Thanks Privatizers...

[Papageorgio]

50% might be an exaggeration in some cases. Overall it appears that 20-30% is more likely. The fact is that the state was doing a good job already and the only thing gained by the public is a few more locations and a lot more cost.

This is the exact story that I saw the other night.

As private liquor stores open, prices could go up | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News

No, they weren't doing a good job.

When I was in Seattle, the liquor prices were easily 20%-25% higher than in places like Colorado and California, and the beer selection (available only in grocery/convenience stores) sucked ass.

In fact, the cost of living in general in WA is insane.

Your lack of knowledge of Seattle reminds me of the ignorant "Kitten Koder".

The Fred Meyer store I shop for groceries at in Ballard has a whole 200 ft aisle dedicated to beer. There are literally hundreds of brands. As for the cost of living .. The cost of living in any city is based on supply and demand and the availability of spending money of it's citizens. Seattle still has a robust economy in spite of some cutbacks due to the effects of the national economy and the burst of the housing price bubble.

We do pay around 50 cents a gallon more for gas which is a complete ripoff since we have refineries just up the I-5 in Anacortes. But our economy ..especially construction, is going great guns. There are contruction cranes everywhere you look on the horizon. Boeing, Microsoft, Costco ..Amazon etc.. They are all American and local companies have helped keep our economy vibrant.

More money available drives prices up. I would rather live in a place that has money than one that does not.

Let me know where the construction is going great guns in Seattle, my nephew belongs to an electrical union there and for the last three years has worked for 2-4 months, then laid off 5-8 months. My cousin over there is in commercial construction and he told me the other day it has been tough since 2008.

Since Costco is doing well, I think you'd bite the bullet and pay a little more for alcohol to support such a fine company.

 

[Papageorgio]

50% might be an exaggeration in some cases. Overall it appears that 20-30% is more likely. The fact is that the state was doing a good job already and the only thing gained by the public is a few more locations and a lot more cost.

This is the exact story that I saw the other night.

As private liquor stores open, prices could go up | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News

Time will tell, my guess is Costco will be cheaper. But I did notice the state is going to take more in fees, that can't help.

Costco is not a public store. You have to own a business and pay a yearly fee to shop there.

You don't have to own a business, you do need to pay membership dues.

 

[Papageorgio]

No, they weren't doing a good job.

When I was in Seattle, the liquor prices were easily 20%-25% higher than in places like Colorado and California, and the beer selection (available only in grocery/convenience stores) sucked ass.

In fact, the cost of living in general in WA is insane.

Your lack of knowledge of Seattle reminds me of the ignorant "Kitten Koder".

The Fred Meyer store I shop for groceries at in Ballard has a whole 200 ft aisle dedicated to beer. There are literally hundreds of brands. As for the cost of living .. The cost of living in any city is based on supply and demand and the availability of spending money of it's citizens. Seattle still has a robust economy in spite of some cutbacks due to the effects of the national economy and the burst of the housing price bubble.

We do pay around 50 cents a gallon more for gas which is a complete ripoff since we have refineries just up the I-5 in Anacortes. But our economy ..especially construction, is going great guns. There are contruction cranes everywhere you look on the horizon. Boeing, Microsoft, Costco ..Amazon etc.. They are all American and local companies have helped keep our economy vibrant.

More money available drives prices up. I would rather live in a place that has money than one that does not.

Fred Meyer sells groceries, don't they?...Yeah, we both knew they did....The selection just about everywhere else still sucks.

You pay more for gas because the state fuel tax is higher than just abut anywhere else in the nation, to go along with all the other ridiculously high rates of taxation in the state....If I were paying those prices every day and rewarded with sitting on that parking lot known a I-405, I'd be plenty pissed off too.

I went through Oregon, Idaho and Washington last week. Gas was $3.74 in Idaho, $3.86 in Washington and $4.11 in Oregon. Could not believe Oregon's prices.

 

[Papageorgio]

Costco is not a public store. You have to own a business and pay a yearly fee to shop there.

Where the fuck do you get your information from?

Costco.com: Join the Club

They apparently just recently let non business owners join thier club for 55 dollars a year.

Costco started here in Seattle ..I know the guy that built most of them. He made a lot of money.

It used to be a "just for business owners" operation.

So what is your point?

My parents shopped at Costco in the 80's and the had a individual membership, I have had membership there since 85, didn't need a business to join.

 

[Valerie]

What the liquor industry needs are price controls, regulation, rationing, and state civil servants with collective bargaining rights to run them at a loss...............For the people !!!!!!!! lol

Vote for free beer!

 

[Avatar4321]

I still can't believe we are listening to Huggy complain that the government isnt going to subsidize his alcohol problem.

 

[Avatar4321]

every time we privatize things will increase in price.

It means profit has to be added to the price.

Its common fucking sense

That is one of the MOST INCREDIBLY STUPID statements that I have read recently!

"Every time we privatize things will increase in price."

Really? I have to admit that I'm just sitting here reading that statement over and over and shaking my head...

You damn capatalists!

Be patient. Im sure someone around here will say something stupider.

 

[uscitizen]

Silly move by the State.

In NH all the liquor stores are run by the State.

Loads of revenue every year.

Dumb move by Washington State and it sounds like a real kick in the teeth for booze buyers.

