Democrat Paul Costs thinks state stores are great (Pittsburgh, York: sales, house)

[pman]

“I honestly don’t think at the end of the day we are going to privatize the liquor stores,” said Rep. Paul Costa, D-Allegheny County.

He and other critics of deregulation say the system works just fine and shouldn’t be fixed. They say it creates jobs and annual revenue of about $488 million, including taxes, to the state’s General Assembly. [despite the fact that most of hat is taxes that would be collected in a private system]

If a bill is proposed, it might get enough votes to get out of committee and head to the House of Representatives, but it isn’t likely to go further, Costa said.

Pennsylvania Democrats doubt liquor stores will be sold to private sector | PennLive.com

seems fairly obvious PA democrats are in the pockets of the plcb union since a clear majority of citizens want this to happen. I can see how one would have an issue with turzai's proposal specifically but it's mind boggling that anyone thinks the system is fine. the proposal is anything but a deregulation and would probably only be a marginal improvement over state stores, mostly in customer service and product quality for wine. personally I'd love to see liquor and wine split up if need be, 750 wine stores for the whole state is borderline ridiculous. and the fact there'd still be large backend distributors would still cripple small wineries from shipping and selling directly to retail stores as I understand it.

[BrianTH]

Of course the Republicans don't need Democratic help if they want to do this. Anyone care to bet on that?

[pman]

You support costas position that its fine the way it is?

[jimmyev]

And which party thinks Pennsylvanians are too stupid, dumb or alcoholic to purchase beer in grocery and convenience stores like almost every other state? That would be those big-government Republicans protecting their lobbyists.

And just because a few grocery/convenience store chains have found a complicated and expensive work-around that your locally-owned grocery/convenience store couldn't possibly implement doesn't mean that anything has changed.

[squarian]

Costa's probably right - like most major initiatives in PA politics, odds are this one is going to lose altitude and eventually do an Earhart. Like the federal republic, the fundamental principles of PA's structure of government favor "masterful inaction". That's what makes the state so advanced and competitive.

[hornet67]

Another political hack defending the indefensible. This really should NOT be a political issue, but a common sense issue. Those self-serving PLCB employees, and their supporters would have you take leave of your senses, and believe that the streets would run red, and anarchy would reign once their consumer unfriendly system is kicked into the dustbin of history.
Any rational thinking person knows the current regime is a joke, and pathetic attempts to make it more " user-friendly " are a farce. Boy, I can't wait to go to Giant Eagle to buy an overpriced 6 pack ( limit two !!), and NOT after 9pm, or try to figure out the Rube Goldbergesque wine kiosk. Did someone ACTUALLY sit down and design that monstrosity??
Yes, by all means, let's keep the current wonderful system, because, I don't about you, but as soon as I cross the border into Ohio, or New York, or Maryland, or West Virginia, I'm on alert for the vast hordes of drunks, and I fear for my life!

[ossewa]

I have never had a bad experience in a Wine and Spirits store; the selection is good, prices are good, and anytime I have asked for help the staff have been knowledgeable and pleasant. Selling off the state store system would result in higher taxes or service cuts because no study I have ever read shows that privatizing could generate the same level of tax revenue. Conservatives hate unions, that is why they hate the PLCB.

Now, what really needs to be changed are the beer distributorships. They treat their customers like an annoyance and why the hell do I need to buy a whole case? Beer should be available by the six pack in every corner grocery and supermarket. More small businesses would spring up with liberalized beer sales than wine or liquor privatization. I just got back from a job in Columbus and it seems like there is a freakin' convenience store every fifteen feet. All franchises owned by some Mom-n-Pop outfit making a decent living selling bread, milk, and beer.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pman

You support costas position that its fine the way it is?

Absolutely not. I think the state stores should be privatized/normalized.

My point is that if it doesn't happen, it won't just be the Democrat's fault.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by pman

Pennsylvania Democrats doubt liquor stores will be sold to private sector | PennLive.com

seems fairly obvious PA democrats are in the pockets of the plcb union since a clear majority of citizens want this to happen. I can see how one would have an issue with turzai's proposal specifically but it's mind boggling that anyone thinks the system is fine. the proposal is anything but a deregulation and would probably only be a marginal improvement over state stores, mostly in customer service and product quality for wine. personally I'd love to see liquor and wine split up if need be, 750 wine stores for the whole state is borderline ridiculous. and the fact there'd still be large backend distributors would still cripple small wineries from shipping and selling directly to retail stores as I understand it.

It's all about taxes. The PLCB adds about 20% to the cost of booze, which democrats use as their slush fund. If that's gone, how will they pay off people? Marcellus Shale better watch out. They will be targeted next for a random tax that will be used by the democrats for their corrupt purposes and the people will never see a dime of it. But, who do you blame? Pittsburgh keeps voting for people like Costs, Onorato, and boy mayor. The people are obviously happy with corruption. This is what happens when one party dominates a city for nearly a century. North Korea has had more political diversity than Pittsburgh over the past 75 years.

[pman]

Originally Posted by ossewa

I have never had a bad experience in a Wine and Spirits store; the selection is good, prices are good, and anytime I have asked for help the staff have been knowledgeable and pleasant. Selling off the state store system would result in higher taxes or service cuts because no study I have ever read shows that privatizing could generate the same level of tax revenue. Conservatives hate unions, that is why they hate the PLCB. Now, what really needs to be changed are the beer distributorships. They treat their customers like an annoyance and why the hell do I need to buy a whole case? Beer should be available by the six pack in every corner grocery and supermarket. More small businesses would spring up with liberalized beer sales than wine or liquor privatization. I just got back from a job in Columbus and it seems like there is a freakin' convenience store every fifteen feet. All franchises owned by some Mom-n-Pop outfit making a decent living selling bread, milk, and beer.

i have to call BS on this. with all due respect, conservatives are hardly the only ones that hate the state store system. in fact, I'd venture to say the most conservative counties are primarily beer drinking counties anyway. 2/3 of pennsylvanians support the initiative and I imagine that number is far, far higher among wine drinkers...even liberal ones. the fact is, unions are the special interest here and regular people are the after thought. it's an issue where the state democrats (and often republicans) openly work against their constituents. given that, I think your post is probably hogwash. in all my life I've never been to a state store where I've found them to be helpful. what do you have in an easy going red for under $15 gets you a "that ain't my job" answer. distributors are hit or miss but there's a choice, I have driven past ho-hum distributors on the way to a favorite where service and selection are good. the only way to do that for wine is to drive to another state, and many do, particularly in the east where so many people live close to border states with better wine laws. lastly, how do you justify the thought that beer should be available at convenience stores yet wine should only be sold by the state at a rate of one store per 20k people?

Originally Posted by Love2Golf09

It's all about taxes. The PLCB adds about 20% to the cost of booze, which democrats use as their slush fund. If that's gone, how will they pay off people? Marcellus Shale better watch out. They will be targeted next for a random tax that will be used by the democrats for their corrupt purposes and the people will never see a dime of it. But, who do you blame? Pittsburgh keeps voting for people like Costs, Onorato, and boy mayor. The people are obviously happy with corruption. This is what happens when one party dominates a city for nearly a century. North Korea has had more political diversity than Pittsburgh over the past 75 years.

most of the taxes come from the 18% johnstown flood tax which wouldn't necessarily go away no matter who'se selling the booze. in fact, the plcb's profit is pretty small from what I understand and some of the stores actually lose money.