Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Wisconsin: Open for (Campaign Donating) Businesses

You might remember one of the bipartisan concerns (actually, the only one) leading up to Walker's economy killing budget was the issue regarding microbreweries.  Walker spent the week after signing the budget into law, trying to calm people's fears saying it would not harm them but actually offer more protections.  The microbrewers aren't buying it:
Despite an outcry from Wisconsin's craft brewers, Gov. Scott Walker did not veto the provision, and small beer makers say the law could change the way they distribute beer and hamper their ability to expand.

Don Zamzow, who owns Bull Falls Brewery in Wausau with his son Mike Zamzow, said the biggest concern is what will happen to small breweries' wholesale operations.

With the changes, Bull Falls and other brewers won't be able to hold wholesale licenses. Instead, they will have to use special selling permits, Zamzow said.

With the wholesale license, small brewers ultimately could sell that part of their businesses and make money once they grow too large to handle distribution. With the new permit, that option is taken away, meaning the distribution component has no value for possible buyers, Zamzow said.

That's a problem for craft brewers' business models. Typically, they start small and distribute their own beer, so they don't have to pay large distributors. Then, as sales increase, brewers sell off the distribution rights, which gives them more money to invest in the brewery, Zamzow said.

Of course, Walker's tendency to favor campaign contributors over every day people is having it's now expected result, where the people are joining in rising up against his oligarchy and tyranny. This time, they're not just marching, they're taking it out on the enemy.

I don't know how he can even entertain the thought of national office when he is on the verge of collapse and civil unrest here. People don't like people who set off chaos.

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