The period between Christmas and New Years is the slowest news time of the year. For those of us who are nonetheless addicted to reading a newspaper, it is a wonderful time to learn odd things. For example, although everyone around here goes ice fishing for smelts on the
My advice to attorneys general is to take this week off. Of course, I did not always follow this advice myself and can therefore distinctly remember receiving calls from desperate reporters begging me to find something for them to cover. With nothing really going on and with my staff wisely home with their families, I said to myself, “why not educate consumer about their rights when it comes to returning Christmas presents?”
I dashed off a quick press release: “Consumers of Maine! When returning items to the store, don’t forget to bring the receipt!” I confidently issued that hard hitting and fact laden statement and sat waiting expectedly in front of the flag and blue bound law volumes whose primary duty during my decade as attorney general was to serve as a back drop for press briefings. (I thought Corpus Juris Secundum made me look more professional.)
The press dutifully arrived and I knocked off a number of television interviews and during which I announced with the confidence that can only come from a thirty-four year old attorney general that “this is the busiest week of the year for returns! Make sure you assert your rights! And bring your receipts!” The camera crews then raced to the nearest store confident that they would find hordes of disgruntled
Alas (for me), the stores were empty.
Like I said, I hope everyone takes the week off lest they look a little silly.