Why Pennsylvania’s Decision to Close Liquor Stores Could Do More Harm Than Good

robbreport.com ^ | 3/26/20 | Richard Carleton Hacker

[a little elbow grease]

If the nation’s liquor stores bolt their doors, can bootleg liquor be far behind?

My favorite time of day is cocktail hour. While I love any number of bars and restaurants, my favorite place to enjoy a cocktail is my home. Thanks to my professional requirements, I have an abundant supply of some of the best whiskies and wines in the world. In addition, the service is impeccable (there’s no trying to get the bartender’s attention—I am the bartender), the pours are always perfect, there’s no last call and I don’t have to worry about driving home.

And now, like it or not, much of the rest of the country is also enjoying the perks cocktails at home, thanks to state-issued “shelter in place” mandates to slow the spread of Covid-19. And when your home is the bar, it might occasionally need restocking, but there are concerns we may not be able to continue to do that.

When Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered the closing of all “non-life sustaining” businesses beginning Monday, March 23, 2020 (revised from the original March 19 date due to a massive influx of waiver requests), included in that were liquor stores, all of which are state-owned. So yes, he can do that.

So far Pennsylvania is the only state to saddle its citizens with the burden of a spirit-less defense against cabin fever, but it sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country, as many states are still defining what an essential business is. Many other states have yet to weigh in with rulings, which makes me fear that Pennsylvania has started a no-drink contagion that other governors may catch. In addition to adding to the fast-blooming unemployment problem, closing stores could have other consequences.

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[SoCal Pubbie]

I said the same thing about speakeasies to friends a week ago.

[a little elbow grease]

With all bars and restaurants closed we are going to have speakeasies popping up again. People want to socialize and drink. They won’t be locked down forever.

___________

.... looking forward to it. I'll be at "The Alibi Dive".

;-)

[Buckeye McFrog]

My grandmother used to tell lots of wild stories about going to speakeasies during prohibition. She said you’d never seen people drink so much as when it was illegal.

[a little elbow grease]

When Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered the closing of all “non-life sustaining” businesses ----

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barf

[a little elbow grease]

At one time our official state travel slogan was “You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania”.

Guess that isn’t technically true.

______________________

LOL ... true.

........ You've got a friend in Pennsylvania --- (a manly friend)

[Buckeye McFrog]

Famously there is a town in Lancaster County called Intercourse, PA.

They had a contest to pick a new PA travel slogan and some wag suggested “Virginia May Be for Lovers, But Only Pennsylvania Has Intercourse”.

Weenie Gov. Thornburg refused to put that on the license plates.

[a little elbow grease]

The public might realize that these Prohibition era holdovers are not so much as to generate revenue for the unit of government as for the government to control alcohol consumption.

___________________

No kidding.

[a little elbow grease]

They had a contest to pick a new PA travel slogan and some wag suggested “Virginia May Be for Lovers, But Only Pennsylvania Has Intercourse”.

Weenie Gov. Thornburg refused to put that on the license plates.

____________

That's great.

[a little elbow grease]

If you know where to go in Fayette County, it is already here. Folks have been using heirloom recipes since colonial days and, I am told, it is better quality than what they sell in the state stores.

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Beautiful ...

[Empireoftheatom48]

“Famously there is a town in Lancaster County called Intercourse, PA.”
Back in the day I went with my girl friend and her family to New Holland Pa, to buy feed for their horses. As we browsed around the the store, My girl friend motions me to come over to see what she is looking at. It was a calendar from you guessed it Intercourse, Pa, she looked at me and gave me a sly smile, then we both laughed. Lol those were the days.

[mad_as_he$$]

Intercourse is just down the road form Blue Ball.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Supposedly Intercourse Borough has given-up posting road signs that say “Welcome to Intercourse” because every last one of them gets stolen and hung over somebody’s bed.

[enumerated]

“I’m still confused as to whether or not I am a Flubro.”

I am a flubro - just like I’m deplorable and a climate change denier. I am also whatever they call a person who thinks there are only two genders, and you are born that way.

Apparently, all you need to do to be called a flubro, is compare Covid-19 to seasonal flu. I think it’s a legitimate comparison, so I guess I’m a flubro.

Oh well, I’ve been called a lot worse.

[LeonardFMason]

ANOTHER antidote to the “erection lasting over 4 hours”.

That’s a MAN Baby Yeah!

[Joe 6-pack]

Perhaps those of us who have been wary of a CWII will be caught off guard by Whisky Rebellion II...

[a little elbow grease]

..... now there is something to fight for.

[nicollo]

which set off an absolute STAMPEDE of booze hoarders

I went to drop off some boxes at local USPS -- which was prudent enough to leave doors open so no need to push/pull door handles -- and also swung by the CPV (Communist Party of Virginia) liquor store. It was about 11:58am, and there was a small crowd of people outside the store. Curios, I asked about, and someone yelled, "opens at noon!"

Okay, whatever, so VA has limited store hours in order to -- uh, concentrate customers? I went back to my car and did some work on my tablet for 20 minutes, awaiting the 20 other people to leave. When I entered, I was the only one, and I was able to grab the two remaining JD 1.75 bottles...

[a little elbow grease]

I was the only one, and I was able to grab the two remaining JD 1.75 bottles...

___________________

..... very lucky individual.

;-)

[Born to Conserve]

If other neighboring states had shut their liquor sales down, I’d by producing ten gallons a day of 170% neutral spirits. The hard part would be finding enough mason jars and such.

But for now, there is not enough demand.

[a little elbow grease]

If other neighboring states had shut their liquor sales down, I’d by producing ten gallons a day of 170% neutral spirits.

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Wow, what do you use?