Fear of Death and Taxes

Recently, Maine, Alabama & Mississippi have been in the news about regressed ideas towards consumption hearkening back to the days of Prohibition. Additionally California has been aggressive in enforcing "Tied House" laws that were previously ignored. There are two things that buzz through my brain when reading about these events. They are the Fear of Death and Taxes.

First the Fear of Death. Yes drinking comes with responsibility. Yes irresponsibility in drinking comes with the worst results. When our education focus on responsible drinking starts highlighting respect for rather than the fear of the substance, the irresponsibility factor may become a minimal concern. Let's face it, all of us, when faced with fear, will do 1 of 2 things; run screaming, "the sky is falling", to warn the minions of chicken-little wannabe's, or, we dive right in to face if not show up our fear. That's when we get in trouble. We either enact rules that make no sense for those of us that are moderately level headed or we become foolhardy in an attempt to out drink the department store manikin. Not a good idea in either case. The temperance types will hide behind their righteous beliefs, and point fingers at everyone else claiming to know more or speak for the majority when that majority disappeared sometime ago, but really many of these "characters" are too scared to consider what option moderation and respect education may offer.

They may also claim their cause as a defense for the meek and indefensible; so when I can't bring my kids to a market where a tasting is in progress because of the irreparable harm it will do; and God forbid the label being tasted is a 19Th century rendering of a well know nude painting! Well don't you know that's double hell points! It makes one wonder if by making wine and growing grapes at home am I secretly teaching my kids to become bootleggers? Honestly, Frantic Fanaticism has no place in Politics and these issues should be left for the population to decide in open debate and public referendums. It was this temperate fantasy that mandated the worst law the U.S. ever put on the books and it was done solely out of fear, not respect. You see respect is born out of knowledge. When one respects a thing, one understands all the baggage that comes with the decision to side with that thing. In this case drinking may cause bodily harm, help you live longer, reduce your cholesterol, improve your over-all health, or not. Moderation seems to be the key here as with everything else in life. So abstinence too must be a personal decision based on respect and understanding, not fear and unnecessary laws.

Second are the Taxes. That driving force for all governments. Without taxes how will these servants of the people get paid? and really that is the issue here. In this economy, our infrastructure is trembling and near shattered in places. A Ten year war has taken its toll and now our entire economy is cracking and the last people to feel the strain is going to be our elected officials. I have yet to hear that the IRS, the State and Local Tax collectors are postponing their collections for the year. So how do we keep these career employees of the state employed? Taxes! More Taxes! Tax the people, Tax the widgets! When the taxes are not enough, outlaw the booze, make it impossible to find, keep the middleclass working, sober and paying their taxes. And when we let them drink, tax them, keep them frightened and tax them again. that is what drives the laws. Born by fear, and rolled out to "protect" society, yet when the fines are levied, the bank accounts become full, and then guess what. John Q Politician gets a raise, while another home is foreclosed and another family displaced.

Every Government official should be given a copy of Adam Smiths, "Wealth of Nations". As for me, well if this writing thing never comes to anything...I think I'll run for office. I hear the job security is pretty good, and the Perks! oh the Perks! Fundraisers and free drink!