Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Argument that Government Can Do Something Right

Ralph Benko writes:
Within the conservative movement there is an ongoing war between the Conservatives, closet monarchists all of us, who secretly believe that the King — meaning the Government — can do no wrong, with the Libertarians, who noisily believe that the King can do no right.

The Government gets it wrong so often that it is daunting to keep up Conservative morale.  Still, as the Mad Monarchist says:

“Sanity is for the weak.”

Therefore it was noted with pleasure that the legislature of the great state of Alabama, in 2004, officially adopted Whiskey as the state’s official drink.  Now, as it happens, according to Netstate.com  only 29 states even have official drinks.  And, likely due to the Nearly Omnipotent Secret Dairy Lobby most have chosen milk.   (Yes, it is the Dairy Lobby, not the Freemasons, nor the Vatican, nor Stephen Colbert, nor even George Soros, and certainly not the US government, that calls the shots.  Now you know.)

One almost weeps with joy at the pure aptness of Indiana’s judgment in choosing… water.  (Anything else potentially would have been dangerously controversial to the excruciatingly polite Hoosier.)  And one can but stand in quiet wonder as to how tomato juice prevailed in Ohio, Kool-aid in Nebraska (which hedged this risky bet by also picking … milk), and Moxie® in Maine.

No State, however, can compare with Alabama.  Alabama proved the only state with sufficient integrity to choose… Whiskey….

Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey, to be specific.  Clyde May, lore has it, was a moonshiner working near Almeria, Alabama. And his were known to be a better sort of corn squeezings.  In addition to white lightning, though, he aged some of his output in charred barrels with a bit of dried apple, bottled this and used it for Christmas gifts.  (Here was a man who gave a whole new meaning to the spirit of Christmas!)
Now, I can't agree with Benko that governments should even be picking drink, especially since I am not a whiskey drinker but a gin drinker.  But, it is good to see that in the state that is home to the free market, anti-state Mises Institute the drink chosen was a whiskey that was created and first made by a moonshiner.

3 comments:

  1. I like Hendrick's gin myself. But if you are looking for a great whisky try Speyburn. It is a single malt Scotch whisk. Very smooth.

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  2. Note that this was NOT done on a national scale but on a state-by-state basis. From a traditionally conservative states right point of view, there is no surprise here. You probably would get a more interesting and diverse selection if it was done community by community.

    No, this does nothing to disprove the wisdom libertarianism in my opinion. In fact, Benko has done it a favor.

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  3. gin, winston smith's drink of choice...

















    Oceania

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