Reason.tv: Virginia is For (Liquor) Lovers!
by Nick GillespieHe’s also the new Republican governor of Virginia and is taking aim at the commonwealth’s oppressive and inefficient state-owned liquor monopoly. More than a dozen states still completely control the sales and distribution of all distilled spirits.
The result? Higher payrolls for state governments (state-workers are public-sector employees after all) and rotten selection and service for customers (state-sanctioned monopolies tend to diminish the shopping experience).
Despite a reputation as a social conservative, McDonnell thinks that state-run liquor stores are a bad idea from both pragmatic and philosophical perspectives. Given budget crises, says McDonnell, “we can’t just do things the same old way…. Certainly there’s nothing I gleaned from the [Virginia] constitution that would have me think it’s better or required to have the government controlling distilled spirits.”
States such as West Virginia and Iowa have gained millions of dollars in new tax and license revenues by privatizing liquor sales, says Reason Foundation policy analyst Len Gilroy. And they’ve also cut government expenditures by millions of dollars as well.
Will Virginia join them? McDonnell invited Reason.tv to come back in a year and check in with him. Sure thing, Mr. Governor. We’ll bring the questions. You can bring the white zinfandel.
Approximately 4.30 minutes. Written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts. Additional footage: Dan Hayes.
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42 Comments
White Zin?
I wouldn't call it chick wine. Or would I? I lean towards those meaty french Rhone Valley wines. Sweaty socks.
And wow. Finally a proposal that isn't being pulled by a dozen unicorns.
The governement has no business being in the liquor business. Here in WA a bottle of Absolut vodka costs $49.00. When I take the ferry to Victoria and on the return trip I buy the same bottle for $19.00 duty free. You figure out the tax. Socialist control over everything here.
Yeah, got off my Tequilla!! ………………….Hanzo
Here in NH, we have state controlled liquor sales, and the funniest thing about it is, if you travel north into the Lakes/Mtn region, the LARGEST liquor stores in the state are like rest areas along the biggest highway in the state (Rt93) right in between Manchester and Concord. They're huge, with one on either side of the highway, like mirror-imaged alky meccas. Yet, we're told not to drink and drive.
What a brilliant idea, and excellent example of how free markets prosper when the people are allowed to choose for themselves. I moved North from Tucson many years ago, but I remember those days well. You could walk into a 7-11 and get a bottle of Jack, a box of Negro Modelo's, a box of condoms, pack of smokes, diapers for the kid, a bag of top raman noodles, and if you were low on cash, you just hit up the ATM…Not that all of those things combined are a good recipe for success…It's just the simple fact that I still have the option to, if I so desire…
Bob McDonald is a wise man in allowing his citizens the ability to choose. Hopefully this catches on, and is just the first State of many to start re-thinking many of their totalitarian ways. And I would almost bet, that Mr. McDonald will "create" more (private sector) jobs in Virgina alone, then Obama does across the whole country in 4 years…!
Yeah, but they have great prices and no sales tax. Try living in New York State where we're taxed out our a$$es.
Being a life long wino, the set up is called many different things across each state but it is similar across all. The state has the right to regulate (why they cede damn near everything else to the feds I do not know). There are generally three or four "distributors" in each state with licenses to bring alcohol into the state and sell wholesale to the retailers. The retailers have licenses to sell to you and I. The states collect tax every step of the way.
So, let's say the cabal is shattered by free trade from producers to you and I. The states do not like this because they are not set up to get their taxes from people they aren't used to dealing with. The distributors also lobby hard against this because they of course could not compete in a free market. At the end of the day, your alcohol choices are generally limited by a handful of people called "distributors" that work behind the scenes to stifle competition.
Go Bob McDonnell! I'm originally from the North and we never had state control such as in Virginia! Capitalism is for private ownership, although I guess that isn't consistent with what was elected President is it? Come to think of it, it may not matter anyway if Obama destroys the American economy with his Marxist agenda, will it?
Govenment getting out of the liquor, beer, and wine business is a great idea. Now, how do we get government out of the rail business, the mail business, the home mortgage business, the banking business, the car business, the insurance business, the health business, the energy business, the broadcast business, and OUR business?
Right On! The government is already drunk with power. We need to keep their hands off the booze!
In most states those state store system jobs are unionized which makes it unsavory for most politicians to shut down the system. In Pennsylvania there almost 8,00 jobs within the system. Although there has been some saber rattling not politician has had the stones to follow through on privatization.
I think it was a Dilbert cartoon that said, " I envision a world where ATF stands for a chain of drive through stores that let you buy Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and use them all before you get home."
Keep reaching for the stars Libertarians!
"You figure out the tax."
State+Fed=47%
http://liq.wa.gov/releases/where-your-liquor-mone...
"You figure out the tax."
State+Fed=47%
http://liq.wa.gov/releases/where-your-liquor-mone...
This decision (long a Virginia GOP objective) has nothing to do with Gov Bob's oenophilia, since the state ABC monopoly only covers hard likker. Wine & beer you can get at any grocery or convenience store.
You have obviously never been to a Norfolk Admirals hockey game and parked by the McDonalds across the street. I admit that pretty much all of the ABC stores in Virginia Beach that I've been to have always been immaculate – and it doesn't take a genius to sell a bottle of booze. Back to Norfolk – I went in there once…. once! I was hit up for change about 5 times by all the drunks hanging out around the entrance to that store. I'm sure all states whether private or public are going to have their bad eggs.
