The P-G gets it right
I tend to agree with the Post-Gazette editorial board more often than not, but today they really knocked it out of the park. You may, perhaps, have heard that our dear Governor intends to pay for needed road maintenance (including all our lovely crumbling bridges) by selling the Turnpike. The P-G editors have a better idea: sell the state liquor stores.
The state stores are, quite simply, an abomination. They’re a paternalistic hold-over from Prohibition, and mainly lead to wasted gasoline. More importantly, they are holding back local businesses. D’s in Regent Square remains one of my favorite places to go for a snack and a beer, because they love good beer and want to introduce other people to it at a fair price. Imagine what they or other merchants could do if they were able to do the same thing with wine or spirits. Or think about how much faster the revitalization of East Liberty could go if the new Trader Joe’s could lure business in the door with the value of Two Buck Chuck (and other TJ’s discounts — you would be amazed at what the California stores do with good Scotch).
One can only hope that our Governor will soon be struck by the same divine inspiration that was apparently floating around the editorial desks earlier this week…
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Yes, they should sell the state stores. And, why not stop. Sell the milk board. Locally, let’s sell the Convention Center. And, sell PNC Park to the Pirates and Heinz Field to the Steelers.
The sell what they should not sell, like the Water Authority. But, they build what they shouldn’t — like a downtown mall.
Even Parking Garages get built by PAT. Meanwhile, the Water Authority has a hand in building stadiums. So, legit things that should be done by one departement get done by another — in weird ways.