[vannrox]

Very intersting.
I wondered if he had to ask the English Government if he was permitted to operate a still on his property? Hummm...?

[Izzy Dunne]

I wondered if he had to ask the English Government if he was permitted to operate a still on his property?

Huh? from the article:
Washington got into the liquor business in 1797,

Why would he care about the Brits at that time?

[RISU]

You are looking at this through the eyes of a modern day debt-economy enslaved person.

Washington was a farmer, and so he had all that stuff.

[M. T. Cicero II]

He also grew hemp for medicinal use. There is a diary entry in which he talks about "sexing" the plants. And there is only one reason to sex hemp plants.

[bonesmccoy]

[Willie Green]

I wondered if he had to ask the English Government if he was permitted to operate a still on his property? Hummm...?

The Brits already got the boot.

"Washington got into the liquor business in 1797, after a new plantation manager persuaded the recently retired president that he could make a lot of money at it, said Dennis Pogue, associate director of preservation at Mount Vernon."

JMHO, but I think it likely Washington may have gotten the idea from the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.

[Willie Green]

You know, this is actually a discovery of very scandalous abuse of Government power by Washington. Under Madison's heinous whiskey tax, George Washington ordered the mobilization of 12,950 troops from eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey in August 1794 to attack all the small distillers who ignored the burdensome tax.(It certainly set the stage whereby only "big corporations" such as himself could afford to be in business through economies of scale!) The tax on whiskey was not repealed until 1802 by Jefferson.

This is indeed, very, VERY scandalous!!!

[southernnorthcarolina]

[Bonaparte]

Never thought I'd find even one point of similarity between George Washington and the Kennedys. The only difference here is that Washington started his business legally and kept it that way.

[LibKill]

George Washington.

A genius in his own time!

He was the Founding Father, make no mistake about it.

OK, OK, Thomas Jefferson was the Founding Brother.

[NormsRevenge]

Aye! Our founding fathers were a spirited group. God Bless George.. He is probably well pickled.. urrr preserved after all those years of distilling from some mighty fine mash.

He put the hooch in hoochiecoo .. What a leader! Salute!

[Looking for Diogenes]

And as a politician, [whiskey] got him votes. At Virginia polling places, it was customary for politicians to treat voters to liquor. Washington once lost a campaign where he didn't do so, Pogue said. "From then on, he always treated," Pogue said. "And he always won."

Ever-reliable Parson Weems recounts a story of young officer Washington supporting a candidate by offering spiked punch to anyone who would vote the right way. A supporter of the opponent objected to this and a fight ensued. Washington later realized he was the aggressor and apologized, once again showing his sterling character.

So far as I know, it would be illegal just about everywhere in the US today to offer liquor in public in exchange for a vote. Perhaps we'd get better voter turnouts if that prohibition were repealed!

[Renatus]

When I heard that some schools were throwing out pictures of George Washington I went out and got two beautiful pictures of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I got two beautiful frames and placed them in a prominent place in my home. I am proud to have them in my home.

[dogbyte12]

The founding fathers were great men. Of this, I have no doubt. George Will and other founder worshippers though, have made a mistake however, in turning these folks into superhumans who were as pure as the driven snow.

The Founders drank, slept around, grew hemp, distilled booze, cheated on taxes, bought slaves.... and still they came up with our constitution.

They were amazing folks. George Washington had to make money after leaving office... bully for him and his distillery.