Keystone State legislators may abolish Pennsylvania’s stealth drinks tax. The House Liquor Control Committee is examining HB 1512, which would end the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s “flexible pricing” power. Rep. Jesse Topper, the measure’s primary sponsor, argues that flexible pricing…
Raise your hand if you enjoy alcoholic beverages. Now raise your other hand if you love free markets. Alright, AmSpec readers, you can put both your arms back down — this is not a stick-up — and continue scrolling downward. Wouldn’t…
Some weeks back I made a decision: I would buy no new bottles of liquor for as long as possible. My reason was not anxiety about my weight or a sudden conversion to teetotalism. No, I had simply grown tired…
Have you heard the news? So-called “sin taxes” — particularly those on alcoholic beverages — are being rebranded as “health taxes.” It’s true. I am happy that we may finally cast aside the term “sin taxes,” a label that oozes…
It is 10 p.m., I am in a cabin, and sipping my third Negroni from a coffee cup. No, this is not the typical evening. Let me explain. It was a very good night on the dock. Panfish were plentiful,…
A few months back, a friend came to town from Tennessee. His schedule was jammed as was mine, but I was eager to see him. He works in insurance and I inevitably learn a lot when he explains the various…
His hand felt like an oven mitt — filled with stone. “My god,” I thought as I removed my paw, “those are hands that have worked the vines.” Which is true. Raimund Prüm is a mountain of a man, and…
If Rep. Jesse Topper has his way, Pennsylvania’s legislature will roll back its infamous stealth tax on drinks. Topper, a Republican representing the south-central Bedford, Franklin, and Mercer counties, has introduced H.R. 2263, which would repeal the “flexible pricing” authority…
This past weekend, our glorious nation was awash in green beer. I meanwhile found myself tasting a pink ale. Before you judge — hear me out. I was making my way through the grocery store, cart overflowing with jugs of…
This year, the District of Columbia’s weather is nearly as screwy as its politics. A few days ago I was basking on a dock in the warm sun, yanking one catfish after another from the Anacostia River’s depths. A gentle,…
