N.C. Should Get Out Of the Liquor Trade
FROM JAN. 20: It seems to be about time that The Pilot should consider doing a series of stories on having the state of North Carolina get out of the liquor business.
How much money could North Carolina save if every ABC Board in the state was shut down? No more large salaries, no more staff, no more state vehicles. The best part is that the state could realize a large one-time sum by selling fixed assets like the ABC stores to individuals, selling the rights to distributors so that deliveries of products could be made directly to retailers and still maintain the tax collection base for the state.
If dry counties still want to stay dry, they can. Let the current wet counties sell the business licenses and the right to say how many stores they want or don’t want.
Let’s recap:
A large one-time gain for the state by selling fixed assets.
A system for selling the rights for distribution — again another gain.
And the collection of all the taxes and fees that are currently being collected now still going to the state.
And the savings by not having individual ABC boards for each and every wet county.
Let North Carolina get off its tail and get North Carolina out of the liquor business.
Michael Florence
Seven Lakes North
Public Transportation Should Be Our Answer
FROM JAN. 25: As the U.N. moves toward sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, Iran has threatened to reduce its oil production in retaliation.
This grim reminder of what we have known since the Carter era — that we are too dependent on oil — causes me to mention again increasing the gas tax by $1 per gallon to fund public mass transportation to reduce our oil consumption. Additionally, this increase in price would encourage conservation.
An objection is that, although public transportation works well in Europe and in major metropolitan areas, America is too spread out to benefit from public transportation. However, in Moore County and across the country public mass transportation works at least twice a day, five days a week, even in remote rural areas, and the cost of the service is entirely subsidized by the government.
I am, of course, referring to school buses. Is it really such a great mental leap from school buses to a public transportation system for all? I think not.
It might be objected that people would not use the buses and trains. I would assert that cost is a powerful motivator of change.
As gas prices rose last year, many people began looking at hybrid cars, mopeds, motor scooters, and motorcycles. People will adapt.
Now, I can picture myself riding a bus from Carthage to the Harris-Teeter area bus stop — only to have to risk my life walking by the road and crossing busy streets. We will need in the future more sand paths, sidewalks, and bike paths so that we can walk or bike to the store or work. We would experience the added benefit of improved health and fitness.
What’s your plan if a major oil producing country cuts off the West?
Charles F. Taylor
Carthage
