Wednesday, March 14, 2007
'Bout booze in Tennessee
Tennessee's regulations on the sale of alcohol are some of the most ass-backward in this glorious nation of ours. The City Paper reports on how one lonely legislator, State Senator Shea Flinn (D-Memphis), attempted to change the most egregiously awful liquor laws yesterday:
"[Flinn's] first bill would allow liquor stores to be open on Sundays, as well as holidays such as the Fourth of July. The second would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine."
The Senate's State and Local Government Committee did not allow Flinn's bills to come up for discussion because no committee member would give a motion or second for the bill to be heard.
Allowing booze to be sold on the Fourth of July, and allowing people to purchase wine when they're purchasing food, seems like a logical idea. This being Tennessee, logic has flown completely out the window. Why? Two words: liquor lobby.
Tom Hensley, the liquor lobby's main man on Capitol Hill, not only helped craft most of Tennessee's current liquor laws, he's known as the "Golden Goose" because of the checks he so freely distributes to legislators who're willing to protect those laws.
Not surprisingly, Hensley was sitting in the front row when Senator Flinn's billed were killed yesterday. Speaking to reporters following the State and Local Government Committee's meeting, Hensley said, “If [the liquor laws] ain’t broke, don't fix it.”
If you're a liquor lobbyist, or a legislator who receives money from the liquor lobby, Tennessee's al-kee-hol laws are indeed not "broke." However, if you're an ordinary Joe who wants to buy a bag of groceries and a bottle of red wine at the same place, Tennessee's liquor laws are broke ... really broke.
"[Flinn's] first bill would allow liquor stores to be open on Sundays, as well as holidays such as the Fourth of July. The second would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine."
The Senate's State and Local Government Committee did not allow Flinn's bills to come up for discussion because no committee member would give a motion or second for the bill to be heard.
Allowing booze to be sold on the Fourth of July, and allowing people to purchase wine when they're purchasing food, seems like a logical idea. This being Tennessee, logic has flown completely out the window. Why? Two words: liquor lobby.
Tom Hensley, the liquor lobby's main man on Capitol Hill, not only helped craft most of Tennessee's current liquor laws, he's known as the "Golden Goose" because of the checks he so freely distributes to legislators who're willing to protect those laws.
Not surprisingly, Hensley was sitting in the front row when Senator Flinn's billed were killed yesterday. Speaking to reporters following the State and Local Government Committee's meeting, Hensley said, “If [the liquor laws] ain’t broke, don't fix it.”
If you're a liquor lobbyist, or a legislator who receives money from the liquor lobby, Tennessee's al-kee-hol laws are indeed not "broke." However, if you're an ordinary Joe who wants to buy a bag of groceries and a bottle of red wine at the same place, Tennessee's liquor laws are broke ... really broke.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, March 14, 2007 
