WTF?  New York state has <a href="http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&q=new+york+milk+gouging+law+OR+illegal&btnG=Search">price ceilings on milk</a>, and milk only.  I sort of assumed the U.S. relied on capitalism...

<ul>
<li>it's bizarre that this is being covered by numerous places, and the question is never "is there a compelling reason to deviate from capitalism?", the question always seems to be "yeah, why are they allowed to rip me off?".  (answer: if competition is failing so badly, why not cap beef prices, or <a href="http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t049/T049147A.jpg">gas prices</a>?)
    <ul>
    <li>We <i>do</i> have price controls in other areas (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Utilities_Commission">utility boards</a>, for instance).  So it's definitely acceptable in some cases.  But the first question always needs to be "why should it be acceptable in this case?".
    </ul>
<li>it's enforced by the <a href="http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/">New York State Department of Agriculture &amp; Markets</a>
<li>the specific law is <a href="http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/di/Laws%20in%20HTML/mpg_law.htm">NY GEN BUS S 396-rr</a>
    <ul>
    <li>it applies only to retailers
    <li><a href="http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/di/DIStats.html">threshold price</a> = 200% * minimum</a>
        <ul>
        <li>milk price minimums occur in numerous states as part of the farm bill subsidies
                <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Dairy/Policy.htm">[1]</a>
                <a href="http://www.reason.com/news/show/30523.html">[2]</a>
                <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/09/AR2006120900925.html">[3]</a>
                <!-- <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/tbb/tbb_0707_47.pdf">[2]</a> -->
        </ul>
        <!-- <ul>
        <li>milk price minimums are <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/tbb/tbb_0707_47.pdf">sort of widespread</a> due to farm bill subsidies....  but this is the first time I've ever heard of a price floor being converted into a price ceiling
        </ul> -->
    <li>after the threshold is passed, a number of people have to agree before prosecution goes forward (this includes a comissioner, the state AG, and a court)
    <li>the fine ranges from $1000-5000 a week
    <li>however, the courts have to take into consideration the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_Margin">gross margin</a>, which dulls its craziness somewhat.
        <ul>
        <li><a href="http://www.fmpc.uconn.edu/research/milk/conference/Mack.pdf">54 cents per gallon</a> is apparently the maximum acceptable markup
        </ul>
    </ul>
<li>heck, <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D9143CF932A25754C0A961948260">collusion is even legal</a> with milk prices
</ul>


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<br><br><br><br><li>somewhat involved somehow is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Marketing_Order">Federal Marketing Order</a>, which is <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/tbb/tbb_0707_47.pdf">part of the farm subsidy bill</a> (<a href="http://www.cato.org/downsizing/agriculture/regs_trade_barriers.html">more</a>).  What's difficult to understand though is how that <i>minimum</i> gets turned into a <i>maximum</i>.
<li>Okay, seriously, <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D9143CF932A25754C0A961948260">WTF</a>?
</ul>
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