I got a chance to indulge my pet peeve last night.
I got to talk about one of my favorite topics. I have always indicated that I want to be there with my hands on the plunger when this state finally exits the dark ages and decides to blow up its state store system for handling sales of alcohol.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Last night I met one of the big reasons why.
Wendell Young IV is the head of Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. He represents all the people who work in those state stores.
Young is very good at his job.
Young and Katrina Currie, from the Commonwealth Foundation, joined us for our live-stream Internet show, 'Live From the Newsroom.'
If you missed it, you can catch the replay here.
Including myself and columnist Gil Spencer, it was 3-1 in favor of the privatization camp. Young was more than up for the challenge.
The man is a non-stop walking, talking tour de force against privatization. I think I know how legislators feel now in dealing with the effervescent Young. It's hard to get a word in edgewise. I had to break in several times to offer Currie a chance to counter Young's persuasive case.
Young can counter every argument for privatization, from revenue to protecting jobs, to keeping alcohol out of the hands of underage drinkers.
But there's one argument I believe he's still vulnerable to - and it's the one I happen to adhere to. Look, I realize that revenue and jobs are a crucial component to the argument for getting Pennsylvania out of the booze business.
But it's not the one that tops my list. And I think a lot of people agree with me. I hate the system. I hate that it forces me to go to three different places to make similar purchases, depending on whether I'm looking to buy a six-pack of beer, a case, or a bottle of wine or spirits.
It's all about convenience. What I would love is to walk into my local supermarket and find everything I want in a couple of brightly lit aisles. I want to be able to tuck those items in my cart, then do the rest of the grocery shopping.
What I don't want to do is stop at a deli or tavern if I'm looking to grab a six-pack, the local beer distributor for a case, and the friendly state store for a bottle of wine. That's what we do now. Our idea of 'modernization' is being able to buy two six-packs in Wegmans, but not as a separate purchase from your groceries, which means going through a separate checkout line. Real convenient.
A cold six-pack in your local convenience store? Silly, that would actually be "convenient," which has nothing in common with the system in place in Pennsylvania.
The issue, brought to the fore by state Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, and supposedly with the backing of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, got shoved onto the back burner when Harrisburg was debating the state budget. It's supposed to get another look in the fall.
The key just may be exactly how much the public cares about this issue and demands change. The belief is that they care, but not all that much.
And with Young leading the opposition, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for privatization to happen anytime soon.
Comments