Quick Thought - Government generally hates competition - Granite Grok

Quick Thought – Government generally hates competition

MonopolyManJust like I railed on NH State Rep Sean Morrison here, a quick thought on NH’s bureaucrats disliking competition in the “wine & spirits” marketplace as they seek to stifle any competition to their Power.  A Snippet (reformatted, emphasis mine):

Some wine lovers who look forward to getting new vintages in the mail would be affected if lawmakers approve a bill that would remove “retailers” from the list of those who are allowed to ship wine into the state. Joseph Mollica, chairman of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, said the change is aimed at “brick-and-mortar” sellers in other states who compete with state liquor stores and other stores selling wine. “A winery that sells wine isn’t a retailer. A wine club that sells wine isn’t a retailer. But a large big-box store is a retailer,” he said Monday.

The bill, Senate Bill 353, would alter the existing law by removing the word “retailer” from the list of out-of-state groups that can get licenses to directly ship wine into New Hampshire, impacting customers who order wine by mail. In testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee last month, Mollica said the bill would affect “about 81” of 1,174 institutions that have the licenses, or about 7 percent of the license holders. But those 7 percent of license holders account for about one-quarter of the annual $11.3 million of “direct ship” sales in the state.

“We are looking to protect our retailers and tax structure,” Mollica told the committee, which is expected to vote on the bill soon.

My Response to this effort to keep a captive marketplace within “their fence”:

I don’t drink so I don’t have a dog in this fight. However, Free Markets are important and worth fighting for. Frankly, government should get out of this market and stop being the bully in the room in sweeping aside any and all competitors. If it is in the Yellow Pages (to use a throwback line), government shouldn’t do it.

If monopolies are not good things to have and allow (e.g., anti-trust laws), why is Government allowed to have their own? It applies to this marketplace and it should apply to the insurance marketplace that NH Rep Sean Morrison sniffs about.

(H/T: Concord Monitor)

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