Tennessee may modernize antiquated beverage alcohol laws

Tennessee has some very strange and peculiar laws regarding the regulation of beverage alcohol, most of which remain rooted in the Prohibition Era, and in in fear.

And, true to form, it would be no wonder that Baptists – the arch-conservative religious political right wing activists of the right wing party – are directly involved in efforts to keep the state mired in the antiquated bad old days of yore.

Tennessee is unique in the regard that state law forbids sale of wine except in state-licensed liquor stores. To clarify, the state of Tennessee has an unusual combination of laws that forbid sales of wine in any other type store save one that sells liquor. Further, sales are prohibited on Sunday. Beer, however, is able to be sold in grocery stores… but only if the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) is under 6%.

Alabama once had a similarly prohibitive content law, along with bottle size restriction – which severely limited the sales of domestic and imported craft/micro brew beers and ales. Alabama no longer has such prohibitive limitations.

And then, if one considers the implications of that law – mandating the sale of wine be exclusively limited to sales in liquor stores – the state actually sanctions the liquor enterprise itself, rather than being a neutral, regulatory body. In Tennessee there are no state-operated liquor stores as there are in Alabama. To have a state-run enterprise is not contradictory to the free market, because the state is a direct competitor in the market, which frequently has the lowest priced products, because taxes are the markup/profit margin for the state. Contrasting that model with the private retailer, the private retailer must make a profit atop the taxes which the state charges (after they purchase from the state at a wholesale cost – the same cost the state sells to the general public), thus increasing the retail price above what the state sells it.

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Supporters and opponents of a bill that would let grocery and convenience stores sell wine undertook one final push to sway Tennessee lawmakers Monday ahead of a make-or-break vote in the state legislature.

Liquor store owners, grocery store operators, wine shoppers, a sheriff, an addiction specialist and a minister were among the people allowed to testify at a special hearing held a day before the Senate State & Local Government Committee is to vote on the biggest rewrite of Tennessee’s liquor laws in decades. Members guarded

So long, Goober… and, thanks for the memories.

The story of an Alabama man who made good, and gave back significantly to his home state.

This line of his will get you started: “We were so poor that we’d eat beans for breakfast, drink water for lunch and swell up for supper.”

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George “Goober” Lindsey dead at 83

Posted: May 06, 2012 10:37 AM CDT
Updated: May 06, 2012 12:33 PM CDT
Posted by Micca Terrell

Alabama-born & raised George Lindsey (1928-2012), famous for his role as “Goober” in the 1960’s sit-com The Andy Griffith Show

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -Actor and comedian George “Goober” Lindsey died early Sunday morning after a brief illness, according to his publicist. He was 83 years old.

Lindsey was born on December 17, 1928 in Fairfield, Alabama, and grew up in the small town of Jasper.  Sources tell Channel 4 that The Andy Griffith Show and Hee Haw star will be buried there.

Funeral arrangements are being handled Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home of Nashville.

As a young boy, Lindsey’s best buddies were his dog One Spot and his pal Sappo, a lifelong friend and a popular foil for Lindsey’s stand-up comedy act. He became interested in acting after seeing a production of Oklahoma! when he was just 14.

Lindsey liked to hang around his Aunt Ethel’s gas station, where the mechanics wore felt caps to keep the grease and oil from dripping into their hair. Those caps would inspire Lindsey’s trademark “beanie” worn by Goober.

Gas station notwithstanding, the Lindsey family of George’s youth felt the full weight of the Great Depression. Those hard times were later a rich source of material for his comedy act, with jokes guaranteed to get a laugh, such as: “We were so poor that we’d eat beans for breakfast, drink water for lunch and swell up for supper.”

As a student in Jasper, Lindsey was a good athlete. At Walker County High School, he excelled in football and basketball. One of