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Saturday, June 11, 2011

Scott Walker sides with foreign corp over small local businesses

If you want to understand why Scott Walker, the lying, dishonest sack of shit governor of Wisconsin. He's often been quoted as saying that small businesses are "the backbone of our economy". If he truly believes that, something he sneakeb in to the state budget takes a huge whack at that backbone.

A law in the budget has outraged the 60 or so Craftsman beer brewers in Wisconsin crippling their businesses and making it that much harder for new brewers to start up, all to mollify a large corporate donor, a foreign owned one at that.

Miller/Coors, now owned by South African Breweries supports the proposal because it shares concerns with wholesale distributors about the possibility of Anheuser-Busch buying wholesalers throughout the country, said company spokesman James Wright.

The craft brewers argue that this is a 'red herring and they are the real target, citing the fact that Anheuser-Busch has passed up 16 opportunities to buy distributors in Wisconsin.

The law prohibits any beer from being sold without a middleman distributor. This will cripple smaller and new craft breweries that may not have enough volume to warrant the attention of a distributor. A start up craft brewer can't sell a bottle until they secure a distribution deal and how do you create any sort of demand when you can't sell any beer.

Wisconsinites love their beer. The trend, not only for beer, but in many foods is towards craftsman or artisan foods and drinks across the U.S. I work in the Artisan food world in California. It's thriving and truly represents what Walker calls the "backbone of the economy". It is wholly entrepreneurial, representing the best of what America is about as a nation. All that is required is hard work, compliance with the same health regulations that apply to all food producers, passion and innovation.

It's changing the way we eat and perceive food in a healthier manner, supporting local businesses in a more sustainable way that benefits the community as a whole. Gov. Scott Walker has chosen a $22,000 donation over this.

If there is a silver lining to this, Walker, who has turned his governorship into a "who can I piss off next" has managed to enrage another sector of the population. The various beer craftsman companies their friends, families and customers include many more voters than the large brewery interests he serves.

He will be facing a recall petition and in all likelihood an election in 2012. Bring it on. What a dishonest jerk he's turned out to be. This isn't even about Union busting or some other goal of the right wing agenda. This goes against everything a true conservative/libertarian would support. Shame on him.

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