or risk a $10 fine, and the state shall take steps to encourage the use of manual flush urinals.
In La Crosse it’s illegal to sell, trade or give away baby chicks or ducks, even if they’re artificially colored.
There’s an argument to be made that keeping archaic laws on the books does not respect the judicial process. But let’s make sure our lawmakers focus on what’s really important — education and jobs. Let’s take the cream approach and let the good bills rise to the top.