Documents surfaced this week that show frequent communication between Paul Romain, who represents beer and wine distributors, and Steve Pharo, director of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. In them, they discuss how to block a bill that would benefit Grocery Outlet while taking business away from the distributors.
The whole thing is emblematic of what's wrong with the OLCC. It's an unnecessary agency that wields enormous power, often capriciously, and can pick winners and losers in the private sector. Add to that an element of corruption, and you have the trifecta of dysfunctional. I've argued before that we need to kill the OLCC and start over. This makes the case clearer than ever. Get rid of this malignant agency.
die die die die die die die!!!! Give me cheaper whiskey and scotch!!! Let me buy booze and Costco and Walgreens!!!
ReplyDeletewith out the OLCC small business aka bars and bottles shops would be pushed out buy the big domestics who could pay for tap installations and such. they could make their beer in every store and it if you didn't carry it they wouldn't give you the other craft beer that it distributes its whats happening in Chicago right now. distributors are running the show there putting bars out of business if they don't carry their major brands. we need the OLCC! Maybe not in its current form but it protects the small business bar. The OLCC makes all beer, wine, spirits sold to be bought at the same price no matter the quantity so big box stores couldn't push out the little man! like I say we need the OLCC if you want the beer community to stay the way it is in portland!!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Doitchin Krastev/Jason Evers, the former corrupt and identity stealing OLCC agent who terrorized local Bend area bars until he got transferred to Nyasa, where he finally got arrested. It's pretty obvious the whole organization is more than just mildly corrupt.
ReplyDeleteto "anonymous" that happens nowhere else in the united states all you have to do is look at any other state that does not have state run liquor control and you will see that is not true.
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