Arkansas to Open Wine Markets?

The battle for free trade means more than shipping our nation's manufacturing jobs to China and IT jobs to India.

An honest free trade support policy would work toward removing monopolies and barriers to competition like the unreasonable limitations on wine sales and shipping in U.S. States like Oklahoma and Arkansas. Of course, the special iinterests are fighting tooth and nail to keep the trade restrictions in place. Like Oklahoma, Arkansas has a three tier system that ensures consumers pay higher prices for wines and local family wineries are forced out of the retail market.

A bill that would allow some out-of-state wines to be sold in Arkansas grocery and convenience stores received the endorsement Friday of the House Rules Committee.

House Bill 1651 by Rep. John Paul Wells, D-Paris, is a response to lawsuits challenging a state law that allows only wines produced in Arkansas to be sold at grocery and convenience stores. - Arkansas News Bureau

Ever meet anyone with a career or even a 'good job' in a liquor store?

It is far past time to open this market up like the states with successful wine industries have. California residents have voted time and time again to preserve their local wine industry and protect it from being overly dominated by huge corporate wine factories. The results have been clear: higher real estate values, increased tourism and booming local economies in an industry that will never sell them out for third world countries offering lower wages. That sounds pretty good to me and since Right-to-Work has failed to live up to its promises of improving local industry...why not give free trade a try?

Arkansas House panel endorses wine bill

Technorati Tags: Wine Shipping, Wine Law, Arkansas, Free Trade