You've heard about laws against driving a dog down Main Street and all that? Such follies are not mere historical legacies; they're being considered even today.

In Minnesota, for example, one proposed law would prohibit the sale of foreign-made U.S. flags within the state. The sponsor also suggested that the answer to the most famous question in American political history about men's underwear be answered not simply with boxers or briefs, but "... and they're made in the U.S.A."

Let's start a short list of what's wrong with this bill:

• It's political grandstanding
• It's rooted in ignorance (willful or otherwise) of economic principles, including comparative advantage
• As a restriction on interstate commerce, it violates the U.S. Constitution.
• It's a bad play on a scene in The Simpsons.

Then again, there are many such bills out there, and worse, on the books.