Why can't Johnny read or do math?

For those of us following such things there has been a trend by some union representatives and clerks to spin or play down the amount of drinkers and thus making our voice seem more like a minority and not as important as those who think they are keeping utter chaos and ruination at bay. 

Specifically, they like to use the 13% number as those who drink once a week. However, as with most things math the clerks and the union have their own way of doing things.  What they seem to fail to realize is that the total is cumulative – i.e. you have to add the everyday, the few times a week and the about once a week numbers to see the TOTAL amount of people who drink at least once a week. This number ranges from 30 to 35% depending what time period you look at.   

In fact, Gallup has shown time and time again that 66% of the entire adult population drink some amount of alcohol.  As they reported in August this year “Thirty-five percent report having had a drink in the last 24 hours and another 29% in the past week.” This works out to 64% of drinkers which are about 66% of the population which comes out to over 42% of the total population (.64*.66 = .4224).  This is higher than what is normally reported because of the holiday included in the survey period which means some special occasion drinkers are added in that normally wouldn’t be.

We 2/3rds of Americans who choose to drink are the majority that the state store system wants to control.  They tell us what, they tell us when and they tell us where – the very antitheses of the freedom an open market brings to the citizens.  Taxation, regulation and enforcement are the role of government, not retail sales. The citizens and the state will be far better off once the aberration of the current state store system is corrected. Every state or province that has privatized some or all of their alcohol system has seen an increase in employment in the industry.  It tripled in Washington and Alberta. Increased in Ohio, Iowa, Maine and West Virginia too.

We are not inventing the wheel again.  Take the best of that the majority of the states do, regulate and enforce what they have problems with and come up with the best system.  That is real modernization not putting lipstick on the state store pig with new names or wicker baskets.

Privatization IS Modernization – Accept nothing less.

Provided for historical data (Gallup)

Every day A few times a week About once a week Less than once a week Only on special occasions Never No opinion % % % % % % % 2007 Nov 11-14 7 13 10 9 29 33 * 2006 Nov 9-12 10 13 11 9 27 30 * 2005 Nov 7-10 5 14 11 10 29 31 * 2004 Nov 7-10 7 13 13 10 25 32 * 2003 Nov 3-5 7 16 13 12 25 27 * 2001 Nov 8-11 7 12 13 14 24 30 * * Less than 0.5%