FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mark Lloyd
January 31, 2011 (434) 942-3636
mklloydva@gmail.com
Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation Agrees
that State Government Should Get out of the Liquor Business
Let free markets and competition rule in Virginia
Richmond, Va. – The Virginia Tea Party Patriot Federation endorses Governor Bob McDonnell’s effort to privatize the 76-year-old state-run monopoly on the sale of distilled spirits. Legislation to privatize both retail sales and wholesales of a legal product out of the hands of state government has been introduced by Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg).
This practical piece of legislation will allow the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) to focus on the core function of enforcing liquor laws and preventing sales of alcohol and tobacco to minors. The Federation supports Senator Obenshain’s proposal to privatize both the wholesale and retail components of ABC where free markets and competition can truly thrive. The legislation advanced by the Governor gets the state out of a business it never should have been in in the first place.
“Currently, ABC is in a conflicted position as a state agency that both regulates and competes with privately owned businesses across the Commonwealth,” said Mark Lloyd, Chairman-Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation. “It must be nice to have that competitive advantage in the marketplace. This policy will lead to more private sector jobs and higher revenues for the state government.”
The Federation will be contacting legislators to encourage their support of SB 1272 and we will monitor their votes on this important initiative that demonstrates a commitment to the free market and smaller government. A vote for ABC privatization is a vote for focusing government on its core functions and bringing conservative principles back to Richmond.
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Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation:
Virginia Tea Party Patriots (VTPP) is a statewide federation of local, non-partisan Tea Party and Patriot groups established to advance and strengthen the founding principles and rights predicated in the U.S. Constitution and the Virginia Constitution. Our mission is to encourage and facilitate citizen participation in the political process and empower all citizens with a voice and influence in demanding Constitutional governance and fiscal restraint.
