shot at liquor board
Roger Downey's shot over the bow of the liquor board was well timed [Sips, "Time to Deal," Sept. 20].
There is a great deal of information and misinformation being generated from the Costco lawsuit. To get to the bottom line, as Downey did in his last paragraph: "[The liquor board's] credibility is on the line."
The liquor boards throughout this country are vital to all state governments. Yes, it is true there are 52 liquor regulators in this country (50 states, D.C., and federal). The tax generation for states is immense, as is the need for age regulation (minors purchasing alcoholic beverages).
If it could only be so simple. Why not? It can!
States need to track shipments so they get their tax revenue and regulate against minors purchasing any and all alcoholic beverages. Sure, there are other regulations, but overall the two core responsibilities of the state are to get its money and hold liquor licensees to no sales to minors. Two very important jobs that the state needs to ask of the liquor board.
What happens over time is more rules, regulations, paperwork, bureaucracy. What gets forgotten is the core purpose for this board.
The wine industry already has a federal watchdog called the TTB, who regulates packaging, federal taxes, and content.
Bottom line—getting back to basics will allow taxes to be collected and, more importantly, licensees held to task on minor alcohol purchases.
Andrew Browne
CEO, Precept Brands & Precept International; Director SB Northwest
Seattle
first, learn the industry
No, I am not from Washington state. No, in the grand scheme of things, my opinion doesn't count. But I do work in this industry and some of the things Roger Downey spouted are disturbing [Sips, "Time to Deal," Sept. 20].
What he is basically advocating is that the alcoholic beverage industry should be run like any other industry. Catch the first word—alcohol. There is no other industry like it. To equate alcohol to another industry like buying clothing or cars is a ridiculous premise. This is alcohol! Demon rum!
Downey may not like it, but the three-tier system was put into place for many reasons in 1933. Without it, we'd still have Prohibition!
Downey should work in the industry for a while before he tries to change it.
Mike Goldman
Monsey, NY
5100 is better already
I am writing about the unfortunate timing of our restaurant review [Nosh Box, Sept. 20]. We were forced to dismiss our chef, and when Molly Lori arrived, we had just hired a new chef.
He had not finished his new menu. A few days later, we made many changes to our menu.
I would like to invite Lori back, when all systems are go. I am sure she will have a much better experience.
Susan Henley
co-owner,
Susan's 5100 Bistro
Seattle
stop the ignorance
To compare Martin Selig's few thousand dollars [in political donations] to Maria Cantwell's $10 million loan to her Senate campaign is either ignorant or disingenuous ["Marty the Politician," Sept. 20]. Cantwell is, like Michael Bloomberg, the poster person for buying elections.
To me, you all are running this paper strictly to hell. Your white-bread Mexican, Gustavo Arellano [Ask a Mexican], skirts the problem that the later arriving Chinese have left behind the Mexicans. There are Asian women at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel making beds for $15 an hour and sending their children to Harvard University, where 20 percent of the freshman class is Asian. Maybe if he was to drop his limp scatalogical humor and tackle serious issues, and if you were to do some research, Seattle Weekly would be a better paper.
Bill Godefroy
Seattle
weekly's a waste of time
What happened? I was out of town for a few weeks, and I returned to find a total piece of crap on the rack where the Weekly used to be. Judging from the number of complaints voiced in other letters, I see that I am far from alone when I say that I will no longer waste my time on this drivel. I hope your advertisers are paying close attention as your readership dwindles.
Becky Resnick
Seattle
unhappy petal pushers
As a longtime and regular reader, I can't help but comment on a couple of things. As to the very serious letter from the Society of American Florists in response to a recent Dategirl column [Letters, Sept. 20], I bet Dategirl got quite a chuckle out of that one. I know I did. They obviously took her very seriously. While I quite agreed with Dategirl's opinions about flower giving, I can hardly believe that florists all over the U.S. wrote to the SAF. Who knew such an idle column would create such an uproar?!
Sadly, I must also agree with a letter writer in last week's issue about the changes at the Weekly—"new but not improved." The exodus started with Steve Wiecking, and I still miss his ironic and humorous take on things. I had not realized somehow (where was I?) that Brain City is also gone. I knew, of course, about Geov Parrish and Knute Berger before their taking leave because it was written about.
