When Zero Choices are Better than One

Usually, more choices are better than no choices.  In Massuchusetts, this is not the case.

There'll be no last-minute shopping for turkeys or trimmings on Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts.

The state has warned the upscale Whole Foods supermarket chain that it will risk criminal charges under the state's centuries-old "blue laws" if it goes ahead with plans to open on the holiday.

The office of Attorney General Thomas Reilly issued a legal opinion after officials at a Whole Foods competitor, Shaw's Supermarkets, wrote him a letter asking him to block the opening, The Boston Globe reported.

And the reason to block the Whole Food's opening.

"Besides disadvantaging competitors, a Whole Foods opening would harm consumers, due to lack of choice in the marketplace for consumers to shop and compare prices for the best deal," Shaw's legal department wrote to Reilly on Nov. 4.

So consumers are being hurt by having an option to purchase last minute items for Thanksgiving?  To borrow a phrase from John Stossel, give me a break.  Story here.