I lived in Jacksonville, Florida for the first six years following my 21st BDay and I believe at this point all the stores there have been privatized and they don't have any issues with competing with the grocery stores – some of them have a Food Lion right next door. However, I recall walking through some really filthy stores. But Jacksonville has always seemed to be a pretty dirty city anyway. It's gotten better.
Good idea governor. When we visited Atlanta a few years back, we were shocked to go into a liquor store on a main road with the selection equal to none we'd ever seen. . . . and no winos ouside the door, just a security guard (who helped us at the door as we left). We didn't know you could even buy some of the names we saw and the prices were dirt cheap compared with our Old Dominion ABC's.
Bob McDonnell for PA governor!!! If you live in Penna and wanna go buy booze on any state/ederal holiday, you have to travel to MD, DE, or NJ to get it.
We go to overpriced "Wine & Spirits" stores for our wine and liquor and to "licensed to rob" "Beer Warehouses", where you can only buy 12-pack and case sizes. In case you want to buy a cold six-pack, you have to go to a specially licensed "restaurant" that 99% of the time has very overpriced and limited selections.
In the home state of Yeungling, you pay a lot more for a six pack of Yeungling than you do if you live in FL or any other state that sells cold six packs in grocery stores, BP Stations, etc.
Get yourself down to Green's Discount Liquor in Greenville my man.
You gotta love the PLCB /sarc.
Hey, I remember the bad old days where you could only buy cases of beer at the beer stores and had to pay cash. And the fuss over opening some stores on a Sunday (gasp!). What I really like, though, is the rigamarole you have to go through if you want to buy wine on a vacation out of state and ship it home- the winery has to be licensed with PA, and they ship it to the local liquor store, where you pick it up. You pay for the wine, shipping, 18% PA liquor tax, and sales tax (6-8%) + $4.50 handling fee. Oh, and it can't be a wine that's available in the state system. Give me a break….
[...] post: » Reason.tv: Virginia is For (Liquor) Lovers! – Big Government tags: clean-energy, control-the-sales, court, dozen-states, general-assembly, governor, [...]
I remember Tucson had a drive-through liquor store. I thought it was silly… until I wanted to get a six pack and not leave my air-conditioned car to get it. :-/
And some states even levy a "sin" tax at the retail level that the consumer pays. This is usually higher than the standard sales tax rate. Oh, and some states also require the consumer to pay a recycling deposit.
Nothing better than a G&T on a hot day, too.
I agree with your point about lost revenue, too. State gov'ts are clueless.
This. +1
My state is literal owned by unions. http://qlx.me/17
Now, if we could only get rid of these idiotic fireproof cigarettes! Every state in the country has or is going to them. You know the chemicals they are using to make them only add to the toxicity of the product. It's a Gov't conspiracy to kill off a large portion of the dissenting population. And it's an open conspiracy…just like the NWO Movement of the Progressives. As a matter of fact, that's who's behind (or should I say in front of) it.
Florida actually has liquor stores with drive up windows! How kewl is that?
Three words: MAKE YOUR OWN!!!
VA is a Right To Work State, so it's not a big issue here.
i don't get that way often, but i'll keep it in mind, thanks.
I don't know how I feel about this. When I lived in Virginia, I liked shopping in the ABC stores because they were tidy and clean. They were like Walmarts, but only sold liquor. There were never drunk folks loitering around outside. Here in suburban MD, the privately owned liquor stores are mostly really sketchy. I usually make my husband go. And most liquor stores that I've seen in DC don't look high end like they one in the video. Go to N. Capital and New York Ave. I'm not really sure why VA made the choice it did, but I imagine it had something to do with crime/public safety. I'd also be curious if they privatized, what the model would be. I doubt liquor store owners want to compete with grocery stores selling wine and beer, and consumers wouldn't want to give up that option. But I don't see how they'd pay the rent selling just the hard stuff. Anyway, it's an interesting discussion. He does have some serious budget concerns, and a lot of gov't jobs are moving to MD with BRAC. He's got his work cut out for him, for sure.
Just another instance proving that bigger govt doesn't work.
hard liquor is only sold thru state stores here in NC. the selection is crappy, the prices are ridiculous, the stores are as sterile and customer oriented as tiny medical products warehouses, the help are as friendly as the post office, and locations are few and far between. the whole scam exists to keep a handful of politically connected jerk-offs employed and on the take under the guise of prudently restricting the flow of alcohol to society. any attempt whatsoever by a local ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control?) store to improve its appearance, advertise a little, etc., is immediately crushed. corruption is rampant (a local ABC director in one town made $250K last year- and the newspapers, too) but that's NC govt for ya.
when we lived in another state, my wife & i used to go through a 1.75L of good gin every few months (LOVE those G&Ts!), but with this BS, we've drank two bottles in eight years. the state is losing a lot of money with this system, but the powers that be don't care.
You are going to see MADD (mothers against drunk drivers) out in force against this proposal. I call on all DAMM (drunks against mad mothers) members to come out and voice your support for this much needed measure! Let the DAMM/MADD war begin!
All of these comments are cracking me up. I live in Louisiana and we can buy whatever kind of alcohol we want, any day or time; at grocery stores, gas stations, or liquor stores. The big shocker for most people not from LA are the drive-thru daiquiris. And there are not just one or two, there are 5 that I can think of in my city of about 250k. The way the get around the "open container" rule is because they do not actually push the straw through the lid, they just tape it to the top. LOL. And they wonder why we have such a high rate of DUI's.
It's smart for the local government to allow that, because it allows them to generate more income from arresting people of DUI's.
Drunk driving generally nabs people that have committed no crime except having an ARBITRARY amount of alcohol in their system while behind a wheel. They represent no "clear and present danger" to the public.
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