Overnight Open Thread – Bottoms Up! (or, “How to Drink Your Way to Economic Recovery”) (genghis)

Ok, at first glance, I can get behind this (the drinking more part), but as with any government “revenue enhancement” plan the devil is in the details.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - It's as predictable as a hangover: In hard economic times, governments reach for the hard stuff, jacking up liquor taxes and loosening "blue laws" to siphon money from America's most ubiquitous vice. Booze prices are on the rise from Kentucky to Oregon, and lawmakers in nine states have considered tossing their prohibition on Sunday liquor sales this year. On the federal level, a higher alcohol tax has been mentioned as a possible moneymaker for national health care reform. But in Washington state, officials are going a bit further. Staring down a massive budget deficit, the state Legislature has uncorked one of the country's most aggressive attempts to capitalize on liquor sales.”

“State officials hope to make about $16 million from the new sales projects, which seem likely to draw cheers from consumers.”

”But there's bad news as well: Regulators have increased the profit "markup" imposed by the state, which adds costs on top of the sales and liquor taxes consumers already pay. The surcharge is expected to raise about $80 million over two years, replacing money that lawmakers raided from a liquor fund to balance the state budget. It takes effect Aug. 1, adding about $3.70 to the price of a bottle of premium whiskey. The national distillers' lobby has angrily criticized the markup as a "stealth tax increase" on liquor, and warns that higher prices could cost jobs in the hospitality sector. Recession-pinched consumers will also notice, and could try to go around the state's price hikes, said Paul Clarke, a Seattle-based writer and cocktail enthusiast who blogs at cocktailchronicles.com.”

“Criticism of the state's new liquor plans is also coming from grocery stores, which must compete with state-run liquor stores on profitable sales of beer and wine. Jan Gee, president of the independent grocers' Washington Food Industry lobbying group, said that makes the Liquor Control Board "a monster of two heads: Our regulator and our primary competitor."

Tonight’s overnight thread is sponsored by the Sarychev Volcano located in the Kuril Islands, which may or may not be Russian territory, depending on who you ask. The pic was taken from the ISS on June 12th. More info about this photo can be found here along with a couple more links to NASA about it including a vid.

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posted by xgenghisx at 10:23 PM

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