http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/02/the-wednesday-morning-news Comments On: The Wednesday Morning News by Goldy en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Tue, 21 May 2013 04:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by prompt]]> Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:30:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mister G]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:06:07 -0800 The Stranger
As for the local distilleries here, I see a lot of them opening, but that doesn't mean anything. Probably most of them are like wineries, some rich guy's hobby.
Posted by Mister G]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:00:33 -0800 The Stranger Secondly, if you're dumb enough to call shit in the states 'soviet' or calling our current system 'socialist' (still looser than most states) I guess you're dumb enough to drive from Seattle to Portland for cheaper booze. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to waste a quarter of my day to buy slightly cheaper booze. Add the gas money and whatever savings you got us a wash. You can bitch about bikes all you want but when it comes to the alcohol industry, study up or shut up. You're embrassinig yourself.
Posted by CbytheSea]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:46:41 -0800 The Stranger
As for Fremont's mischief, all it takes is one of these to keep plenty of people sticking to the tried and true.
Posted by Mister G]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:05:27 -0800 The Stranger @56 nice duck there, it looks like you really haven't put any thought into the various stages that alcohol are taxed in this state and on a federal level. I'll give you this little factual tidbit for future arguements. Wisconsin has very strict distribution laws, they even have some dry spots, their tavern laws are adorable but that's a shitty example of liquor utopia. You're looking for Missouri. The loosest liquor laws in the US. It's not Texas! That land of freedom is awful when it comes to the commercial side of booze.
@57 why would it be dumb to pro-rate something. If I only need a car for an hour, why would I want to pay for a whole day. By pro-rating something you get your maximum value.
@58 can't speak for Fremont distilling. Never had their product. Samish Bay won best small batch Whisky a year ago at the CDC, it's quite tasty, Voyager Gin is by far the best gin I've had. The list goes on, there are soon to be another 50 new ones opening in 2013. But yeah, I'd base an entire industry on one company, that seems like a really smart and thoughtful thing to do.
In not understanding how a 3 tier system works, I'm sure that whole self distribution and allowing direct retail for in state distillers went totally over your head. Basically, locally produced booze gets to skip the middleman with their 30 percent markup or skip the retailer's 20-35 percent.
But as Kesh said, your turning into the poor man's Will in Seattle.
Posted by CbytheSea]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:42:20 -0800 The Stranger
"Local" alcohol? Not so much.
Posted by Mister G]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:51:12 -0800 The Stranger
They were financed by venture capitalists, whose plan was always to find some big corporation to buy them. The joke, as always, is on the "progressive" hipsters who actually buy into the various marketing bullshit stories. You know, sucker born every minute?
Posted by Mister G]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:47:40 -0800 The Stranger Back to my question, where would you reduce liquor tax?

I'd reduce it Washington State, so I wouldn't have to drive all the way to California.
Posted by Mister G]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:32:25 -0800 The Stranger [Apropos of nothing in this thread...]

Can someone please explain why the reported temperatures on all the big weather sites are so off right now?

I just walked a couple miles across North Seattle, and lemme tell you it's a sparkling, frosty winter wonderland out there. Yet Weather.com, AccuWeather, and Weather Undground all claim that 98103 is above freezing.

Hell, there was frost on the ground before 8pm, and Weather Underground told me it was 41 degrees! What the fuck?
Posted by Ipso Facto]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:20:02 -0800 The Stranger
@Phoebe - Jim Beam rye is better suited for Manhattans. Of the ryes previously available at state stores, Jim Beam makes the best. Old Overholt is nasty, and Wild Turkey rye is far too sweet, as were all of the "high-end" ryes they sold that basically just upped the sugar level to make them smoother.

But for a sweeter drink like an Old Fashioned, I'd opt for Wild Turkey rye.

I was hoping this law would some how bring in a bunch of the smaller Canadian ryes, but alas, I've seen none so far.
Posted by Free Lunch]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:16:30 -0800 The Stranger Posted by you know who you are]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:08:34 -0800 The Stranger Posted by keshmeshi]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:29:58 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Weekilter]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:16:00 -0800 The Stranger Washington has so many annoying little taxes because they need to fund the state in one way or another. I know people have rejected income tax in the past, but it is the reason why we have expensive liquor, taxes hidden in the dumbest and most mundane of transactions. It's that trade off.
Back to my question, where would you reduce liquor tax?
Posted by CbytheSea]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:59:26 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:48:12 -0800 The Stranger Posted by CbytheSea]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:29:03 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:21:08 -0800 The Stranger Posted by CbytheSea]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:14:59 -0800 The Stranger
Seattle's "progressives" are funny. Stupid for sure, but funny.
Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:09:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:04:05 -0800 The Stranger In short, you're celebrating the success of terrible selection in car-oriented big box suburbs. That's yet one more area of commerce given over to the principles of Wal-Mart. That's a decline in civilization. In most of America now it is virtually impossible to buy a book, a record, a movie, or a food item (including booze) beyond a tiny selection of lowest-common-denominator items.

You don't get out much, do you? The liquor selection in WA State has improved somewhat since privatization, but it would be much better if we would just cut the taxes and sweep away the distribution system mandated by the law.

As for Wal-Mart, the next shoe to drop is that they'll come into the cities. The hipsters of Seattle don't realize it, but their "progressive" city council last year cleared the decks for it to happen right here when they raised the threshhold for big box retailers to enter Seattle without state environmental review. So if you think this is just a suburban deal, you'd better think again.

As for books, music, and movies, it's all going online.
Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:01:41 -0800 The Stranger @41 no one is forcing you to rent a car Mister G, your manufactured victimhood is safe. Glad to see your expanding your lexicon of words in quotes.
Posted by CbytheSea]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:01:28 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:41:21 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Mister G]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:38:38 -0800 The Stranger