This page was last updated on January 28, 2011.
Don’t privatize state’s liquor stores; Terry Biddle; Beaver County Times; January 26, 2011. An editor’s note asserts “The writer is a state-store employee.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“This is not 1960. Let’s not try to scare people with a fake scenario that doesn’t exist.”
[RWC] What is Mr. Biddle talking about?
“In the past eight years, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has made great strides to improve service, prices and product selection - new stores, Sunday hours, on-line ordering, full-scale stores in supermarkets, and wine kiosks. It uses its buying power to bring in great products at competitive prices. The state has developed a national reputation as being wine-friendly.”
[RWC] Blah, blah, blah. Are we to believe businesses like Giant Eagle, Wal-Mart, etc. don’t have “buying power to bring in great products at competitive prices?”
“Privatization puts all of us as taxpayers at risk. We know we would lose tax revenues and profits. But also, has the private sector distinguished itself recently? As taxpayers it cost us billions of dollars to bail out Wall Street. The sub-prime mortgage fiasco rocked the country’s economy. Not many years ago, so did the saving and loan scandal and bailout.”
[RWC] “We know we would lose tax revenues and profits?” Mr. Biddle apparently wants us to forget revenue from liquor taxes would continue and the profits of the private businesses would be taxed via existing income/business taxes. Indeed, improved convenience would likely result in increased tax revenue.
As for the rest of the paragraph, Mr. Biddle would like us to forget these were all problems caused by leftist policies/programs. For example, when the government forces businesses to lend money to people who can’t pay it back, the government is to blame.
Using Mr. Biddle’s logic, why shouldn’t all businesses be owned and operated by the government? As a reminder, government owned and operated “businesses” is a feature of communism.
“Gov. Tom Corbett has promised not to raise taxes. The PLCB belongs to the taxpayers. It’s a valuable asset that gives us reliable and growing returns year after year.
“But after we spend the money that privatization would raise, what would Corbett tax next? The asset would be gone.”
[RWC] As noted above, Mr. Biddle apparently wants us to forget revenue from liquor taxes would continue and the profits of the private businesses would be taxed via existing income/business taxes.
“Let your lawmakers know privatization would be short-sighted, risky and irresponsible.”
[RWC] As I’ve noted previous critiques, I lived in Texas for over 18 years and I can testify the ability to buy alcohol in grocery stores, private liquor stores, et cetera and the lack of state stores didn’t bring about the end of the world.
I suspect Mr. Biddle’s real concern is for his job and United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1776, the union for liquor store employees. Without forced membership, there would be less money for labor union management to spend on politics.
© 2004-2011 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.