Archive for the ‘Wine Legal Battles’ Category
Proposing to raise the tax on beer and cider by 2,700% and raising it on wine by 1,500% (YES…between 2,700% and 1,500%!) is in and of itself comical. But it’s not a comically bad miscalculation by the sponsors of an Oregon bill that would do just this. It is the political equivalent of virtue signaling: Attempting to get credit for taking a strong position on, and making a bold proposal to address, an issue when there is little to no…
Over the past two election cycles (2017 – 2020) more than $230 million has been spent by the alcohol industry for political influence. The details of campaign contributions and lobbying expenses at both the state and federal level make up the content of “Politics Under The Influence”, a report I recently completed and that is released today: CLICK TO DOWNLOAD “POLITICS UNDER THE INFLUENCE” This new report is based on information available in public databases that track campaign contributions at…
Since the Uber purchase of local alcohol sales platform Drizly for $1.1 billion earlier this month, there has been talk and speculation that the food and people delivery service will be in a position to disrupt the three-tier system of alcohol distribution. While this would be a nice and welcome development, there is virtually no chance of this kind of disruption occurring as a result of this merger. Here’s why. First, it’s essential to appreciate the “three-tier system” for what…
In a previous post, I expounded on why and how the three-tier system is retarding the growth of the alcohol industry primarily through the state mandates that require all alcohol to flow through a middleman wholesaler before it can reach the retail shelves and restaurant lists. I also discussed some of the forces that are defending this tired system, in particular many state regulators. At the end of that post, I promised a roadmap for dismantling the three-tier system. The…
One of the fundamental principles of thievery (as it has been explained to me) is the value per pound of the item to be stolen. The greater this ratio, the more complex the thriving operation: heavy things are hard to move while lighter things are more easily spirited away. This explains why identity theft is so attractive. The object of the theft is without weight. This calculation, however, has always called into question for me the reasonableness of stealing wine,…
