It is no surprise that the effort to dismantle the state’s coercive, socialist liquor sales monopoly failed because, instead of making an argument based on fundamentals, too many proponents focused on jobs, consumer choice and the like. The central issues in this debate should have been: Is there a limit on the government’s power and is it appropriate for a government to prohibit competition in an industry? Unfortunately, I think both parties support an excessively large government squabbling only over particulars, allowing the apparatchiks who run the liquor monopoly to feast on the largesse offered by those trying to court favor.
