Booze Should Be Private Affair, Sheldon Says
December 9th, 2009 by Steven GardnerThe story is out on our main site. State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, is making another bid to get the state out of the liquor sales business. His most recent attempt was earlier this year, a bill that technically isn’t dead and could be revived in the House.
Sheldon’s hope is that the state can find ways to make just as much money on liquor without all the overhead and other headaches with running the business. His bill would have the state’s Department of Revenue and Liquor Control Board study how liquor could be sold privately while still providing enough state tax money to make up for whatever revenue would be lost.
As pointed out in our story, the state shows no signs of shrinking its efforts to continue engaging in retail sales.
State Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima is the lone co-sponsor so far. In an online story Tuesday in the Yakima Herald-Republic, King is not very optimistic the bill will fly.
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December 9th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
It is a good idea, but it will never happen. The liquor stores are operated by union workers and the unions have the legislature and the governor in thier pocket.