Capitol Ideas has reported on an Auditor General’s report on the PALCB’s wine kiosk program. This was a failed attempt to try to sell wine in supermarkets, which most other states do without losing a bunch of money. This boondoggle has now even reached the desks of Reason Magazine, who is also reporting on it:
When they are working, the kiosks dispense a limited selection of wines at limited locations and times (not on Sunday, of course!) to customers who present ID, look into a camera monitored by a state employee, breathe into a blood-alcohol meter, and swipe a credit card.
It’s a system only a bureaucrat could love, and as soon as these things started getting introduced, I thought it had “Fail!” written all over it. If you essentially say I have to take a drug test to buy something, you can bet I’m not going to buy it.
I’m glad this issue got the attention of Instapundit, because currently, privatization of the liquor monopoly is being held up by non other than our Republican Senate President, Joe Scarnati, so if you support ending the socialist liquor monopoly in Pennsylvania, I would advise contacting his office, and tell them you want the Senator to move the liquor privatization bill forward.
“When they are working, the kiosks dispense a limited selection of wines at limited locations and times (not on Sunday, of course!) to customers who present ID, look into a camera monitored by a state employee, breathe into a blood-alcohol meter, and swipe a credit card.”
OMFG I thought living in MA was bad when it came to alcohol sales…
E mail sent, using his dumb form. Copied and pasted my e mail and sent it to my Senator, Ted Erickson!
God I hate dancing through the forms for these e mails. Gate keeping of the highest aggravation level!
Look at it this way, if we ever repeal drug prohibition the government will be able to turn drug-running into a money-losing proposition, too.
Those kiosks were a stupid idea. The selection was terrible and the breathalyzer/camera combo was insulting. Stuff like that makes me drive to New Jersey. To hell with you, LCB.
terraformer,
Connecticut is so bad that I’ll often drive to Mass for liquor shopping.
CT – No sales after 9PM, no Sunday sales (bar/restaurant OK, no retail sales), and a restrictive brand registration that limits what is distributed within the state to larger brands only.
The only plus I can find in CT is that Nutmeggers can sell 190 proof pure grain alcohol.
At least they are losing money on something that does not engender absolute ridicule, unlike the IRS and their management of Mustang Ranch http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-is-exactly-what-im-talking-about.html
But yes, this is but another illustration of why the goobermint needs to be out of the business of doing anything that is not waging war against foreign goobermints or collecting import duties.
Pass a breathalyzer in order to be able to buy a bottle of Ripple? If I did not have a reason to get drunk that sure provide me with one!
stay safe.
I visited PA about two weeks ago … a 1.75l bottle of Crown Royal sells for $53.99.
I can get the same bottle and a 3lb bag of ice at my local liquor store in California for $34.99.