Stupid idea to have the state running any kind of monopoly.

In every state I've been to where the state runs the racket, they both take the profit then turn around and nail you for sales tax.....And the selection in places like Utah sucks ass.

Well duhhh!
Utah is a Moremoan state.

 

[Avatar4321]

every time we privatize things will increase in price.

It means profit has to be added to the price.

Its common fucking sense

What's wrong with profit? Why is it bad for people to be paid for their time, resources, and labor? Are they somehow not entitled to earn a living?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Jesus... Huggy's still whining about his state-subsidized booze?

Good grief.

 

[Papageorgio]

I still can't believe we are listening to Huggy complain that the government isnt going to subsidize his alcohol problem.

Can't believe Huggy period, 50% increase in alcohol, oh wait maybe 20%-30%. Costco only had businesses, when others have been members for years, and then he claims he should know. Then construction is booming in Seattle when I know of those not working in that field because of layoffs. Unemployment is 8.1 17th highest in the country. It is growing at 1.6% annually which is better than the US average of 1% annually.

But Huggy is very shallow on real facts.

 

[eflatminor]

I still can't believe we are listening to Huggy complain that the government isnt going to subsidize his alcohol problem.

Seriously! This is like a thread out of The Onion.

 

[Misty]

It's all obama. Blame him. Everything that's bad for you will disappear

 

[Gadawg73]

Start up capital costs of privatization Huggy.
Give it a year, maybe 2 and costs will be 20% less than what the state sold it for.

 

[HUGGY]

Whats my point? Lets see.... you start a thread moaning about the effects of privatization-which you say has already led to a 50% increase in the cost of alcohol- all of which is wrong, and outright dishonest. And you conclude by stating how much you hate those of us that think differently than you. Then you make false claims about Costco. My point is that you are clueless, as you have demonstarted. you are not short of passion- I will give you that. But of reason? you are totally bereft.

You are a troll that knows less than nothing about Seattle. I was not being dishonest. One of the segments of the local news report had bar owners complaining that they could not buy the varieties of spirits they used to be able to easily purchase from the state owned liquor stores and said they would probably have to increase the prices of drinks by as much as 50%.

I know the history of Costco very well. I mentioned them in the OP because they put in a major portion of the money that "sold" this idea to the public. This will NOT be better for the average citizen. It is just another example of business tricking people into voting against thier own best interests.

PS.. I know Costco did not take non bisiness members in the past because I have applied for membership and because I didn't have a business check at the time I was denied.

You are the one that has his head up his ass.

You decried the privatization as having increased the cost of alcohol 50%. You claimed such an increase had taken place, when no such increase has occurred. You then modifed the claimed results (that have still not happened) to 30%. And claimed that only business owners can purchase from Costco. And not a fucking thing is true.

On top of that, you think that all the residents of Washington ought to subsidize the drinking purchases of the citizens.

Its not trolling to point out your factual errors, dishonest statements, and generally lazy reasoning. I am not sure if you can do better, but I hope you will try.

Fuck you moron. "I" didn't make the "claims". I provided appropriate links.

"I" don't really give a rat's ass about alcohol...as I rarely drink it. What I care about is big money overwhelming reason and convincing idiots like yourself to vote for things that do not help the community nor save it money.

 

[HUGGY]

I still can't believe we are listening to Huggy complain that the government isnt going to subsidize his alcohol problem.

Can't believe Huggy period, 50% increase in alcohol, oh wait maybe 20%-30%. Costco only had businesses, when others have been members for years, and then he claims he should know. Then construction is booming in Seattle when I know of those not working in that field because of layoffs. Unemployment is 8.1 17th highest in the country. It is growing at 1.6% annually which is better than the US average of 1% annually.

But Huggy is very shallow on real facts.

Prove what I posted and backed up with links is not true.


That's what I thought.


Moron.

 

[Conservative]

Liquor privatization measure passes, what's next?

Will liquor prices go up or down?

This is unclear and depends on the markup distributors and retailers put on liquor in a competitive environment. The state currently marks up liquor 52%. Under the initiative, the state would charge licensing fees equivalent to 27% initially. It remains to be seen whether distributors and retailers will make up the difference with their markup, or whether market competition will mean smaller markups.

 

[dblack]

Start up capital costs of privatization Huggy.
Give it a year, maybe 2 and costs will be 20% less than what the state sold it for.

That depends on the regulatory regime surrounding the new setup. It could still settle out to something much worse than the previous arrangement. Not all privatizations are created equal.

 

[HUGGY]

Start up capital costs of privatization Huggy.
Give it a year, maybe 2 and costs will be 20% less than what the state sold it for.

Maybe. But I have little faith in what happens when profit motivated organizations get involved in what should be left alone.

To be fair that door swings both ways. When government gets a carte blanch to "do what's best for the citizenry", especially when they work together with for profit groups, such as the new private toll companies on some of our bridges they also let the power go to thier heads and gouge the public.

 

[Avatar4321]

Fuck you moron. "I" didn't make the "claims". I provided appropriate links.

"I" don't really give a rat's ass about alcohol...as I rarely drink it. What I care about is big money overwhelming reason and convincing idiots like yourself to vote for things that do not help the community nor save it money.

how is subsidizing alcohol a good thing for the community?