Comments on: Monopolizing America: Big Beer Takes Over

By: Mulga Mumblebrain

Mulga Mumblebrain — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:20:18 +0000

Mass marketed American beer is rubbish. I think that you ought to concentrate on home-brewing and supporting small breweries that make a decent drop. And B99, annie is from that planet where there are thirty women for every Chinese man-you know the place.

By: B99

B99 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:26:38 +0000

annie – Where are you from that they don’t drink beer?

By: Lew Bryson

Lew Bryson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:04:20 +0000

It always amazes me that “liberal,” “progressive” types want to increase beer taxes by simply jacking up the percentages (to “keep up with inflation”), while ignoring the fact that beer taxes are among the least progressive taxes going. Excise taxes fall most heavily on the poor. Great public policy, eh? The Marin Institute wants to raise beer taxes (on everyone, not just problem drinkers) as a form of incremental prohibition; progressives — apparently — want to raise beer taxes just to raise government revenues — by heavily taxing the poor — to pay for programs…for the poor. Good thinking!

Lebron’s argument that raising beer taxes will lower overconsumption is like arguing that raising highway tolls and gasoline taxes will cut back on speeding and reckless driving; it ignores that most of the people on the road are driving within safe parameters, and makes it more expensive for everyone. This kind of taxation by blunt instrument is not effective; it is hypocritical.

I’ll be honest, by the way: I am a beer drinker, and I make my living writing about beer and spirits. I do not advocate overconsumption, I argue against it. I also argue against beer taxes; they are inherently unfair, and they are an ineffective tool against alcoholism and dangerous drinking.

By: bozh

bozh — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:09:29 +0000

clay, i agree
People exist. And in my fervent opinion, they function best when they live and work in an interdependent way.
This wld mean that a prez wld listen to a fisher and fisher, et al, to a prez. It means that a pol or prez wld value the fisher just as a fisher wld value a prez or pol.
It means also one wld never work for anyone. A manager of a plant or store wld work for a worker and in turn worker wld work for manager of the plant.
It means that every last human being wld have the right to work and to own his or her work. It actually means that all means of production shld be owned by each citizen.
It means total eradicaton of any dependency on any human being.
In schooling children, interdependence wld ban once and for all time rating children as A,B, C, etc.
The notion that children are bad, unruly, unmotivated on which judgments on children rests- both praise or condemnation- appears extremely vitiating to all of us or most of us; exception being some psychopathic people!
The statement of “no child left behind“ in an dependent way means that that some children wld be left behind as long as u rate them.
That to me appears as adding insult to injury! It is a naked ploy to divide people and rule over them. That`s all folks!

By: Clay Barham

Clay Barham — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:28:46 +0000

Obama said, community interests are more important than are individual interests, and since community has neither brain nor heart, it falls to the few governing elite to govern. His belief that the “State or the Government is the embodiment of all that is good and beneficial and that the individuals are wretched underlings, exclusively intent upon inflicting harm upon one another and badly in need of a guardian,” should be unchallenged. (Von Mises) No one must question him or his beliefs in the sacred task of governance, and his fellow supporters are as fanatical as the Muslims who would conquer the world. He, and his modern Democrats, is far from the libertarian Democrats of the 19th century, from Jefferson to Cleveland, who believed in individual freedom, the resulting free market, small government and America’s prosperity, as cited in THE CHANGING FACE OF DEMOCRATS on Amazon and claysamerica.com.

By: kalidas

kalidas — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:15:03 +0000

Hey, there’s always apple cider!

By: Steve Beck

Steve Beck — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:19:25 +0000

I hope readers understand that the Marin Institute isn’t truly an “alcohol industry watchdog.” It’s a neo-prohibitionist organization. For more about Marin, people might want to visit: http://alcoholfacts.org/MarinInstitute.html

By: hmmm

hmmm — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:52:29 +0000

so those atavistic assholes who vote republican (most beer drinkers, i.e., people watching rich-men’s sports and being swayed by macho cowboys drinking beer and smoking cigs in multi-million dollar commercials) will get a taste of their own medicine. higher prices, gouging, rotten product, rudeness, etc. this is way cool.

By: Don Monkerud

Don Monkerud — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:20:11 +0000

Of course beer is promoted but it’s brand name promotion. I’ve always assumed beer is popular because it’s cheap. Discovered that in Turkey last year–another religious country where lots of people drink.

By: Suthiano

Suthiano — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:32:43 +0000

beer is appealing because it is highly addictive and also promoted with the most powerful images.

as the article touches on, the beer industry is in the hands of an elite few. Just consider Canada: the 3 biggest beers are Molson (John Molson, Freemason), Labbats (John Labbat, Freemason), and Keiths (Alexander Keith, Freemason)…

I’ve witnessed arguments between Canadians and Aussies about Fosters vs Canadian… both claim having originated the premise for the “I am” commercials. The debate was limited to chat rooms, and neither company filed copyright infringement cases, so perhaps the conclusion is that there was no “competition” in using the format… maybe we shouldn’t be concerned with “primacy” as much as impulses and relationships?

…but of course I’,m not credible.

By: Annie Ladysmith

Annie Ladysmith — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:41:02 +0000

Guys with beer bellies are totally gross. Why do Americans love beer? Is it the burping and the farting that are so very adolescent but appeal so very much to the American male? Is it the macho football watching were they get programed (brainwashed) into the gulping of beer? Do they think this is somehow appealing to the opposite sex? I’ll tell you what’s NOT APPEALLING…YOUR FREAKIN” FATASS BEER GUTS!!!

By: beerdude

beerdude — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:59:34 +0000

It would have been nice to have heard from someone on the other side of the fence from known alcohol haters at the Marin Group. Perhaps the Beer Institute or the NBWA?

By: Anat Baron

Anat Baron — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:16:27 +0000

Some factual inaccuracies:
Inerbrew and AmBev formed InBev. This merged company bought Anheuser-Busch and so the largest brewer in the world is called Anheuser-Busch InBev.
There are 1500 independent breweries in America and they make up less than 5% of the US beer market.
Big two =80%
Imports = 15%
rest are craft breweries and brewpubs
My film BEER WARS shows how the three tier system and the beer lobby limit consumer choice. beerwarsmovie.com