May 14, 2013
There is a lot at stake in the battle in Pennsylvania to privatize wine sales and allow the free market to deal in wine, rather than continue to have the state government control all aspects of wine sales. The biggest stake, of course, is money. People drink wine. They pay good money for it. The producers, wholesalers, and retailers who do the selling all are in a position to earn millions and billions of dollars. But there are others who…
Apr 26, 2013
The Wine Spectator got around to reporting on what looks for all intents and purposes to be a case of bribery involving a New York lawmaker and New York wholesalers. And the publication does a pretty darned good job of exposing for its wine-loving readers what the impact would be if an “At Rest” law is passed in the Empire State. The Spectator’s Robert Taylor Reports on Senate Bill HB 3849, noting that if passed it if would “require all…
Apr 22, 2013
I’ve read a great deal from what some call the “prevention community” and what others call “neo-Prohibitionists”. And I regularly read the various cases for enhanced alcohol regulation as well as the various cases for not “deregulating.” However I don’t think I’ve ever read a clearer, more concise, or more unapologetic argument for the extreme in alcohol regulation, than that crafted and published recently by The Sutherland Institute, a Utah-based conservative think tank. Though the Sutherland institute has no official…
Apr 8, 2013
In the realm of economic theory there is a concept known as “Rent Seeking”. Unlike much of economic theory, its meaning isn’t very complicated. In fact, Wikipedia has boiled it down quite nicely: “spending resources in order to gain by increasing one’s share of existing wealth, instead of trying to create wealth….Rent-seeking implies extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity.” The most common form of “rent seeking” occurs when a business or association of businesses…
Mar 27, 2013
During the most recent election cycle (2011-2012) money in campaigns was the single issue that got more attention than the presidential election. The Supreme Court’s “Citizen’s United” decision allowed near unfettered amounts of money to come streaming into campaigns. In this milieu, how did the alcohol industry perform? The numbers are in on this score and the answer is that the alcohol industry most certainly pulls its weight. Money in politics and particularly campaign contributions are most often looked at…