Wine War II

Today's Wall Street Journal has a great editorial about New York's worthless governor already hijacking last week's Supreme Court decision regarding New York consumers' inability to buy wines where and when they want. So Bulldog decided to write the governor and the State Liquor Authority today:
Last week's Supreme Court decision made it perfectly clear that New York consumers must have more choices made available to them when it comes to purchasing wine. So why are you already letting the middlemen hijack our freedom of choice? To allow consumers only two cases of wine a month smacks of the same paternalism we New Yorkers have suffered for decades, suffered because alcohol distributors have kept us hostage from choosing how and where to buy alcohol. What if I have a wedding and want to order three cases of wine from one vineyard over the Internet? Your proposal goes against the spirit of the Supreme Court decision and its typical of New York's screwed-up economic policy.
Speaking of being held hostage, the most innovative wine store in Manhattan, that at Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle, was forced to shut its doors recently because of an arcane law concerning exit doors. This was New York State's greatest wine store, because it allowed consumers to have that which the vast majority of Americans have enjoyed for decades: the right to buy wine in grocery stores. Your Liquor Authority was delighted to force it to close. How pathetic.
I strongly urge you not to cave in to pressure from alcohol distributors once again. You have a golden opportunity to give New Yorkers total freedom of choice when it comes to purchasing wine. Don't treat us in a paternalistic manner any further, and please spare us the specious argument that the State needs to protect minors from wines. Minors don't buy wine; they buy coolers, beer and spirits, and there are already plenty of controls in place to prevent them from making illegal purchases.

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Posted on 5/27/2005 ( Permanent Link )
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