Just say no to beer tax increases

[Glenn]

I remember someone coming to our house from California back in the day (when I lived in Western Mass). They were stumped with the beer buying times and had no idea what a "package" store was.

 

[deadheadskier]

WTF is up with the 8 pm closing, too? Not being able to hit the beer store on my way home from work sucks.

The inconvenience is one thing, but I also imagine such rules drive up the instance of DUI from people who normally would buy a six pack to drink at home going to the bar for their beers instead.

 

[severine]

Smokers die younger, too, and so don't drain Social Security and pension plans. They can run up mad Medicare bills, though...

My great-grandmother lived to see 93. She smoked until she was in her 70s. So not necessarily true.

I say if they want to be treated like independant nations, we treat them like independant nations.

Which means border patrols, customs duties, passports, etc. I don't care that their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandpa was displaced by the White man, my family was still in Europe. Why should they get the benefits of the taxes I pay? One way or the orther, make your choice.

Because their casinos pump A LOT of money not only into the state's coffers, but also into each municipality in the state. Every city/town benefits from the casinos. Check the books.

There was a proposal when they increased the hours to 9PM to allow liquor store owners to pick which 6 days a week they were open (so let's say they decided to open on Sunday but close on Mondays). I believe that proposal also included allowing them to open on Sunday if there was a Monday holiday. As you can see, it apparently didn't fly.

I think it sucks that Trader Joe's can't carry their wine here because of the laws prohibiting the sale of wine in grocery stores.

 

[ctenidae]

My great-grandmother lived to see 93. She smoked until she was in her 70s. So not necessarily true.

(

My grandmother lived to 94, and smoked until she was 92.
I was just going for a gross generalization. An exception to every rule, including this one, right?

 

[severine]

My grandmother lived to 94, and smoked until she was 92.
I was just going for a gross generalization. An exception to every rule, including this one, right?

There are always exceptions to the rule, yes. But I'm willing to wager that smoking, in and of itself, does not necessarily equal a shorter lifetime. It's a culmination of not only what you put into your body but genetics as well.

I say this as one who has never smoked. However, most of my family does.

 

[Geoff]

New Hampshire has it right. Very good prices at the state liquor store and you can hit their web site to check prices and see what they have on sale. They're located all over the place including massive ones at rest areas on I-95 in Hampton and I-93 in Hooksett. You can't buy beer there. You can buy beer and wine in the grocery store and in virtually any convenience store. They limit the hours to 6am to 11:45pm.

The state liquor stores have irregular Sunday hours. The big ones are open 8am to 9pm. The tiny ones in small towns don't open at all. From Killington, the one I use in West Lebanon, NH is open 9am to 8pm six days per week and 10am to 5pm on Sundays.
Here are the Sunday store hours: http://www.nh.gov/liquor/sunday_hours.shtml

Vermont allows beer & wine sales from 6am to midnight 7 days per week but they tax the hell out of everything. It's cheaper to buy a case of Long Trail in West Lebanon, NH than at the brewery. The liquor prices in a Vermont state liquor store are about 50% higher than in New Hampshire.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I remember someone coming to our house from California back in the day (when I lived in Western Mass). They were stumped with the beer buying times and had no idea what a "package" store was.

I had no idea what a package store was until I joined this site..Southern New England is like a foreign country..I have no use for Mass, Conn and RI...not much skiing and alot of strong accents..

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

There are always exceptions to the rule, yes. But I'm willing to wager that smoking, in and of itself, does not necessarily equal a shorter lifetime. It's a culmination of not only what you put into your body but genetics as well.

I say this as one who has never smoked. However, most of my family does.

Smoking increases your risk for cancer which leads to a shorter life on average..and yes non smokers occasionally get lung cancer..potheads occasionally die from overdosing on Cheetos..

 

[drjeff]

I had no idea what a package store was until I joined this site..Southern New England is like a foreign country..I have no use for Mass, Conn and RI...not much skiing and alot of strong accents..

There's a CT accent?? :lol:

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

There's a CT accent?? :lol:

there's an accent everywhere..although some go to school to be news anchors and just talk generic American..

 

[Geoff]

there's an accent everywhere..although some go to school to be news anchors and just talk generic American..

That's actually a Canadian accent.

 

[mondeo]

That's actually a Canadian accent.

Eh?

 

[Marc]

Eh?

Take off, hoser.

 

[RootDKJ]

That's actually a Canadian accent.

Eh?

Take off, hoser.

Great timing guys... I literally laughed out lout when I read this. :beer:

 

[Glenn]

You know what else is weird? (aside from me) The distribution laws stemming back from prohibition. IIRC....the brewers and wine makers can't sell directly to the stores, they have to sell to distributors. I think that's how the laws are at least. I want to say Costco tried to challenge that a few years back. They wanted to buy wine direct, so they could cut out the middle man and drop prices even lower.

The History Channel has had some great shows on prohibition. Before that took place, breweries used to have their own bars in the cities they operated in.