Editorial: There ought not be a law

It's becoming clearer and clearer, thanks to three laws proposed in Suffolk, that some elected officials can't tell the difference between wise behavior and wise legal mandates.

Imagine a local legislator wanting to ban schnapps in Suffolk, but not vodka, gin, rum, Scotch, tequila or bourbon.

A proposal by Suffolk Legis. Lynne Nowick (R-St. James) to end the sale of non-alcoholic "energy drinks" to those younger than age 19 is about that sensible.

Red Bull, the best-known version on the market, contains 80 milligrams of caffeine in its standard 8.5-ounce serving. A grande coffee at Starbucks contains 330, a can of Mountain Dew 54. A two-pill dose of Excedrin Extra Strength packs 130 milligrams and one No-Doz has 200.

Caffeine, in massive and consistent doses or combined with certain drugs and supplements, can be bad for you. The Mayo Clinic suggests that consuming more than 500 to 600 milligrams a day over an extended period is unwise. Still, there are plenty of teens drinking two Starbucks a day and no one is going after that.

The law would also force retailers who sell energy drinks to post signs noting that they can aggravate heart conditions, cause headaches, dehydration and, in rare cases, death.

But in which aisle of the grocery store can excessive use of the products not do that? Shall we post the same warnings by the salt, sugar, bacon, soda, coffee and frozen lasagna?

Moderating caffeine intake, at any age, is wise, but trying to do it by limiting consumption of energy drinks while ignoring coffee, soda, chocolate and painkillers wouldn't even be an effective behavior, let alone a good law.

With two new rules that County Executive Steve Levy has proposed of late, you can at least argue that the behaviors he wants mandated make sense, even if mandating them doesn't.

Levy wants to ban "big-box" retailers from opening between noon and 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and force restaurants that accept only cash to post signs saying "CASH ONLY" in two-inch tall letters on their front doors.

It's a good idea for stores to close on the afternoon of Thanksgiving, allowing employees to enjoy their families and friends. Restaurants would be wise to let customers know they only take cash, saving them from embarrassment and the business from the possibility of a customer who can't pay.

But these proposed laws are terrible. They don't address clear dangers in a way that would lessen those dangers.

Suffolk has been a pioneer in banning the sale of dangerous cribs and keeping minors from buying certain cough medicines, and those moves made sense. They took clear stances against specific and unique products endangering residents.

But it's not the county's place to tell shops when they can open, or restaurants what forms of payment to accept or what signs to hang, or 18-year-olds which caffeine delivery systems are allowed. And at this point, it seems Suffolk officials have bigger problems to deal with. hN