So you expected to pay less when Washington privatized its liquor sales. What were you thinking? That big chains such as Costco, Walmart, Safeway and Albertsons could cut costs and pass the savings on to the consumer? If a supermarket can sell bread and potato chips cheaply, why not Jim Beam? Why else would you have voted last fall for the Costco-backed initiative that ended a system dating back to the post-Prohibition days? Surprise. Not only are prices not falling, they might rise. For instance, the Seattle Times quotes wholesalers predicting a 15 percent to 35 percent price hike. Says the Associated Press: That 750-ml bottle of Absolute Citron vodka you picked up at a state store for $22.95 could cost you $33.74 at a supermarket/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Thoughts?