tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760958785336796611.post1089001132109956158..comments2024-01-17T03:50:26.727-05:00Comments on Beer in Baltimore: The "Wild, Wild West" of the Beer BusinessAlexander D. Mitchell IVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16063927891723178579noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760958785336796611.post-64096154649205329202012-03-02T10:59:51.448-05:002012-03-02T10:59:51.448-05:00Sandy, thanks for the kind words, and for linking ...Sandy, thanks for the kind words, and for linking to it. I do want to contest your analogy, though. I am the "end user" of beer. I am also the end user of a discount-club card membership, hypothetically. In order for the above analogy to work, the retailer of beer would have to be the end user. But retailers are not. I am. You are, maybe. Oh, and that discount-club card membership, it's not free. It may not cost you any money, but it will cost you some privacy. <br />More here: http://beerbrarian.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-payola-and-libertarianism-on-beer.htmlBeerBrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10969632673190542761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760958785336796611.post-70838516782248611992012-02-27T13:14:03.439-05:002012-02-27T13:14:03.439-05:00I realize your blog is a hobby, not a full time j...I realize your blog is a hobby, not a full time job, but perhaps you could give more attention than a simple head nod to the opposing argument, which you've written directly past in your otherwise well argued peon to libertarianism.<br /><br />Are the tools in place for consumers to effectively make educated decisions, or does existing law outside of the tiered distribution model put them at a disadvantage to begin with? Are there other subsidies in place that favor the Large Scale Industrial Lager complex? How much of the Large Scale Industrial Lager complex relies on the nation's addiction to oil subsidies, and would the repeal of those policies therefore make for a more even playing field? In short, let's not view a single policy in isolation if we're espousing a libertarian world view. Follow the logic through to its absolute conclusion, and let's see how much Status Quo bias accounts for a systemic advantage to certain market actors.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715718530312100376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760958785336796611.post-78294995630400032882012-02-27T12:58:17.999-05:002012-02-27T12:58:17.999-05:00If you have a three-tier distribution network requ...If you have a three-tier distribution network required by law, these restrictions are probably necessary (there are good arguments to be made on both sides for whether or not this is a good system, but let's assume for now that it is). If Bud or Miller buys all the taps in a bar, how is that different than the bar being a tied house? Basically, these laws arose because parties were trying to dodge the distribution laws. Since alcohol is treated differently than say, compact discs, from a distribution standpoint, it's buyer/seller relationships are also treated differently.The Oriole Wayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16483309131692836436noreply@blogger.com