"First, kill all the lawyers..."

This insanity could be exhibit 1 of why a) people hate lawyers, b) people hate politicians and c) having politicians who are lawyers and lawyers who are politicians is a bad idea...

...the suit...claims the bars near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus conspired to fix drink prices, thereby overcharging money-strapped college kids who wanted to relax with a few drinks now and then.

Shapiro said the bars paid more than $450,000 in legal costs to get the first case dismissed by Dane County Circuit Judge Angela Bartell and he can't imagine how he and the other family-owned campus area taverns can afford more expenses like that.

The pity is that all the owners did was try to cooperate with the UW and Chancellor John Wiley's campaign against binge drinking. That campaign included getting the bars to agree to eliminate drink specials, which Wiley insists contribute to students' overindulging.

So after a series of contentious meetings a few years back and at the urging of city officials who waved the power of granting liquor licenses in their faces, the bars reluctantly agreed to quit offering specials on Friday and Saturday nights in an effort to attract business to their places.

...Some 20 campus area bars joined the pledge. Then came the suit filed by a Minneapolis law firm on behalf of "overcharged" students. So much for being Mr. Nice Guys.

When the Mob does this sort of thing, it's called the "protection racket." Is there any reason that the local officials and law firms involved in this nonsense shouldn't be brought up on RICO charges?