In Alyssaland Sundays are squandered watching either sports or bad television—Lifetime Movies, Real Housewives or Kardashian BAD. However a few weeks ago while enjoying an empty house I stumbled upon Ken Burns’ Prohibition and sat on the couch riveted watching four of the five and a half hour film making notes for upcoming installments of THE CLINK CHRONICLES. I intended to blog about it that evening. I even began typing notes. Then life occurred filing it under “idea for a future.” Until…
…I read this headline: Excessive alcohol consumption costs U.S. nearly $2 a drink, CDC reports. The report is not worth wasting time writing about. However, this quote from Robert Brewer, alcohol program leader at the CDC:
Fortunately, there are a number of effective public health strategies that communities can use to reduce binge drinking and related harms, such as increasing the price of alcohol and reducing the number of places that sell and serve it.
Swell idea, Mr. Brewer Asshat. People love paying more while concurrently having their privileges constrained. Google these terms: wets versus dries, bootleggers, law of unintended consequence and speakeasies.
Still standing by your “effective” strategies?
One statistic states, “Sixty-one percent of the health care costs were paid by government agencies.” Really? Beckoning the question, what is included in the nebulous health care costs? Does that include the dollars going to first time offenders required to complete an outpatient program also known as a enormous misuse of taxpayer’s dollars?
Conversely, curiousity swells regarding income generation associated with fines and fees for alcohol related offenses.
Indeed, the material begets jokes about creating or appealing an amendment to fix the problem. However, as a 37 year old woman prohibited from enjoying libations as the terms of her probation, a 37 year old women not allowed to enter an establishment whose focal function involves serving alcohol and a 37 year oldrequired to submit to a breathalyzer upon request, I distinguish a basis for unease.
Oh, you think those rules only apply to alcohol and drug related offenses. WRONG. All misdemeanorers (assumably felons) are equal. MADD, a powerful lobby, admits a new prohibitionist agenda.
Let me know your thoughts on this issue.
Smooches!!
The Queen of Alyssaland