Liquor sales a valid state role

Certain issues involving public safety appropriately come under government control, making the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) an exception to the rule that less government is better. The WSLCB exists to prevent the abuse of alcoholic beverages, particularly by underage drinkers and those already intoxicated, and begins with observing the prospective customer in the parking lot. (In a commercial setting, clerks only see the customers briefly at checkout registers.)

WSLCB employees return many times their salaries to local governments at all levels, a benefit largely lost if liquor sales are privatized. There is also the cost of policing the new commercial facilities, which will require a significant increase in the number of liquor control officers. Union support for private liquor sales represents a narrow stand on the issue rather than the public good.

In Wisconsin one can go into a filling station and purchase a half pint of liquor, which logic says is probably consumed in the vehicle on the way to the next destination. Is this what we want for Washington state? The current system works well, and fixing something that isn’t broken makes no sense. Once the state stores are gone, they are gone forever.

George A. Bratina

Spokane