Individual rights, personal responsibility.
North Carolina has the most restrictive and expensive state system of alcoholic beverage control in the nation.
Some of the costs are paid in the form of a “tax” through higher operating costs, and unreasonably high monopoly salaries for local ABC officials. But much of the cost is paid through inconvenience and nonsensical restrictions on local access: our state has less than half the number retail outlets enjoyed by the surrounding southern states. There is no reason the state should maintain a monopoly on retail sales; private stores can take over this expense, and allow people to buy nearer their homes without driving 20 or 50 miles.
Many people object that having a high price deters excessive alcohol use; if you believe that, it is still time to end the old-fashioned and wasteful ABC. We can impose an alcohol tax that will keep prices about the same after privatization. The difference is that this tax will collect revenue, rather than the current “tax” of having to drive 30 minutes each way. The tax revenue can be used to expand opportunities for school choice in rural areas, communities that until now have depended on the state monopoly on education. If we are careful, we can offer better choices and increase personal responsibility in both alcohol sales and education in rural communities.
TOGETHER WE CAN WORK TOWARDS A
