A newly filed initiative seeks to by-pass the legislature

It seems that most every year one bill or another is introduced in the Washington legislature with the aim of getting the state out of the retail liquor business. Despite the merits of the bills, they always get killed somewhere in the political machinery by legislators beholden to the primary enemies of privatization. You may be surprised to learn that the liquor board itself is NOT one of the primary enemies of privatization.

Our dinosaur of a liquor distribution system is being preserved by pressure from the unions that represent the retail workers. They contribute plenty to state reps and senators, so all attempts to create a more efficient system die a predictable death

A citizen's initiative seeks to by-pass the legislature and let the people decide how spirits should be handled in Washington. The Affidavit for Proposed Initiative was filed by Taekja Song and the group Modernize Washington on April 16th. If enacted, the State of Washington would be forbidden from selling alcoholic beverages after December 31, 2011. Private licensees would begin selling spirits in June of 2011, after paying license application fees ranging from $500-$2000. The growing group of micro-distilleries in this state will appreciate the language allowing them to sell their product at the distillery, without first having to ship it to the state & repurchase it from a store. Instead, they will just be responsible for paying the taxes. What an idea!

The filers have until July 2nd to gather 241,153 signatures, or the initiative will not make it on the ballot. If you want to read the actual initiatives (there are two), see the blog posting by Brian Zylstra of the Secretary of State's office. Look for petitions soon at your favorite retailer & watering hole.